Postgraduate Supervision Research Articles

Review of literature on Knowledge of the Postgraduate Supervision Process and Teaching Research Method in Business Management in South Africa

Review of literature on Knowledge of the Postgraduate Supervision Process and Teaching Research Method in Business Management in South Africa

The Dilemma of Unrelenting Workload Amidst Covid-19 Pandemic: An Agenda for University Female Academics

The dynamic changes in the South African higher education environment have seen academics immersed in increasing workloads to keep up with the university mandate. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has raised significant challenges for the higher education community and intensified complications related to workload and in particular for female academics. The understanding of the management of workload is pertinent, and therefore the article examines the components of workload and implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for female academics. A descriptive research design and a quantitative research approach were adopted, and data was collected from 54 female academics in an unidentified university in South Africa. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 and presented using a descriptive and inferential format. Also, the study adopted a systematic review of literature leveraging reputable sources. The findings revealed that (i) time allocation to academic activities of teaching and learning, research, postgraduate supervision, administration matters, community service, and academic citizenship remains a challenge facing universities, and (ii) Covid-19 imposed remote working arrangements resulting in increased workloads, leading to reduced research productivity and inability to achieve work-life balance for the female academics. The results of the study highlight the need for institutional review and policy development on the academic workload management system to ensure work-life balance for the female academics and output maximization for the university, especially during a pandemic.

Lessons from Postgraduate Supervision in Two African Universities: An Autoethnographic Account

This paper presents an evocative autoethnographic account of my postgraduate supervision experience in two African institutions while dealing mainly with students in the computing disciplines of Computer Science, Information Systems, and Information Technology. In this paper, the context of the postgraduate supervision, and the lessons learnt are presented based on personal reflection, students’ feedback, and retrospective analysis on my activities as an absorbed participant in the supervision process. The reflection of my supervision process offers vital lessons for all supervisors in the developing country context who are torn between the requirements for the student to do quality work and get published in top journals, and the challenges in their operational environment and students’ lives. The study also recommends some good practices that could help supervisors that are operating in similar contexts to mine.

Perceived Postgraduate Research Supervisory Practices and Satisfaction towards Supervision among Supervisees at Faculty of Education

Effective supervision received by postgraduate students boosts their motivation to produce a high quality research. This paper looks at the perceived postgraduate research supervisory practices and satisfaction towards supervision among supervisees at Faculty of Education in a Malaysian public university. Data was collected through a questionnaire on the sample of 45 Part 3 full-time Master’s degree (Coursework) students. However, only 33 sets of questionnaires were returned to the researchers (response rate=94.3%). It was found that most supervisees perceived that their dissertation supervisors have continually applied various supervisory practices during the supervision session and they were very satisfied with the supervision that they have received. Furthermore, there was a positive, strong, and significant relationship between the perceived supervisory practices and supervisees’ satisfaction. Nevertheless, there were no significant differences between perceived supervisory practices and courses, as well as between perceived supervisory practices and frequency of meeting. As for the implications of this study, it contributes to the corpus of knowledge in the area of postgraduate supervision in local higher education institution context and provides empirical data to assist the Ministry of Education in conducting strategic planning to enhance implementation of effective supervisory practices among postgraduate research supervisors.

POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION PRACTICES IN EDUCATION RESEARCH AND THE CREATION OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR KNOWLEDGE SHARING

Supervisory practices are fundamental to the production of research in higher education, but these practices are undertheorized and poorly understood. Academia needs to understand and engage with supervisory pedagogies to reinforce their importance in knowledge production and the development of a knowledge society. Using content analysis of master’s and doctoral research outputs completed between 2010 and 2016, this case study investigated postgraduate supervision practices in education in South Africa, and their implication for knowledge sharing in context. The findings showed that supervision in education has remained rooted in the classic individualistic model, with team supervision not prevalent. The benefits of team supervision relative to the individualistic model are highlighted. Acknowledgement of the range of competencies of supervisors and the growth of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research signals the value of the team supervision model. In addition to improving research support, team supervision also creates communicative spaces and opportunities for knowledge sharing and the development of supervisors. Keywords: communicative spaces, higher degrees research, knowledge sharing, postgraduate education, postgraduate research supervision, research supervision styles, supervision models

A Systematic Literature Review of Challenges Experienced by International Postgraduate Students and Implications for Supervisory Practice at South African Universities

