English abstract
This study investigated English teachers' perception of supervision practices and the background factors that might influence them. A 42 item questionnaire was distributed to 352 English teachers in elementary preparatory and secondary schools of four regions of the Sultanate of Oman. The questionnaire was, administered in English since all of them were English language teachers.
The data collected for the study were analyzed through the use of appropriate statistical procedures. The most significant findings derived from the analysis of data can be summarized as follows: In general, EFL teachers think that supervisors are doing a good job in their roles as facilitators of teachers professional growth and as administrators (mean values are 3.5, and 3.6 respectively). The supervisor's role as evaluator was perceived to be moderately fair (mean value = 2,9) All EFL teachers agree that school - based workshops, which facilitate teachers' professional growth and curriculum development, are moderately frequent (mean =2.5), but are very useful to be conducted (mean =4). Background variables such as gender, and qualification did not influence teachers' perceptions of supervision practices. There were statistically significant differences in teachers' perceptions of supervision practices that could be attributed to nationality and teaching experience. Comparing teachers' perceptions on the basis of nationality shows that there is a significant difference related to four dimensions of the questionnaire in favor of non-Omani teachers: 1. ELT supervisor as facilitator of teachers' professional growth. 2. Supervisor as teacher evaluator. 3. Supervisor as a coordinator of curriculum development. 4. ELT supervisor's administrative responsibilities. However, both Omani and non-Omani EFL teachers agree that workshops designed to facilitate English teachers professional growth and to improve the curriculum are useful. Furthermore, teaching experience influence teachers' perceptions of the supervisors' role as evaluators and as administrators. Thus teachers having different teaching experiences vary in their perceptions of their supervisors as evaluators and administrators.
