The Evolution of Educational Supervision Towards Modernization: A Qualitative Study on the Integration of Face-to-Face and Virtual Methods

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent shift to virtual learning, educational oversight methods were inevitably compelled to transition to the digital realm. Educational supervisors gained novel experiences in oversight during this period. Following the reopening of schools, the necessity of leveraging the insights from this type of supervision and effectively integrating it with face-to-face oversight became increasingly apparent. The objective of this qualitative study, utilizing Strauss and Corbin's grounded theory systematic approach, was to design a process for conducting combined educational supervision, that is, a blend of in-person and virtual oversight. The research field comprised educational supervisors in Kurdistan Province, including subject coordinators, mentors, assistant principals, and school principals, who had undertaken supervisory roles both in-person and virtually between 2019 and 2023. Purposeful sampling with a theoretical approach was employed. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. The sampling process and interviews continued until theoretical saturation was achieved, resulting in interviews with sixteen educational supervisors. Through data analysis and the coding process, the central phenomenon of "development based on the modernization of educational supervision" was extracted. This innovative supervisory approach, leveraging modern technologies, has not only empowered supervisors and teachers but has also enhanced the flexibility of supervisory processes, increased supervisors' understanding of classroom processes, and deepened the connection between teachers and supervisors. The findings of the study indicate that combining in-person and virtual methods, by reducing the artificiality of teaching during supervision, helps supervisors gain a deeper understanding of classroom realities and develop more precise plans for teachers' professional development.