South African universities have evidenced exponential increases in the numbers of doctoral students, bringing pressure to bear upon traditional supervisory practice. With the literature on the challenges experienced by international postgraduate students at South African universities being very limited, it was anticipated that the challenges experienced by international postgraduate students abroad could be drawn upon to inform supervisory practice. The aim of this paper was to perform a systematic literature review of the challenges experienced by international postgraduate students at universities in other parts of the world. The objective of the study was, firstly, to consolidate the empirical evidence and, secondly, to develop a framework to inform supervisory practice at South African universities. A systematic literature review was undertaken to identify relevant empirical studies relating to the challenges experienced by international postgraduate students. The search was executed by deploying keywords in selected databases. Twenty-one articles were identified and analysed using thematic analysis. The review evidenced that the key challenges that characterise international postgraduate students revolve around linguistic ability, cultural dissonance, academic expectations and isolation. While some studies found a positive relationship between supervisor multicultural competence and supervision satisfaction, supervisors find that both local and international students are equally challenged in academic writing. Some studies conclude that there is no difference in the supervision practice employed for international and local postgraduate students with many supervisors believing that international postgraduate students would be able to find their way through institutional and non-institutional support networks. A framework for the supervision of international postgraduate supervision has been suggested.

Postgraduate supervision: A practical reflection on how to support students’ engagement

The quality of postgraduate education largely depends on effective supervision of postgraduate students. Nowadays, the supervisory role has become more challenging due to different ethnic, cultural, political, economic, linguistic, and educational backgrounds of postgraduate students where their attraction and retention are paramount for educational institutions. Students’ satisfaction balancing studies and other interest is also important during their postgraduate learning experience and supervision is challenged to assist towards this direction as well. Literature about postgraduate supervision has focused on describing the ever-lengthening lists of functions that must be carried out. The present study, through a critical literature review methodology and reflection upon personal practice, explores how postgraduate supervisors can support & engage students with their studies balancing other demands and interests, what are the challenges supervising international students, and how, the supervisory team can manage internal conflicts, function better and more efficiently. The key conclusions show that facilitating development of skills important for students’ ’studies and lives, bridging studies and other demands /interests together, rewarding students’ success, responding to cultural and educational differences & personal interests, and finding ways all members of the supervisory team to work more effectively can lead to more efficient and effective postgraduate supervision.

Becoming a Research Supervisor: Reflections on a Postgraduate Supervision Course

This piece of work presents reflections of lessons learnt from a postgraduate supervision course, which is considered an educative process that any research supervisor requires. This type of journey can lead to the success of doctoral programs or mismanagement thereof in most universities, nationally or internationally. Looking back at the postgraduate supervision course attended, it can be described as a personal journey that is capable of addressing the challenges any novice research supervisor would encounter in the field of postgraduate research. The supervision course comprised of a group of 13 lecturers from the same institution coming from different specialist fields. The facilitator was from a different university from which this course was offered. This course was voluntary and it was done during own spare time. During the training session, each novice supervisor would detail how they moved through different stages from initial stage of accepting a student to a final stage where a student qualifies with doctoral qualification. Within group discussions, each one of novice supervisors would detail how they moved through the process of advising students, what worked for some and what did not work for others, thus learning in a process. The tensions surfaced in each other’s words, reflections and comprehensions of being thrown at the deep end by institution’s practices. Here follows the discussion on how issues of power relations, scholarly work and project management are crucial in postgraduate supervision project. On completion of the course, there was a realization that there is a need for supervisors to be taught how to supervise in order to do justice, to be ready for the task at hand and be confident in future about postgraduate supervision. In conclusion, the researcher highlights few lessons learnt and recommendations that could help supervisors who are operating in similar contexts to help improve postgraduate supervision in institutions of higher learning.

Nigerian Higher Education Research and the Challenges of Sustainable Development

This is a review paper focusing on research in Nigerian higher education and the impacts on the sustainability of Nigeria as a nation. This article considered research as critical to the development of any country. However, research in Nigerian universities is not encouraging because of some challenges: inadequate facilities, funds, and corruption. Research facilities in universities are not adequate for research and postgraduate studies. The little available funds in universities for research are mismanaged due to corruption. Postgraduate supervision in Nigerian universities is marred with corruption, laziness, and the attrition rate is high. It was argued that the difficulties impact the sustainable development of the country. The paper concludes with suggestions of ways forward; among these is the overhauling of Nigerian universities' postgraduate programs. The university doctoral studies must be reformed to ensure that the supervision of students follows international standards. The university management should not leave doctoral students at the mercy of the supervisor. There should be a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the supervisor and supervisee monitored by university management. Violators, students, or lecturers of the MoU agreement should be adequately sanctioned.

