PhD Supervision Research Articles

PhD supervision meetings in an English as a Lingua Franca (ELF) setting: linguistic competence and content knowledge as neutralizers of institutional and academic power

Abstract The present paper investigates PhD supervision meetings, using material from naturally occurring speech of ten hours by PhD supervisors and students who all use English as a lingua franca (ELF) for research purposes. The recordings have been transcribed in their entirety, with conversation analytical procedures and additional ethnographic interviews with the PhD supervisors. The present paper is a follow-up to the two previous studies by the author (in European Journal for Applied Linguistics 3[2], 2015, and The Routledge Handbook of English for Academic Purposes, 2016) and focuses on linguistic competence and content knowledge as factors possibly mitigating the power asymmetry present in the interactions. The findings show no observable power asymmetries manifested in the interactions or in the interview responses by the supervisors. The analyses showed that the supervisors’ and the students’ level of linguistic competence seemed very similar, which was further supported by the supervisors’ self-reports of their own English and their informal evaluations of their students’ levels of proficiency. When it comes to content knowledge, the students overall showed very good command of their subjects, disciplinary conventions and their projects in general, further supported by their supervisors’ evaluations in the interview data. Based on these findings, it is suggested here that in ELF interactions of this particular type where the speakers have similar levels of linguistic competence and content knowledge, power asymmetries become less visible.

Comparison of UK paediatric consultants' participation in child health research between 2011 and 2015

ObjectiveTo identify whether there have been changes over time in the capacity of paediatric consultants to undertake research and if the activity differs between men and women.DesignComparison of data from...

Conflict productivity in PhD supervision; does conflict management style matter?

Conflict productivity in PhD supervision; does conflict management style matter?

Conflict productivity in PhD supervision; does conflict management style matter?

This research endeavors to unveil conflict management styles (CMS) of PhD supervisors during supervision conflicts and the impact of their chosen CMS on conflict productivity (CP). Drawing on conflict management contingency approach this research expects that PhD supervisors will adopt more collaborative/accommodating CMSs which will yield high CP. The study has applied an ex-post facto method in which 200 respondents were asked to fill research questionnaires based on Rahim organisational conflict inventory (ROCI). The sample was drawn from PhD supervisors working in Pakistan. Data was analysed by calculating means and correlation analysis through SPSS. The research findings revealed that majority of supervisors have collaborative/accommodative conflict management style. The effect of these two CMS was more inclined towards augmenting CP. As expected, competitive/avoiding CMS were not preferred by the supervisors and these styles lead to less CP. The understanding of CP has far reaching effects. Study results can assist in training and seminars regarding CP in academia where academic supervisors can be trained to adopt collaborative and accommodative CMS for productive conflict outcomes. This research adds value to conflict literature in two ways: firstly, by studying conflict management in academic supervision which has little empirical attention so far; secondly, the impact of chosen CMS on CP in academia has also not been studied so far.

Enactivism as a Powerful Theoretical Framework for Research and Tool to Reflect on My Own Role as a Supervisor

Enactivism, as an interesting and useful theoretical underpinning is gaining traction in Mathematics Education research. It forms the central theme of this paper whose aim is two-fold: first to describe and engage with how elements of enactivism informed a PhD study, both on a theoretical and analytical level, and second to reflect on the enacted role of the supervisor of this study. Despite the inevitable embodied relationship between the supervisor and the supervised PhD project, it is not often written about. This paper thus attempts to address this. The PhD study in question used constructs of enactivism such as autonomy, sense-making, emergence, embodiment and experience to design a pre-service mathematics education programme and then explored the growth of student teachers’ mathematical identity and disposition in their development of becoming mathematics teachers. The PhD supervision process was framed by the enactivist notion that learning and the construction of meaning and knowledge is co-created by the lecturer, the student and the particular context. The role of the author of this paper in the study was that of supervisor. The relationship between a supervisor and his/her student is often complex and multilevelled. This paper argues that this relationship can best be described as one of embodiment and co-emergence. The paper thus starts with the author’s own enactivist ontological perspective vis-à-vis this relationship and how elements of enactivism permeated his practice with regard to the PhD he supervised. The study found enactivism to be a powerful theoretical vantage point from which to develop research instruments that enabled deep and meaningful reflection on teacher practice in the mathematics classroom––and on supervision.

