1. Improving Instructional Supervision through Action:
Finding Solutions and Interventions for Enhancing
Performances of Schools in Ipil District
2. AUTHOR
HOPE R. ACUESTA, EdD.
Public Schools District Supervisor
Ipil District
Congressional District II
3. Context and Rationale
Public Schools District Supervisors (PSDS), as instructional
leaders, are first and foremost responsible for promoting best
teaching practices (Zepeda, 2003). Good district supervisors
continually engage teachers and principals in instructional dialogue
and reflective practices so they are best equipped to improve the
academic performance of all their learners. These PSDSs are aware
of the varied instructional strategies that aim, directly or indirectly, to
improve the learners’achievement.
Meanwhile, as per monitoring and evaluation, there are teachers in Ipil District who were reported to teach
just to be able to deliver or present their lesson without so much concern about whether the students are listening and
understanding what is being taught. The class became so monotonous that the students had either fallen asleep or
misbehave because they could not connect with the thoughts of the teacher. There was little interaction between the
teacher and the students. The teacher gave a paper-and-pencil test to evaluate learning and the students score low.
Hence, school heads must be provided with technical assistance on how he/she could help this kind of teacher
improve instructional skills.
4. Innovation, Intervention, and Strategy
This action research looked into action research
writing as an instructional supervision approach for
teachers and school heads. In doing this intervention, the
researcher wanted to do monitoring of the
implementation of the action research of the teachers and
school heads.
Hence, this research employed monitoring of
action research implementation as an instructional
supervision approach to ensure innovations and
interventions in the classrooms and schools.
Instructional supervision has enabled teachers to
improve the teaching-learning process in their
classrooms. Instructional supervision aims to promote
the professional growth of teachers by discussing with
and showing them how to do their jobs better.
5. Action Research Questions
This action research sought to answer the following:
1. How do teachers and school heads perceive the new normal form of
education?
2. What problems did teachers and school heads encounter in the
implementation of action research?
3. How did teachers and school heads solve the challenges and problems
encountered in conducting the interventions of their respective action
research?
6. Action Research Questions
A. Participants and/or Other Sources of Data and Information
Group Elementary Secondary Total
Teachers 5 5 10
School Heads 3 2 5
Total 8 7 15
B. Data Gathering Methods
This qualitative research employed the hermeneutic phenomenology of Heidegger that advocates the
interpretive process of exploring the human experience as it is lived (Racher & Robinson, 2003). The
phenomenological study is subjective qualitative research associated directly, with the naturalistic paradigm
(Reiners, 2012). The phenomenological study is subjective qualitative research associated directly with the
naturalistic paradigm.
In this study, the researcher gathered qualitative data from interviews and focus group discussions. The
researcher also used empirical data such as the list of teachers and school heads who submitted action research for this
school year. The following procedure was observed.
7. Discussion of Results & Reflection
A. Discussion of Results
“How do teachers and school heads perceive the new normal form of education?”
“To respond to the challenges posed by COVID cases worldwide, schools offered distance learning (DL)
as the available learning method during this time of the pandemic. DL has become the new normal in
education in the country. DepEd came up with the Learning Continuity Plan (LCP) for the school year
2020–2021 without sacrificing the quality of education, This provides learning interventions that teachers
can utilize during the pandemic and become the initial steps to continue learning even with the
challenges of COVID 19.”
Theme 1: Looking for Opportunities for Interventions.
“The advantages and disadvantages were widely known and these were all based on the experiences
of both teachers and students. Satisfaction with the Distant Leaning is mixed. But with the data and
information gathered, there are many opportunities available to improve this modality taking into
consideration that technology is flexible and capable of accommodating changes and improvements.
The teachers’ interest and dedication are one good thing to mention.”
8. Discussion of Results & Reflection
“What problems did teachers and school heads encounter in the implementation of action
research?"
Theme 1: Thinking Negatively.
“Sometimes expressing what I think becomes different when I write. It requires endeavor and I don’t
make an effort.”
“Studies have indicated teachers who are already burdened with multi-tasking tend to regard
innovations and novel programs negatively. Several respondents found that time constraint is the main
factor preventing teachers and administrators from engaging in the quality and active implementation of
the researched recommendations.”
“Students are made ready and teachers’ competency in technology usage was enhanced. Learners
were taught through self-directed learning with access to technology.”
Theme 2: Making learners and school ready.
“Learners/teachers are gearing up for readiness. Readiness, in terms of learning through technology.”
9. Discussion of Results & Reflection
"How did teachers and school heads solve the challenges and problems encountered in
conducting the interventions of their respective action research?”
Theme 1. Seeking Instructional Support.
“Action research allows teachers the opportunities to identify changes they need to make in their teaching
practices by providing themselves with the framework to build their classroom projects. In many cases, when
teachers are inspired, they can design their own and use a systematic approach to ascertain answers to
instructional questions or issues.”
Theme 2: Having limited support.
“I didn’t receive certain training in writing. There isn’t any training that I received from my school head and
supervisors or training that I found by myself.”
“Limited Support. Teachers also may encounter a lack of support from their school administrators
because the administrators did not understand the concepts and processes of action research being
done in the first place. Lack of support from administrators may cause teachers to feel pressured, and
frustrated, or it may lower their confidence in their abilities to successfully perform action research
activities.”
10. Discussion of Results & Reflection
Theme 2: Applying instructional supervision.
“As an experienced school head, I am still needed instructional supervision for me to improve my craft
especially in designing innovations for my school since I am encountering serious classroom observation
difficulties because of the pandemic.”
“I appreciated that there is a repeated process of dialogues on lesson planning, class observation, data
analysis, and feedback utilization. I can determine already the appropriate approach for my problem in the
classroom. As a neophyte teacher, I am still acquiring the basic teaching-learning skills.”
“Several additional research studies mention that action research is the impetus for teachers’ changes,
including changes in their pedagogy, changes in their thinking, and changes in their confidence, which
leads to professional growth and improvement. By utilizing the action research process, teachers not only
learn about students and colleagues but also learn about themselves as they seek ways to continually
improve.”
11. Conclusions and Recommendations
This research has taught the researcher to strengthen instructional supervision
not only on reading and other programs of the Division of Zamboanga Sibugay but
also on the implementation of action research as interventions to best practices.
Instructional supervision is most appropriate when the teacher and school head are
new and need more guidance. The supervisor knows the context of learning and
teaching more than the teacher does. The supervisor’s decisions are expected to be
more effective than if the teacher is left to his/ her own devices.
Moreover, the researcher also thought of strengthening collaboration with experts
on writing action research. Collaborative Orientation is most appropriate when the
teacher and school head have already accumulated some level of expertise through
the years of experience and when they expressed a need for guidance from
supervisors and others. The supervisor helps the teacher and school head to
undertake self-assessment and initiate a self-directed plan of action.
