ELT Teachers' and School Principals' Perspectives Regarding the Supervisory Process in Turkey

Abstract

This study, with an aim to understand English language teaching (ELT) teachers` and school principals` perspectives regarding the supervisory process in Turkey, adopted a qualitative approach. Three public schools (a primary, a secondary and a high school) were selected, and six ELT teachers and three school principals formed the sample. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with the ELT teachers and school principals, and observation forms filled out by the school teachers were analysed as well. Five themes emerged from the data analysis, which highlight the issues regarding the supervisory process. These are; teacher supervision is not grounded on a well-planned process, supervision cycle lacks the pre-meeting phase, school principals are regarded as the ultimate authority, principals are not qualified enough to supervise ELT teachers, and the official teacher supervision guidelines lack sufficient information.