Intern supervision in school psychology - Practice and process of field-based and university supervisors

This research investigated the supervision practices of field-based and uni versity supervisors of school psychology interns in the United States. A na tional sample of 239 field-based supervisors and 41 university supervisors completed questionnaires on various aspects of their supervision. In additi on to descriptive statistics, comparisons were made between the two groups of supervisors. The findings revealed a highly qualified group of superviso rs who met the standards set forth by the National Association of School Ps ychologists (NASP). Although the field-based and university intern supervis ors' shared many similar goals and practices, differences were evident. For example, field-based supervisors focused their supervision goals/activitie s toward the interns' skills and the impact of these skills on the client. While the university supervisors also emphasized skill development in their supervision goals, their supervision activities were more global and refle cted the indirect nature of their supervision. The field-based supervisors' rated themselves as more effective than did the university supervisors. In general, the supervisors' practices adhered to the recommendations in the conceptual literature. The findings of this study support the need for open communication between the two groups of supervisors.