Teachers’ Attitudes Towards Classroom Observations

Abstract

Classroom observations enable professional growth and are integral to upholding the academic excellence of the school. Prioritising them must become imperative. In this study, geared towards exploring teachers’ attitudes towards peer and supervisory observations, we focused on teachers’ experiences, perceptions, and expectations of observations, the pivotal criteria for effective observation, the concrete changes made in teaching practice after receiving feedback, and the evolution of teachers’ attitudes towards observations throughout their professional careers. The study involved 73 teachers from three primary and one secondary school. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Through qualitative data, employing a coding technique, we gained valuable insights into teachers’ interpretations and the development of their attitudes towards them, while quantitative data provided robust support to our descriptive findings. The study revealed a prevalent positive disposition among teachers towards observations. Their expectations focused on receiving constructive feedback, further empowering them with ideas for future work, and facilitating the process of self-reflection. Most of the changes implemented in teaching practices after receiving feedback predominantly revolve around classroom management and changes in teaching methods. However, observations are also related to supervision, bureaucracy, pressure, and stress. Despite these challenges, teachers’ attitudes towards observations tend to improve over the course of their teaching careers. While both peer and supervisory observations pose challenges, peer observations emerge as more useful, notwithstanding concerns regarding subjective biases when observing colleagues.