Effect of Number Limit of Advisors’ Graduate Students on Students’ Learning Attitude toward Thesis Writing

Abstract

In graduate students' study and thesis writing, advisors are significantly influential. Therefore, relationship between advisors and students is extremely important. With positive relationship, advisors will advise students with efforts and have positive daily interaction with students. According to the researcher's observation, in almost all graduate schools in Taiwan, there is the number limit of advisors' students. Hence, many graduate students cannot find the favorite advisors. Does the limit restrict advisors' receiving of students or graduate students' selection of advisors? How do graduate students feel when they cannot find the favorite advisors? Will it negatively influence their learning attitude toward the following thesis writing? What are the reasons? These are the focuses of this study. From perspectives of graduate students, we intend to explore number limit of advisors' students. To collect data, this study plans to conduct interviews on graduate students who currently study in master and doctoral programs in Taiwan, who have advisors that are not their priority and who are unsatisfied. This study selects subjects by purposive sampling, in consideration of average distribution of gender, age and college. The outline of self-designed semi- structured interview is the tool of interview. One-on-one interview is conducted on 20 subjects. By interview with graduate students, this study will recognize graduate students' views toward number limit of advisors' students and the effect on their learning attitude toward thesis writing. When number limit will be the obstacle and problem for students' selection of advisors and influence students' learning attitude toward thesis writing, the departments should thus consider the problems of graduate students' rights and system. Thus, result of this study will be the reflection on regulation of number limit of advisors' students.