Theme: observation for developmental purposes and classroom research contents: introduction

History of Class Observation

The classroom observation process has gone through many different stages and variables (Olivia et al., 1997). The term inspection was used for the period from 1830 to 1850. This phase was characterized as a police phase where the purpose of the classroom observation process was to discover deficiencies and teachers' mistakes and determine whether teachers were applying the rules. The responsibility for carrying out this task rested with a committee made up of fathers, clergy and citizens. As for the next stage, it extended from 1850 to 1910 and adopted another term called Instructional improvement. In this period, the focus was on teachers and enhancing their ability to teach. However, from 1910 to 1930, classroom observation was called scientific and bureaucratic. The focus during this period was on improving the performance of teachers and enabling them to perform their work in the best way. The responsibility for carrying out the supervision task at this stage was assigned to each supervisor from the central office and the school principal. For the period from 1930 - 1950, the purpose of the observation process was mainly to improve the quality of teaching. This stage adopted the term human relations. However, from 1950-1970, monitoring became bureaucratic, scientific, clinical and humanistic relationships. A supervisor from the central office and the principal of the school were assigned to carry out this task in addition to a mentor responsible for supporting the teachers and providing them with suggestions to improve their performance in the classroom. It should also be noted here that in this stage the use of terms, collegial, collaborative, peer, coach and mentorship, were added as types of supervision that contribute to the improvement of teaching, learning and student achievement.
Goldhammer, Anderson and Krajewski (1980) also shed light on the supervision methods that appeared in the professional literature between 1850 and 1990. They classified them as scientific management, democratic interaction approach, cooperative supervision, supervision as curriculum development, clinical supervision, group dynamics and peer focus, training and educational supervision. In terms of the modern approaches to supervision, Duffy (1997) states that two types of supervision are the leading ones, namely clinical supervision and administrative control. On the other hand, Goldsberry (1988) presented three models of modern educational supervision: nominal, corrective, and reflective.
Training for classroom observation
Classroom observation is one of the effective methods used by educators to develop the teaching and learning process. Classroom observation has been defined as a process during which the observer sits in one or more study sessions, records the teacher's teaching practices and students' actions, and then meets with the teacher to discuss the observations (Wragg, 1999).
Wilcox (2000) regards classroom observation as a primary method of collecting data on what is happening in the classroom. Observation is used as an opportunity to observe experienced teachers. With teachers on duty, observation is usually part of the supervision process. The supervisor visits the teacher's class, observes the lesson and provides feedback on its effectiveness. Marshall (2009) argued that classroom observation is a form of professional development that allows critical pieces of teachers' knowledge and skills to converge in a real opportunity to gain insight into the quality of the learning experiences that are being provided. Gordove (2002) believes that any observation of lessons should be the basis for professional development.
One of the basic concepts that this study is based upon is that supervision and observation should be deemed a process leading to the professional development of teaching staff. The researcher designed a training program based on the respondents’ perceptions and their implementation of the classroom observation process with the aim of increasing awareness of internationally accepted good practices in this field.
As a general practice, observation is associated with evaluation, which is why - particularly with teachers in service - it often has negative connotations (Freeman, 1982). Therefore, Ruth (2003) believes it is necessary to nominate a qualified person who can conduct the monitoring process professionally. Mulyasa (2007) argues for a new model of educational management that principals should be at least able to play the role of teacher, principal, principal, supervisor, leader, innovator, and motivator. The study also confirms the finding in the literature that observation may be an effective tool for improving the quality of the teaching and learning process if applied professionally and methodically (Coe, 2014; Schoenfeld, 2012; MacMahon et al., 2007; Crowe, 2001). Based on this concept of classroom observation, observers in this study were trained to implement a new method to provide teachers with constructive feedback and give teachers ample opportunity to reflect on their performance, discover their areas for development, as well as support in the implementation of the suggested actions.
The Classroom Observations in the English Language Center
The administrators conduct classroom observations in the Colleges of Technology in the Sultanate of Oman. In the English Language Center (ELC) of one of these colleges where this study was carried out, observations are performed by the head of the center and two heads of sections. These observers have not previously been trained for this process which can cause some predictable difficulties.
They implement observations using an assessment checklist with scores of 1 to 5. The observers monitor the lessons and give the teachers grades that are commensurate with their performance in that lesson from their point of view. Sometime after the observation, a feedback session is planned where the teacher and the observers meet to discuss his performance and the grade obtained. When a teacher gets a grade less than 2.8 over 5, he is given a notification message after which he will be visited again. If he does not improve his performance to receive a higher score than the mentioned average, he is often dismissed from work due to poor performance.
Due to the lack of training for the observers and an existing system of evaluation from senior management, the aim of the classroom visits is to evaluate teachers' performance rather than the professional development of teachers or the improvement of the quality of the teaching and learning. The results of the classroom visits can sometimes be very negative such as the termination of contracts. This risk causes fear from the classroom observation process. This method of observation also prompted a number of teachers to resign or move to more stable and peaceful environments. Therefore, there was a need to have a better understanding of the factors in classroom observation in the particular work context where this study took place. The research question that was aimed to be studied is as follows:
What are the changes in teachers' and observers' perceptions of the classroom observation process and its implementation at the English Language Center following an intervention in the form of a training program?
Therefore, this study aims to improve the effectiveness of the classroom observation process in the English Language Center through a needs analysis, intervention and evaluation of the changes.
Methodology
This study was conducted in a College of Technology, one of the seven such institutions in the Sultanate of Oman. The aim of the study was to improve the effectiveness of the classroom observation process in this context. Therefore, the participants of the study were also selected from the staff working here. There were two groups of participants: administrators who conducted classroom observations and the teaching staff who the administrators observed. The teaching staff were mainly of foreign nationals and evaluative observations are seen as a determining factor on continuation or termination of work contracts.
For the current study, semi-structured interviews were chosen as the data collection tool in order to have a deep understanding of the classroom observation process from both perspectives; observers and the teaching staff. The research methodology was qualitative and exploratory in its nature and therefore, interviews were an appropriate way to collect necessary data. The questions were prepared by the researchers and checked by Ph.D. qualified specialists from the field of education for face and construct validity.
The study consisted of three main stages: pre-intervention, intervention and post-intervention stages.