Paper-based theses as the silver bullet for increased research outputs: first hear my story as a supervisor

ABSTRACTWith increased pressure to publish, academics are pursuing creative ways to achieve enhanced research outputs. One such process is the publication-based thesis (PBT) for both masters and PhD candidates, rather than monographs. While this process is not novel in the sciences, it has not been widely applied by economic and management schools, particularly in South Africa. Despite the apparently limited institutional guidelines and policies, some academics have pursued an article-based thesis writing process. Doing so has several consequences of special interest for supervisors and candidates. This research set out to identify the impediments to the PBT process, so as to guide future consideration by academics. This is an auto-ethnographic study by one senior academic with experience in both masters and PhD supervision, who has embarked on the PBT process purposively, and reflects on a deliberate choice to change from standard monograph thesis writing to the PBT approach. Member-checking interviews with 12 senior academics in management sciences (some supporting and others not supporting PBT) to some extent validated the generalizability of the liabilities expressed here as concerns. I conclude with a conceptual framework containing the experienced and envisaged realities of PBT writing. The aim of the framework is to assist and warn newcomers to the process with guidelines for considering the associated impediments. Five main liabilities that may ‘bind’ progress, covering 13 antecedents to consider, were identified. The findings led to improved understanding by contextualizing the issues underlying the PBT supervision process, giving structure and meaning to possible solutions to overcoming the liabilities.

The stories of supervision: creative writing in a critical space

ABSTRACTSupervising PhD candidates is a story in itself. Like a novel or screenplay, there are protagonists and antagonists, emotional transformations, dramatic twists and turns, and nearly always rising tension – especially in the domain of creative practice, where methodologies and research artefacts are still debated and contested. Voiceover narration comes into play, too, from both the candidate (‘Does my supervisor know what I'm trying to do?’) and the supervisor (‘Does my candidate really think this is research?’). And hopefully there is always a happy ending – or at least happy subject to minor revisions. There is a growing body of literature about PhD supervision. Here we seek to expand on this work by drawing specific attention to the supervision of the Creative Writing PhD in the contemporary academy in the Australian and British contexts, and in a form that befits this vibrant research discipline. In this paper, then, we make connections between theory and practice by presenting a series of fictionalised vignettes drawn from our collective experiences of supervising candidates. By being playful ourselves, we offer a creative-critical exploration of the creative practice research space that illuminates some of the challenges and opportunities for supervising in the discipline.

Strengthening doctoral supervision in a Doctor of Psychology (DPsych) Specialisation in Child and Adolescent Psychology

Supervision differs in PhD and DPsych contexts. PhD supervision focuses on students' pursuit of a career in academia, with the emphasis on research. In a DPsych framework, the focus of supervision is to assist students, who are experienced practitioners in a professional field, to complete a structured course and a research component. The aim of the article is to reflect on the application of supervision principles, models, metaphors and supervisory styles within a DPsych context. This article presents a case illustration of supervision in a DPsych programme (with specialisation in child and adolescence, or DPsych Child) presented at the University of the Free State in South Africa. Supervision focuses on developing the DPsych students' doctoral identity so that they, as scientist-practitioners, could contribute ultimately to the professional context of child psychology and apply theoretical knowledge to complex challenges. The article proposes that research on supervision processes and practices within a DPsych Child context could complement explorations into the value of the implementation of the scientist-practitioner model and thus augment quality assurance of the DPsych programme.

Supervising Practice: Perspectives on the supervision of creative practice higher degrees by research

PhD supervision is a particularly complex form of pedagogical practice, and nowhere is its complexity more apparent than in new and emergent fields, such as creative practice Higher Degrees by Research (HDRs) where supervisors face the challenges of a unique, uncharted area of research training. While there is an increasing body of literature on postgraduate supervision, and another emerging body of research into what creative practice/practice-led/practice-based research is, so far little attention has been paid to matters associated with research education leadership and pedagogical aspects of supervision in creative practice disciplines.For this reason, this special issue brings together a range of perspectives on the supervision of creative practice PhDs in visual and performing arts, media production, creative writing, and design.

Redeveloping a business undergraduate honours research degree to improve educational outcomes: implications for PhD supervision

There are many challenges that undergraduate students face when studying an honours research degree. Honours programmes though traditionally considered within the business discipline as a loss leader, nevertheless, form a direct entry requirement for PhD programmes. The honours degree can be considered a formative research programme for student development. This paper specifically provides an outline of the honours degree's redevelopment and improved learning outcomes that were achieved and discusses the proposed PhD supervisory framework. The student benefits identified from the honours programme's redevelopment include a more sophisticated understanding of research paradigms; a faster cycle of learning and development, which resulted in lower student stress levels and better grades; and increases in both peer-reviewed co-authored publications and students transitioning to PhD.

