Analysis of Role, Challenges, and Impact of Educational Supervision on Teacher Professional Development
Abstract
The tension between institutional accountability and pedagogical autonomy remains a central challenge in school leadership, yet the mechanisms modulating this interplay within professional development are often overlooked. This study examines the operational synergy between supervisory roles, systemic challenges, and teacher growth through a quantitative analysis of 27 practitioners. Findings reveal a high-performance baseline in supervisory roles (Mean 4.21), anchored by rigorous curriculum alignment (Mean 4.48) and consistent clinical observations (Mean 4.26). We identify a critical "relational bottleneck" where communication friction (Mean 3.44) acts as a more significant barrier than traditionally cited constraints like time or resource scarcity. Despite this interpersonal dissonance, the impact on teaching quality (Mean 4.37) and professional collaboration (Mean 4.30) remains robust. These data expose a fundamental tension: the pursuit of digital transparency and standardized monitoring is inherently limited by the psychological safety required for substantive instructional change.
References
Al Mahdy, Y. F. H., Al-Harthi, A. S., & Salah El-Din, N. S. (2019). Perceptions of school psychological climate and its relation to teachers' self-efficacy and job satisfaction. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 48(4), 690–705. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143219846911
Bendiksen, M., Bjørndal, C. R., & Furu, E. M. (2021). Mentoring as a driver for professional development? International Journal of Mentoring and Coaching in Education, 10(1), 54–68. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMCE-05-2020-0023
Blase, J., & Blase, J. (1999). Effective instructional leadership: Teachers' perspectives on how principals promote teaching and learning in schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 37(2), 130–141. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578239910264235
Brooks, R., Brooks, S., & Goldstein, S. (2019). The power of resilience: A theoretical and clinical model of psychological safety. Routledge.
Bush, T. (2020). Theories of educational leadership and management (5th ed.). Sage.
Chen, J., & Keung, C. P. C. (2022). Leadership and teacher professional development: A systematic review. Journal of Educational Administration, 60(2), 145–162. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-03-2021-0063
Cheng, A. Y. N., & Szeto, E. (2020). Teacher leadership development in schools. International Journal of Educational Management, 34(2), 260–274. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-08-2019-0300
Darling-Hammond, L., Flook, L., Cook-Harvey, C., Barron, B., & Osher, D. (2020). Implications for educational practice of the science of learning and development. Applied Developmental Science, 24(2), 97–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2018.1537791
Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., & Gardner, M. (2017). Effective teacher professional development. Learning Policy Institute.
Derrington, M. L. (2019). Teacher evaluation and the principal: Building professional learning and trust. Rowman & Littlefield.
Flores, M. A. (2001). Person and context in becoming a teacher. Journal of Education for Teaching, 27(2), 135–148. https://doi.org/10.1080/02607470120056692
Fullan, M. (2007). The new meaning of educational change (4th ed.). Teachers College Press.
Fullan, M., & Quinn, J. (2023). The coherence framework: A guide to deep school improvement. Corwin Press.
Ghavifekr, S., & Pillai, N. S. (2020). The relationship between school leaders’ instructional leadership and teachers’ job performance. International Journal of Instruction, 13(4), 725–740. https://doi.org/10.29333/iji.2020.13444a
Glickman, C. D., Gordon, S. P., & Ross-Gordon, J. M. (2017). Supervision and instructional leadership: A developmental approach (10th ed.). Pearson.
Grissom, J. A., Egalite, A. J., & Lindsay, C. A. (2021). How principals affect students and schools: A systematic synthesis of two decades of research. Wallace Foundation.
