Educational innovation and primary school supervision in Turkey.

The aim of this study is to attempt to focus on the relationship between educational innovation and primary school supervision in Turkey. The main focus is on the innovative behaviours exhibited by the primary school supervisors. Thus, the experiences of primary school teachers, provincial directors of education and primary school supervisors about these behaviours are identified. The views of these groups on some on-going supervisory activities in primary education in general and its supervision in particular are also identified and compared with each other. In addition, the views of these three groups of educationalists were sought on the barriers which could prevent the process of initiation and implementation of educational innovations and their recommendations for the improvement of the degree of implementing such innovations in primary schools. Questionnaires were administered to a sample of 190 teachers, 50 supervisors and 10 directors, drawn from representative regions throughout Turkey. For the teachers and supervisors, information obtained and their personal charecteristics made it possible to examine the relationship of their responses with, for example, sex, age, teaching experiences and region. The findings of the study revealed that the vast majority of the pre-defined would-be innovative behaviours of supervisors had not been adequately exhibited both in quantity and quality, according to the responses of the vast majority of the teachers. However, a substantial proportion of the supervisors reported that they had exhibited those behaviours. The findings also suggested that the "quality control" or "assessment" aspect of the primary school supervision in Turkey was given more weight than the "support" and "advice" aspects of it. However, the results also highlighted that there was a need for shifting of the focus away from monitoring and inspection to support and advice in supervisory activities. The results also suggested that the teachers revealed views distant from the supervisors and directors with regard to the items on some on-going supervisory activities. But, they reported nearly similar views about the pre-identified seventeen barriers and eleven recommendations. The barriers were acknowledged and the recommendations were 'agreed' with.