IMPLEMENTATION OF ACADEMIC SUPERVISION BY THE MADRASAH PRINCIPAL TO IMPROVE TEACHERS’ INSTRUCTIONAL ADMINISTRATION: A QUALITATIVE CASE STUDY AT MAN SERDANG BEDAGAI
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58432/9j3er268Keywords:
academic supervision, instructional administration, madrasah principal, instructional leadership, teacher professional developmentAbstract
This study examines the implementation of academic supervision by the madrasah principal in improving the quality of teachers’ instructional administration at MAN Serdang Bedagai. A qualitative single-case study design was employed. Eight key informants were selected purposively, comprising the madrasah principal, the vice principal for curriculum affairs, a member of the academic supervision team, and five teachers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and document analysis and were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings generated five major themes: systematic but flexible supervision planning, integration of instructional-document review with classroom observation, collaborative supervisory feedback, improvement in teachers’ instructional administration, and limitations in follow-up sustainability. Academic supervision contributed to improvements in teaching modules, assessment rubrics, teaching journals, and remedial and enrichment programmes, particularly by strengthening the alignment among learning objectives, instructional activities, assessment, and classroom practices. Teachers responded more positively when feedback was delivered through professional dialogue rather than fault-finding evaluation. However, limited written recommendations, overlapping schedules, supervisors’ workload, teachers’ administrative responsibilities, and inconsistent follow-up reduced the sustainability of the improvements. The study concludes that academic supervision is most effective when implemented as a continuous cycle of planning, observation, feedback, revision, and monitoring. Madrasah principals should therefore strengthen written feedback, differentiated professional assistance, and systematic follow-up to ensure that improvements in instructional administration are consistently reflected in classroom instruction.
Downloads
References
Adeoye-Olatunde, O. A., & Olenik, N. L. (2021). Research and scholarly methods: Semi-structured interviews. Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, 4(10), 1358–1367. https://doi.org/10.1002/jac5.1441
Agilan, N. (2026). An integrated framework for ensuring quality in qualitative case study research. Qualitative Research Journal. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1108/QRJ-11-2025-0427
Alanoğlu, M. (2022). The role of instructional leadership in increasing teacher self-efficacy: A meta-analytic review. Asia Pacific Education Review, 23, 233–244. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-021-09726-5
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). One size fits all? What counts as quality practice in reflexive thematic analysis? Qualitative Research in Psychology, 18(3), 328–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/14780887.2020.1769238
Byrne, D. (2022). A worked example of Braun and Clarke’s approach to reflexive thematic analysis. Quality & Quantity, 56, 1391–1412. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-021-01182-y
Campbell, S., Greenwood, M., Prior, S., Shearer, T., Walkem, K., Young, S., Bywaters, D., & Walker, K. (2020). Purposive sampling: Complex or simple? Research case examples. Journal of Research in Nursing, 25(8), 652–661. https://doi.org/10.1177/1744987120927206
Chaula, L., Lawrent, G., & Iramba, I. F. W. (2024). School heads’ clinical supervision practices in Tanzania: Implications for teachers’ professional competency development. Cogent Education, 11(1), Article 2362551. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2362551
Collins, C., Murphy, R., & Brown, M. (2025). The power of coaching in the professional learning and development of school leaders: An ecological framework and critical insights from a systematic review. Frontiers in Education, 10, Article 1601455. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1601455
Elfira, Rasdiana, Fitrawati, Jasman, M. W., Reski, K., & Anwar, A. (2024). How does principal’s instructional leadership shape teacher performance mediated by teacher self-efficacy in Indonesian education context? Frontiers in Education, 9, Article 1401394. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2024.1401394
Fauziah, M., Zainuddin, Z., Muhajir, U., & Sopwandin, I. (2020). Implementasi supervisi akademik kepala madrasah berbasis pendekatan kolaboratif dan kekeluargaan dalam meningkatkan kinerja guru. Tadbir Muwahhid, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.30997/jtm.v4i2.2879
Hallinger, P., Liu, S., & Niu, X. (2025b). Cultural context, principal instructional leadership, and teacher efficacy: A meta-analytic review, 1989–2024. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432251349810
Hillmayr, D., Reinhold, F., Holzberger, D., & Reiss, K. (2024). STEM teachers’ beliefs about the relevance and use of evidence-based information in practice: A case study using thematic analysis. Frontiers in Education, 8, Article 1261086. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2023.1261086
Karakose, T., Gurr, D., Tülübaş, T., & Kanadlı, S. (2026). What factors mediate the relationship between leadership for learning and teacher professional development? Evidence from meta-analytic structural equation modelling. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432241308461
Kiger, M. E., & Varpio, L. (2020). Thematic analysis of qualitative data: AMEE Guide No. 131. Medical Teacher, 42(8), 846–854. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2020.1755030
Lafferty, N., Sheehan, M., Walsh, C., Rooney, A. M., & Mannix McNamara, P. (2024). School leaders’ perspectives of the continuous professional development of teachers. Cogent Education, 11(1), Article 2392422. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2392422
Motulsky, S. L. (2021). Is member checking the gold standard of quality in qualitative research? Qualitative Psychology, 8(3), 389–406. https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000215
Mujahid, T. (2024). Systematic Literature Riview: Peran Filsafat Pendidikan Islam Terhadap Kurikulum Pendidikan Islam. Multatuli Jurnal Multidisiplin, 1(1), 52-67.
Rawati, R., Murniati, M., & Niswanto, N. (2022). Implementation of principal academic supervision in improving teacher performance. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v14i1.546
Saleh, M., & Mutiani, M. (2021). The role of the principal in increasing teacher performance through periodic academic supervision. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 13(2), 1135–1141. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v13i2.889
Susanti, Y., Rahmawati, R., & Nuraini, I. A. (2022). Pelaksanaan supervisi akademik kepala madrasah sebagai upaya peningkatan kualitas kinerja guru di MAN 2 Ponorogo. Jurnal Darussalam: Jurnal Pendidikan, Komunikasi dan Pemikiran Hukum Islam, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.30739/darussalam.v14i1.1697
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Mujhirul Iman, Tamimi Mujahid, Anri Naldi, Hotni Sari Harahap, Muhammad Faisal (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.



