An Observational Analysis of Agricultural Education Faculty During On-Site Supervisory Visits with Pre-service Teachers

Abstract

Historically, university supervisors have struggled balancing their role as a supervisor and evaluator of preservice teachers. A university supervisor’s role has transformed to include a greater focus on collab- oration between themself and the preservice teacher. This observational case study utilized the Supervi- sory Options for Instructional Leaders (SOIL) model to identify and classify the level of supervision that was utilized during the on-site visits of four faculty members who each served as university supervisors of preservice teachers at the University of Florida. Results indicated that the university supervisors utilized structured supervision practices. University supervisors conducted supervisory visits that included both pre- and post-observation conferences, as well as an observation of the preservice teacher instructing in a classroom. In addition, university supervisors utilized questioning strategies to guide preservice teach- ers through reflective practices. The researchers recommend that planning meetings are held to review the supervision techniques used during supervisory visits, to achieve consistency.