Beyond Supervision: Teachers' Lived Experiences of Education Program Supervisors' Instructional Leadership in Fostering Professional Growth and Teaching Excellence in the Schools Division of Santiago City
Abstract
Education Program Supervisors (EPSs) play a strategic role in strengthening instructional quality, teacher professional development, and educational excellence within the Philippine basic education system. Beyond their supervisory responsibilities, EPSs serve as instructional leaders, mentors, curriculum specialists, and facilitators of continuous professional learning. As educational reforms, technological advancements, and competency-based standards continue to reshape teaching and learning, the instructional leadership of EPSs has become increasingly vital in enhancing teachers' pedagogical competencies and sustaining teaching excellence. Although numerous studies have examined instructional supervision using quantitative approaches, limited qualitative research has explored teachers' lived experiences of Education Program Supervisors' instructional leadership and its influence on their professional growth. This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of teachers regarding the instructional leadership practices of Education Program Supervisors in fostering professional growth and teaching excellence in the Schools Division of Santiago City. Guided by transcendental phenomenology, twelve (12) purposively selected public school teachers participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's Seven-Step Phenomenological Analysis. The findings revealed that Education Program Supervisors significantly influence teachers' professional growth by fostering reflective practice, collaborative learning, instructional innovation, and continuous competency development. The study concludes that instructional leadership extends beyond compliance monitoring and serves as a transformative process that empowers teachers to achieve instructional excellence and sustain lifelong professional learning. The findings provide significant implications for educational leadership development, instructional supervision policies, and teacher professional development programs within the Philippine Department of Education.