Building on the theoretical contribution on supervision as a catalyst for professional and organisational learning in schools (presented at ECER 2025: Oberreiter & Zehetmeier 2025), this empirical study examines the enabling conditions for an innovative process architecture in which teachers and school leaders participate in supervisory settings while conducting their own action research projects. These projects are continuously accompanied and supported through supervision. Particular attention is paid to trust within the group and to the preconditions for professional development and organisational learning, with a specific focus on how linguistic diversity and educational equity are discursively negotiated. The study draws on interviews with key actors (parents, teachers, and school leaders) conducted as part of the action research process. In addition, student- and organisation-centred surveys are used to capture how language-related issues are addressed in school practice.

This study examines how reflection-based professionalisation formats, particularly supervision and action research (Altrichter et al., 2018), contribute to professional development and organisational learning in schools. It focuses on the interplay of these formats in supporting professional learning and development and situates them within broader collaborative and leadership-related school development processes (Oberreiter & Zehetmeier, 2025). Research on teacher collaboration indicates that joint professional practices among teachers have positive effects on students, teachers, and schools as organisations, while emphasising the importance of a supportive and trust-based collaborative atmosphere (Vangrieken et al., 2017, p. 57) and can thus contribute to the demand for language-related professionalisation of teachers in various contexts (Amberg et al., 2022; García & Kleyn, 2016; Hélot, 2011; Vetter et al., 2022; Wegner & Vetter, 2014). The format chosen for this study is the interplay between Professional Learning Communities (Lave & Wenger, 1991) and Organisational Learning (Oberreiter, 2021), implemented through an innovative approach combining action research and supervision in schools. 

Supervision, understood as a counselling and reflection format for individuals, groups, teams, or organisational units (Pühl, 2017), complements action research by enabling reflexive distance from professional practice. By fostering reflective dialogue and perspective-taking, supervision supports both individual and collective professional learning and contributes to the development of a reflective organisational culture.

Against this background, the study is situated in schools deeply influenced by broader societal transformations, with a particular focus on multilingual realities and the complex challenges they pose for teachers, teams, and school organisations. Linguistic diversity, shaped by migration, language policies, and power relations, profoundly influences students’ educational trajectories and teachers’ professional decision-making (Horner & Weber, 2018). Multilingualism is conceptualised as a complex discursive field in which meanings, norms, and hierarchies are negotiated. Acknowledging both its potential benefits and the associated “emotional hardships” (Jessner & Kramsch, 2015, p. 6) is crucial for supporting teachers and schools in areas such as language policy development, classroom management, and the language-sensitive organisation of teaching. Tensions and controversies emerging in multilingual schools and classrooms are thus understood as potential triggers for systemic learning, provided that schools can translate them into cooperative and reflective practices.

The study advances the hypothesis that agile ways of working, characterised by iterative learning cycles, shared responsibility, transparency, and adaptability, constitute a key enabling condition for professional development and organisational learning. It is assumed that such agile practices, when combined with supervision and action research, foster conditions under which reflective cooperation, experimentation, and learning from tensions become possible. Furthermore, the study explores transformational leadership as a critical contextual factor that supports these processes by articulating shared visions, encouraging professional autonomy, and creating psychologically safe spaces for reflection and innovation.

Methodologically, the project investigates how reflection-based professionalisation formats, particularly supervision and action research (Altrichter et al., 2018), contribute to professional development and organisational learning in schools, with a specific focus on multilingual classrooms. Teachers systematically examine their own practice by formulating practice-related questions, engaging in observation and reflection, and developing individual and collective strategies for further action and for professional and organisational growth. The project is explicitly grounded in a double-loop learning perspective, as it not only supports changes in practice but also invites reflection on underlying assumptions, norms, and organisational routines (Argyris & Schön, 2018). Empirically, the study employs a mixed-methods design. Qualitative interviews are conducted with various school actors, including teachers, school leaders, and parents, to capture perspectives on professional learning, organisational conditions, and the handling of linguistic diversity. In addition, student surveys are administered to explore students’ perceptions of how language-related issues are addressed in everyday school practice. Organisational surveys conducted after the supervision sessions are used to reconstruct the organisational cultures of two schools and to analyse how schools address language-related challenges and the modes of collaboration they use, including emerging agile forms of working. Data are analysed using a summarising, code-based qualitative content analysis following Kuckartz (2014), integrating qualitative and quantitative data to identify patterns of professional and organisational learning. Methodologically, the project operates in a dual role: it supports and guides teachers’ professionalisation processes while simultaneously researching and refining the architecture of supervision-based action research itself.

Supervision and action research play complementary roles in professional learning and development. Supervision offers structured support and guidance through reflective practices, helping professionals develop skills, tackle challenges, and grow professionally. In contrast, action research involves practitioners systematically investigating their practices to generate new knowledge and improve outcomes. When combined, supervision provides the reflective framework and support necessary for action research projects. Supervision helps professional teachers critically examine their actions and decisions, while action research provides practical tools to investigate and enhance them. This synergy creates a dynamic in which reflective insights drive practical change, leading to more effective professional learning and development. Integrating action research and supervision introduces innovative elements for integrated reflective practice. By incorporating reflective practices from supervision into the action research process, practitioners engage in a continuous cycle of self-examination. This ongoing reflection fosters deeper self-awareness and more informed decision-making, resulting in sustained improvements in professional practices. Schools are learning spaces through language, in which classroom communication, linguistic biographies and language-related insecurities are equally taken into account. Structured reflection through supervision and action research provides the social and organisational conditions required to anchor these processes sustainably within the school as an organisation. By linking action research and supervision in multilingual contexts, the study demonstrates how reflective and cooperative practices foster professional development, strengthen organisational learning and open up new possibilities for action in complex and diverse school settings.

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