Supervisory Support for Ethiopian Doctoral Students Enrolled in an Open and Distance Learning Institution

Aim/Purpose: This article reports on quantitative analysis of students’ perceptions on dimensions of augmented face-to-face support. It is built upon the findings from a larger research project that was undertaken to evaluate postgraduate support offered to Ethiopian doctoral students. Background: Student support is critical for the delivery of any quality Open and Distance Learning (ODL) system. This is because there are numerous challenges that students enrolled especially in global South ODL institutions are faced with, which can impact negatively on their progress and throughput. Methodology: In this article, the data from a quantitative questionnaire that was collected from a larger research project was used. The questionnaire asked students to respond to questions about their perceptions of the inclusion of face-to-face workshops. The responses were analyzed using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS), version 8.4 statistical package. Contribution: This research exposes the benefits of supplementing distance postgraduate supervision with face-to-face tutorials. Findings: The results show that the student-respondents, in general, experienced all five dimensions (‘supervision’, ‘student needs’, ‘facilitators’, ‘environment’, and ‘institutional support/access’) of face-to-face student support very positive. Recommendations for Practitioners: As this inclusion of face-to-face workshops was found beneficial to the students who are geographically distant and at risk of digitally exclusion, the paper concludes by recommending that such approach should not be discarded but strengthened to supplement distance postgraduate supervision. Recommendation for Researchers: Replication of this study but focusing on the qualitative aspects of the five dimensions identified. Impact on Society: Although this study is limited in scope to the Ethiopia project, implications for geographically distant education and support are relevant to Unisa and other ODL institutions in the global South. This may ultimately help inform distance learning efforts globally through augmented face-to-face supports. Future Research: The study results revealed potential concerns regarding student age and registration timelines. Therefore, more specific research that explores age and registration is required.

Students’ Perspectives of Postgraduate Supervision: Desirable and undesirable practices

The current global completion rate for postgraduates stands at 60 per cent, and one of the main problems cited is poor supervisory practices among postgraduate supervisors. Therefore, this qualitative study presents the views of nine PhD scholars on postgraduate supervisory practices from four universities in Malaysia. The thematic qualitative analysis categorized the supervisory practices into three main aspects, namely desirable, undesirable, and appalling practices. The findings of this study though not conclusive do shed some light on current supervisory practices. The findings imply that training and perhaps the call for accreditation of postgraduate supervisors is in order. Keywords: postgraduate study; supervisory practices; feedback; learning community; Supervisor-student interaction. eISSN: 2398-4287© 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5iSI3.2555

A reflective essay on experiences and practices of postgraduate supervision in the University of Limpopo : a life history approach

This study investigated the problem of postgraduate supervision that results with students' delayed graduation, low postgraduate students' output and lack of capacity. The purpose of this essay is to reflect on my postgraduate supervision experiences and practices of working in one disadvantaged rural university in South Africa. The study is embedded within interpretivism paradigm, and was informed by Personal Construct Theory and Life History Approach. My autobiography of the period January 2004 and June 2020 was used as primary data. The findings point to the prevalence of delayed graduation and output; adoption of single-handed supervision as an impediment towards attainment of required post-graduate students' skills required to progress in their studies and serve as future independent researchers; mono-supervision created supervision backlog that adds up to pipeline students. I used various models, such as student group supervision, mentoring supervision, and collaborative supervision. Collaborative supervision enhanced student development. This study concludes that supervision of postgraduate students is a crucial aspect for improved learning spaces and the choice of a solid supervision model improves research output. This study recommends that collaborative cohort supervision model be adopted by deprived universities to improve supervision capacity and students through-put.

Do benevolent and altruistic supervisors have higher postgraduate supervision throughput? The contributions of individual motivational values to South African postgraduate supervision throughput

