The Effect of Human Nature on School Supervisors’ Selection of the Supervision Model

This study aimed to explore school administrators’ assumptions regarding the human nature of teachers and the supervision models they employ based on these assumptions. A mixed-methods research design was utilized. In the quantitative part of the study, the “School Administrators’ Human Nature Assumption of Teachers Scale” was administered to 150 randomly selected primary school administrators to assess their beliefs about teachers’ human nature. For the qualitative part, eight school inspectors were purposefully sampled and interviewed to understand the supervision models they apply depending on their perceptions of teachers’ human nature. The quantitative results showed that school administrators predominantly viewed teachers as “self-actualization-oriented humans” and “social humans.” The qualitative findings indicated that school inspectors typically employed Clinical Supervision and Scientific Control methods for teachers they perceived as having a Rational-Economic Human Nature. For teachers identified as possessing a Social Human Nature, they applied Developmental Supervision and Clinical Supervision methods. Additionally, inspectors tailored their approaches to Developmental Supervision and Clinical Supervision for teachers with a Self-Actualization Human Nature, while utilizing Clinical Supervision and Scientific Control for those with a Complex Human Nature. The study suggests that school administrators should enhance their understanding of human nature, receive training to develop appropriate management strategies, and engage in ongoing professional development.