Guskey, T. R. (2002). Professional development and teacher change. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 8(3), 381–391. https://doi.org/10.1080/135406002100000512
Hairon, S., Goh, J. W. P., Chua, C. S. K., & Wang, L. Y. (2019). A review of teacher leadership research: Identifying promising lanes. Journal of Educational Administration, 57(1), 4–21. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-01-2018-0010
Hallinger, P. (2011). Leadership for learning: Lessons from 40 years of empirical research. Journal of Educational Administration, 49(2), 125–142. https://doi.org/10.1108/09578231111116686
Hallinger, P., & Kovacevic, J. (2022). Mapping the development of instructional leadership. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 50(2), 195–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432211021415
Harris, A., & Jones, M. (2020). COVID-19 – school leadership in crisis? School Leadership & Management, 40(4), 243–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2020.1811439
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses relating to achievement. Routledge.
Hattie, J. (2023). Visible learning: The sequel. Routledge.
Kraft, M. A., & Papay, J. P. (2014). Can professional environments in schools promote teacher development? Explaining heterogeneity in returns to teaching experience. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 36(4), 476–500. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373713519496
Kyriakides, L., Anthimou, M., & Panayiotou, A. (2017). School-wide professional development: A review of the literature. International Journal of Educational Research, 82, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2016.12.001
Leithwood, K., Harris, A., & Hopkins, D. (2020). Seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited. School Leadership & Management, 40(1), 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2019.1596077
Liu, S., Gumus, S., & Bellibas, M. S. (2021). Instructional leadership and teacher collective efficacy. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49(3), 435–452. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220910437
Maphalala, M. C. (2019). Mentoring and teacher professional development. Nova Science Publishers.
McLaughlin, M. W. (1993). What matters most in teachers' workplace context? In J. W. Little & M. W. McLaughlin (Eds.), Teachers' work: Individuals, colleagues, and contexts. Teachers College Press.
Ng, D., & Nguyen, T. (2020). Evolution of instructional leadership. International Journal of Educational Management, 34(6), 1105–1120. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-10-2019-0382
Nguyen, D., Ng, D., & Yap, P. S. (2021). Instructional leadership and student achievement. Journal of Educational Administration, 59(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-01-2020-0023
Nolan, J., & Hoover, L. A. (2008). Teacher supervision and evaluation (2nd ed.). Wiley.
OECD. (2019). TALIS 2018 results (Volume I): Teachers and school leaders as lifelong learners. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/1d0bc92a-en
Osman, D. J., & Warner, J. R. (2020). Measuring teacher motivation: The influence of trust and self-efficacy. Teaching and Teacher Education, 93, 103080. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103080
Pajak, E. (2010). Clinical supervision and psychological functions. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 25, 1–20.
Panigrahi, M. R. (2012). Implementation of instructional supervision in secondary schools. Journal of Educational Review, 5(2), 223–231.
Salleh, M. J., Khuan, C. T., & Bakar, N. A. (2020). Teacher professional development through learning communities. Journal of Critical Reviews, 7(19), 834–842.
Sebastian, J., Huang, H., & Allensworth, E. (2019). The relationship between school leadership and student achievement. Educational Administration Quarterly, 55(3), 335–373. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X18820624
Sergiovanni, T. J. (2007). The principalship: A reflective practice perspective (6th ed.). Allyn & Bacon.
Tindowen, D. J. C. (2019). Influence of professional development on teacher performance. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 8(8), 1–15.
Tuytens, M., & Devos, G. (2014). The role of feedback from the school leader in teacher professional development. British Educational Research Journal, 40(6), 1103–1124. https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3124
Tuytens, M., & Devos, G. (2020). The role of the principal in teacher professional development. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 48(5), 875–892. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143219846467
Victorynie, I., Othman, A. B., Ahmad, I. S., & Hussien, S. (2022). Academic supervision in integrated Islamic elementary schools during the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesian Journal of Islamic Education Studies (IJIES), 5(1), 19–34. https://doi.org/10.33367/ijies.v5i1.2426
Virdamahaputra, N., Nurdin, D., & Khofifah, J. M. (2025). Academic supervision in the digital age: Integrating technology and collaboration for teacher professional development. Indonesia University of Education.
Zepeda, S. J. (2017). Instructional supervision: Applying tools and concepts (4th ed.). Routledge.
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal La Edusci
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
