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Gómez, Mariel

University of British Columbia

Globally, supervised, direct experiences in teaching provided for pre-service teachers have been increasingly advocated for. The practicum component of teacher education programs has been widely recognized by teachers as the most significant experience of their learning to teach process. Although pre-service teachers, cooperating teachers and university supervisors all play essential roles in the success of field experiences, the work of university supervisors has been the least examined and the meaning of supervision is often elusive in empirical studies and governmental documents addressing the topic. This study uses phenomenographic methods to investigate the work of university supervisors in early childhood teacher education programs (ECTEPs) according to their own conceptions of it. Nineteen university supervisors employed at six Chilean ECTEPs were interviewed twice. Through the analysis of data, four qualitatively different ways of understanding supervision were identified, named: (a) accompaniment of learning; (b) instruction; c) vehicle to promote reflective thinking; and (d) opportunity for awareness expansion and transformation. Each of these categories of description is discussed in relation to the role of the supervisor, the means of supervision and the nature of relationship between supervisor and supervisee. Findings suggest the possibility of a continuum of expanding meaning between these ways of understanding supervision. The significance of the results in relation to the literature is discussed, as well as some implications for university supervisors, ECTEPs, and educational policies on university supervisors’ professional development. Further research is proposed for inquiring into different possible conceptions of supervision and potential connections with actual supervisory practices.

Text

2024-07-04

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/88567

Human Development, Learning, and Culture

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/