PERSPECTIVES OF MUSCAT TEACHER SUPERVISORS ON THEIR TRAINING AND PREPARATION FOR EDUCATIONAL REFORM IN THE SULTANATE OF OMAN

As educational supervision in Oman has been adopting radical changes in all aspects of supervisory practice, and because the regional teacher supervisors have been urged to adopt different roles and practices, the issue of preparing and training those supervisors for the reforms is of specific importance. The level of training and preparation that the regional teacher supervisors had received in the new educational policies and innovations is a significant indication of whether or not they were able to carry out their new responsibilities in supervision. This study was conducted to investigate about the training that Muscat teacher supervisors have received in a stage of educational reforms in Oman. That is: “What are the perspectives of Muscat teacher supervisors on the preparation and training programs that have been provided for them during the time of reforms?” The study was qualitative in intention, in that it aimed to elicit perspectives and meanings from participants. The examination of supervisor’s perspectives used a series of semi-structured interviews with twenty-five teacher supervisors in Muscat Educational Supervision Directorate. The supervisors considered that they had had inadequate training for their new roles in supervision. They also considered training to be the lowest priority for the Ministry of Education and Muscat Educational Directorate. They reported that most of the training programs designed for them were short theoretical conferences or lectures with no or a few opportunities for practice. Consequently, the supervisors announced their need for more adequate and sufficient training programs for the new supervisory roles, practices and the current educational reforms. Supervisors also declared that the lack of training they had received affected their awareness and acceptance of the new roles and practices in supervision.