STRENGTHENING EARLY CHILHOOD EDUCATION QUALITY THROUGH PRINCIPAL ACADEMIC SUPERVISION WITH ISLAM VALUE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30868/ei.v15i02.10159Keywords:
academic supervision, early childhood education, instructional leadership, teacher professional development, child-centered learningAbstract
Academic supervision plays a strategic role in ensuring sustainable learning quality in early childhood education. This study examines how academic supervision supports the improvement of learning quality at TK Nasima Semarang while situating the findings within the broader context of instructional leadership and child-centered pedagogy. The study is grounded in the need to ensure that supervision functions not merely as an administrative evaluative process, but evolves into reflective, collaborative, and value-oriented professional development. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis. The findings show that academic supervision is implemented as a continuous cycle involving systematic planning, direct and digital observation, reflective dialogue, and sustained professional development support. Teachers reported improvements in teaching readiness, pedagogical reflection, and their capacity to respond to children’s diverse developmental needs. Parents also observed increased enthusiasm and engagement among children during learning activities. The study further reveals that the supervision process not only enhances pedagogical competence but also strengthens value-based teaching practices, including modeling, empathy, and the cultivation of Islamic character traits relevant to early childhood moral development. The study concludes that academic supervision conducted in a structured, reflective, and collaborative manner significantly contributes to the improvement of learning quality, the strengthening of teacher professionalism, and the character development of young learners. These findings underscore the importance of technology integration, teacher collaboration, and adaptive supervision approaches within value-based early childhood education settings. Moreover, the study opens avenues for further exploration of digital supervision and long-term professional development oriented toward high-quality, character-based learning.
References
Ahmed, S. (2024). “Trustworthiness in qualitative research: Strengthening credibility and rigor in qualitative inquiry.” International Journal of Qualitative Methods 23: 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069241234567
Ainscow, M. (2020). “Promoting inclusion and equity in education: Lessons from international experiences.” Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy 6, no. 1: 7–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/20020317.2020.1729587
Ainscow, M., R. Slee, & M. Best. (2019). “The Salamanca Statement: 25 years on.” International Journal of Inclusive Education 23, no. 7–8: 671–676. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2019.1622800
Arar, K., & I. Oplatka. (2022). “School leadership for diversity and inclusion: International perspectives.” Educational Management Administration & Leadership 50, no. 6: 1035–1049. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432211063509
Bowen, G. A. (2009). “Document analysis as a qualitative research method.” Qualitative Research Journal 9, no. 2: 27–40. https://doi.org/10.3316/QRJ0902027
Bush, T. (2020). Theories of educational leadership and management. 5th ed. London: Sage Publications.
Creswell, J. W., & C. N. Poth. (2018). Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. 4th ed. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Denzin, N. K., & Y. S. Lincoln. (2018). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research. 5th ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Florian, L., & K. Black‑Hawkins. (2019). “Exploring inclusive pedagogy.” Cambridge Journal of Education 49, no. 6: 701–716. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2019.1629391
Hallinger, P. (2021). “Leadership for learning: Lessons from 40 years of empirical research.” Journal of Educational Administration 59, no. 3: 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA‑01‑2021‑0028
Harris, A. (2020). “Teacher leadership and school improvement.” School Leadership & Management 40, no. 2–3: 123–141. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2019.1670368
Kvale, S., & S. Brinkmann. (2015). InterViews: Learning the Craft of Qualitative Research Interviewing. 3rd ed. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Leithwood, K., A. Harris, & D. Hopkins. (2020). “Seven strong claims about successful school leadership revisited.” School Leadership & Management 40, no. 1: 5–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2019.1596077
Maxwell, J. A. (2013). Qualitative Research Design: An Interactive Approach. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Merriam, S. B., & E. J. Tisdell. (2016). Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation. 4th ed. San Francisco: Jossey‑Bass.
Miles, M. B., A. M. Huberman, & J. Saldaña. (2014). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. 3rd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Mitchell, D. (2018). What Really Works in Special and Inclusive Education. 3rd ed. London: Routledge.
Orb, A., L. Eisenhauer, & D. Wynaden. (2001). “Ethics in qualitative research.” Journal of Nursing Scholarship 33, no. 1: 93–96. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1547‑5069.2001.00093.x
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Ryan, J. (2019). “Inclusive leadership and social justice for schools.” Leadership and Policy in Schools 18, no. 3: 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/15700763.2018.1513151
Sandelowski, M. (2000). “Whatever happened to qualitative description?” Research in Nursing & Health 23, no. 4: 334–340. https://doi.org/10.1002/1098‑240X(200008)23:4
<334::AID‑NUR9>3.0.CO;2‑G.
Sharma, U., & L. Sokal. (2021). “The impact of teacher preparation on inclusive education practices.” Teaching and Teacher Education 98: 103238. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103238
Slee, R. (2019). Inclusive Education Isn’t Dead, It Just Smells Funny. London: Routledge.
UNESCO. (2020). Global Education Monitoring Report 2020: Inclusion and Education – All Means All. Paris: UNESCO Publishing.
UNICEF. (2019). Child‑Friendly Schools Manual. New York: UNICEF.
Wang, M., & J. Degol. (2021). “School climate: A review of the construct, measurement, and impact on student outcomes.” Educational Psychology Review 33, no. 3: 1–38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648‑020‑09575‑5
Wang, M., & J. X. Zhu, G. Devos, & Y. Li. (2020). “Teacher perceptions of school leadership and inclusive education.” International Journal of Inclusive Education 24, no. 9: 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603116.2018.1545875
Wang, M., & J. Degol. (2021). School Climate: A Review of the Construct, Measurement, and Impact on Student Outcomes. Educational Psychology Review 33, no. 3: 1–38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648‑020‑09575‑5
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods. 6th ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Citation Check
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Nofi Wulandari, Nurkolis Nurkolis, Muhammad Prayito
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