A Model of Supervision in Communicating Expectation Using Supervisory Styles and Students Learning Styles

Malaysia is developing and increasing numbers of Professional of Doctorate (PhD) graduates. From the literature, the common factors that limit the success of PhD students are difficulties in the supervisory process. This paper discusses the needs of effective supervision to resolve problem arise within the PhD student-supervisor relationship by using supervisory styles and students learning style in communicating expectations. Several models of supervision and then several models implemented for PhD supervision are reviewed. Then, the lessons learned are used as a reference to develop a supervisory model that may fit into the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) education system. An exemplary model of PhD supervision has been developed, which consists the predictors to ensure the success of PhD supervision. In future, this model is requiring experimentation its effectiveness to expedite graduation, increase graduation rates, and improve the quality of research in the TVET sector.

Understanding the Needs of Masters Dissertation Supervisors: Supporting Students in Professional Contexts

Despite a wealth of research into the supervision of PhD projects, there is relatively sparse literature to draw on to help with the development of appropriate support for supervisors of independent research projects undertaken at Masters level. Although some sources consider supervision of full-time Masters students, part-time and work based contexts have received little attention. To help bridge this gap, this paper explores the nature of the part-time supervision of Masters students in professional contexts, identifying features that make it distinct from PhD supervision. It draws on questions posed by supervisors in a Scottish School of Education, and reflections on their experiences, to identify challenges and issues that need to be addressed to provide appropriate support. Recommendations are made for strategies to resolve recurring issues and meet supervisors’ needs, and issues for further investigation are identified.

The Voice of PhD Candidates and PhD Supervisors. A Qualitative Exploratory Study amongst PhD Candidates and Supervisors to Evaluate the Relational Aspects of PhD Supervision in the Netherlands

PhD trajectories are important to universities, as these contribute to the increase in knowledge and output. Therefore, they aim to decrease the completion time and dropout. This article reports on our survey amongst PhD candidates and supervisors of the Graduate School CAPHRI, Maastricht University, The Netherlands. We investigated interpersonal aspects of coaching and (implicit) assumptions on skills and competences. Both groups consider personality, knowledge, skills, communication and coaching the major factors contributing to a successful PhD trajectory. PhD candidates consider responsiveness and respectful, good-quality feedback by supervisors important and suggest regular assessment of their performance. Supervisors consider flexibility, openness for feedback, taking initiative and being a team-player as good qualities for PhDs. Supervisors indicate struggling with offering support versus independence during different stages of the PhD trajectory. The study shows that a good match between PhDs and supervisors is essential for a successful PhD trajectory, and we advise that both discuss and formally agree upon mutual expectations and responsibilities within the project. We advocate that Graduate Schools foster an open and safe learning environment, organise meetings where supervisors can share experiences to learn from one another, provide contacts for advice and support and involvement of HR during the selection process.

How Supervisors Perceive PhD Supervision – And How They Practice It

In many Western countries, higher education has experienced a cultural change as a result of increased budgetary constraints, calls for greater accountability, and the greater competition for students. This development has had a profound influence on the working conditions of academic staff and on knowledge production in general at universities. The education of PhD students is no exception. However, little research has been carried out in regard to the implications of these changes. In particular, the way the supervisors think and react has not been explored. What do supervisors think about educating PhD students in today’s university context? And how and to what extent do they modify their practice based on that understanding? This article seeks to qualify, illustrate, and discuss these questions based on an interview study among twelve experienced supervisors at the Faculty of Engineering and Science at Aalborg University in Denmark. The data show that it has become more complex to be a PhD supervisor. Three knowledge production perspectives are identified, each embracing a specific university agenda: (1) High quality research; (2) Economically viable and efficient research; and (3) Internationally adapted research. Currently, the second perspective is dominant in the understanding and practice of supervisors – to some extent at the expense of the two other agendas. Finally, the consequences of this are discussed.

Against intimacy: focusing on the task in hand in PhD supervision.

Worldwide, more nurses are undertaking doctoral studies now than at any other time. However, there is little high-quality evidence focused on investigating successful completion of such studies. Instead there is considerable literature dedicated to untested assumptions about the nature of the supervisory relationship. This article reflects on three critical incidents to show that the key to successful PhD completion may have much less to do with the supervisory relationship than this literature assumes. Success is rather grounded in clear understanding of how all the pertinent tasks fit together. A free online interactive resource is introduced as one method of facilitating this clarity within the supervisory relationship. The effectiveness of this resource could be tested, thereby generating meaningful data for PhD students and their supervisors.

