Relational Supervision in Sociology Education: Cooperation, Distance, and Subject-Matter Mismatch in an Indonesian School District

Abstract

Educational supervision depends not only on formal authority but also on the quality of interaction through which teachers receive guidance, feedback, and professional recognition. This qualitative intrinsic case study examines interactions between sociology teachers and a subject supervisor in Pariaman, Indonesia. The analysis draws on observations, repeated in-depth interviews, and documentation collected from January to March 2017 with 14 key informants: 12 sociology teachers, one supervisor, and one supervisory coordinator. Findings reveal a relational pattern characterized by simultaneous association and dissociation. Cooperation occurred through lesson-plan review, occasional classroom observation, teacher consultation, MGMP activities, and coordination with the education office. At the same time, infrequent school visits, uneven classroom observation, limited subject-specific guidance, and a mismatch between the supervisor's Geography background and teachers' Sociology needs generated distance and contravention. The study argues that supervision becomes developmentally meaningful when administrative oversight is converted into recurrent, subject-sensitive, dialogic professional interaction. The study contributes a relational view of supervision in which professional dialogue, trust, and context-sensitive feedback matter alongside formal monitoring procedures.