PhD Students' Experiences of Thesis Supervision in Malaysia: Managing Relationships in the Midst of Institutional Change

Despite the plethora of studies that have been conducted on PhD supervision, little qualitative investigation has been conducted with a diverse, non-Western sample of doctoral students in an attempt to understand how the supervisory relationship is experienced. In response, eighteen students from diverse, non-Western backgrounds studying at one Malaysian research university were interviewed. Results illuminated the theme of "management" of the supervisory experience and included two streams:(a) acceptance of the situation, and (b) response to the situation so as to optimize their experience. The two major themes further included four sub-themes that included managing personal relations, time and accessibility constraints, academic compatibility, and expectations. Implications for the development of international research universities where PhD supervision of a diverse student body is a critical factor for university success and development are discussed.

Applied PhD research in a work-based environment: an activity theory-based analysis

Activity theory is used to compare PhD undertaken at university, that is, academic PhD, with PhD performed in collaboration with industry, that is, semi-industrial PhD. The research is divided into a literature review and a case study. Semi-industrial and academic PhD are modelled as activity systems, and differences are highlighted in terms of subject, community, division of labour and instruments. Semi-industrial PhD involve interaction with people from a non-academic background, developing management skills. Furthermore, the supervision of semi-industrial PhD is more complex than that of academic PhD. If supported by frequent supervision, this complexity strengthens the PhD. If not, supervision becomes dispersive, and semi-industrial PhD students create a network of people that enables them to perform their research. However, the creation of that network is not systematic, and a lack of a network may affect the PhD research. Therefore, frequent supervision of semi-industrial PhD students should be stressed and structured.

‘With All My Heart’: Mature Students’ Emotions While Doing a Research-based PhD

With this paper, the author has two main objectives: (i) to reflect on the role of emotions regarding the process of PhD research and supervision, and (ii) to identify the emotions mature students experience through their engagement in a research-based PhD, considering their own voices gathered through an in-depth focus group. The pertinence of this subject is grounded on two main reasons. On the one hand, a hot reality may be verified in different parts of the globe: mature students engaging in research-based PhDs. On the other hand, small research has been addressing the role of emotions in the supervisory and research processes, even though this experience has been considered, for many PhD students, an intense and demanding ‘roller coaster’.

Exploring Transactional Analysis in Relation to Post-Graduate Supervision—A Balancing Process

The PhD student supervision process is an important process, and the need for PhD students, who often form the backbone of the research community, to receive professional, inspiring and efficient supervision cannot be understated. This paper explores the benefits and values of Transactional Analysis (TA) as a way to further understand and work with PhD supervision. Using TA and the legitimacy ladder applied on PhD education, a modified model for increased understanding of the PhD student supervision process is presented, and is then related to empirical findings from a questionnaire among PhD students. The model shows for example the need for the supervisor to balance his or her role towards the PhD student, and suggests that professional PhD student supervision means moving from a Parent to Child relationship between the supervisor and the PhD student, towards a more mature Adult to Adult relationship.

Wing-words and frameways: Materializing the critical incident through poetic enquiry and reflective practice in doctoral supervision

Abstract The narratives and nomenclature which surround doctoral supervision reflect inherited metaphors of hierarchy. Traditional doctoral theses in the humanities show, in addition, a conservative adherence to certain modes of discourse which serve these inherited narratives that assume a certain fixedness in identity constructions of the ‘supervisor’ and ‘supervisee’, or the ‘supervisor’/’student’; worst of all, perhaps, the ‘master’/‘apprentice’ schema. This article uncovers an alternative approach to the supervisory relationship (via a methodology of poetic inquiry) which aims to dismantle inherited mythologies in the supervisory discourse and places the doctoral student and supervisor as co-collaborators in the act of supervision. Through poetic inquiry, critical incidents in reflective practice can be crystallized, deconstructed and reconstructed in new configurations that reflect more genuine dynamics in the relationship than those accommodated via the traditional models and schemas pertaining to supervisory discourse. This article is a record of two workshops between a doctoral candidate and her supervisor and their effect on both the student’s reflection of her thesis and also the nature of PhD supervision itself. Techniques from poetics and ‘tactile academia’ formed the basis of the exercises and began a dialogue between supervisor and candidate, placing their texts in colloquy, for example, the poetic vignettes in this paper are the supervisor’s poetic inquiries, crystallized moments, in response to the candidate’s reflection. This exchange presents a more active reality of the supervisory relationship where a student can be simultaneously expert and novice, a supervisor a beginner and officiate, and both participants are co-creators.