This study seeks to understand how the individual values of a supervisor potentially influence their masters and doctoral supervision throughput. Grounded in Schwartz’s theory of basic human values, the objective of the article is to test theory that predicts different effects of different value orientations on postgraduate supervision throughput, using a census sample of a large South African university. What is not clear from the literature is whether self-transcendent values (associated with benevolence and “caring” values) or self-enhancement values (associated with prioritisation of the self and achievement values) increase an individual’s postgraduate supervision throughput. According to Schwartz’s theory, however, self-transcendent and self-enhancement values are oppositional, in that the higher an individual’s endowment is in one, the lower it is in that of the other. What is also lacking in the literature is knowledge of whether innovative openness to change values or their oppositional non-innovative conservation values enable postgraduate supervision throughput. Ordinary least squares are used to test these hypotheses across five different faculties, representing a clustering of similar academic fields. According to the results of tests across the broad faculty fields of Engineering, Commerce, Humanities, Health Sciences, and Science, it is not the individual values associated with benevolence or caring that facilitate postgraduate supervision throughput, but rather those related to the prioritisation of the self over others, such as power, achievement and hedonism. Similarly, innovation-related values associated with openness to change are largely insignificant in their associations with postgraduate supervision throughput. The implications of the findings are discussed and recommendations are derived for theory and practice.

“Colleague postgraduate supervision” and the production of space in higher education: a duoethnographic analysis

PurposeIn this paper we contribute knowledge to the postgraduate supervision discourses by reflecting on our socio-spatial experiences of being supervised by colleagues, a process that we refer to as colleague postgraduate supervision (CPS).Design/methodology/approachWe followed a duoethnographic research design by dialogically presenting and exploring our lived experiences of CPS and critiquing and questioning the meanings we give to those experiences. The experiences shared arose from two different contexts: a contact university and an open distance learning university.FindingsThe reflection suggests that social values of trust, compassion and care in CPS can outrun the spatial constraints for the benefit of the supervisees in the relationship. However, the colleagues in the CPS can also experience some subtle power dynamics and tensions that produce a constraining space, if the CPS process is not well communicated.Originality/valueWhile CPS is a common practice in some universities, there is limited research that pays attention to its socio-spatiality, that is, the interaction between the social and the spatial aspects of this practice.

Editorial introductions

Editorial introductions

Expert review and pretesting of behavioral supervision in higher education

PurposeThe rationale for the postgraduate supervision measures for higher education by the call for universities to adopt a systematic practice in postgraduate supervision through new supervisors' exposure to creative ways of monitoring. This paper aims at understanding, improving and validating the content of behavioral supervision measures using the expert review and pretesting analysis.Design/methodology/approachThe authors developed, modified and operationalized the items based on the developmental supervision theoretical concept by Glickman (1980) to measure the behavioral supervision of postgraduate in higher education. The authors obtain comments and verification from experts for content validity and criterion validity. Later, the authors do pretesting of face validity.FindingsThe result of the expert review and pretesting, analysis, provides measures (items) for the following seven stages (components) of postgraduate behavioral supervision: listening/clarifying; encouraging; presenting/demonstrating; negotiating/problem-solving; directing; standardizing and reinforcing.Practical implicationsThe findings contribute to the rational development of supervision measures and functional transformation in the postgraduate supervision process in higher education at national and international contexts.Social implicationsThese supervision measures, if practiced by the supervisors and postgraduates' students, will accelerate and achieve the aspiration initiative of the Ministry of Higher Education. In general, based on the needs identified, the positive impact of this study can improve national and international postgraduate program educational outcomes.Originality/valueThere is limited number of empirical research which resulted in postgraduate behavioral supervision measures in the context of higher education.

Containing and harnessing uncertainty during postgraduate research supervision

ABSTRACT Students may experience uncertainties when planning and conducting research. On the one hand, a measure of uncertainty is an inherent part of knowledge creation and represents the positive dimension of uncertainty in research. On the other hand, if uncertainties are not handled well, it could negatively affect the process and quality of research. Uncertainty has been studied within the business environment but not within higher education and specifically in the postgraduate supervision context. This article describes postgraduate students’ experienced uncertainty encountered during their research and identifies ways for supervisors to understand and support students. We report on a collaborative auto-ethnographic study using retrospective meta-level reflections from a postgraduate supervisors’ perspective. We describe the sources and signs of students’ uncertainty so that supervisors can recognize the experienced uncertainty of research students. We found that sources of students’ uncertainty were in the context of the unknown research process and within themselves (mainly self-doubt), resulting in a mostly uncomfortable state of experienced uncertainty. Their uncertainty fostered three different responses: not engaging with the research, adopting approaches to reduce their felt uncertainty, or using their uncertainty as a stimulus to engage with the research process. Students also experienced fluctuations in their uncertainty. We identified and present ways to contain the negative and harness the positive dimensions of uncertainty based on theoretical explanations. Supervisors can support students in normalizing uncertainty, facilitating learning processes and promoting empowerment for researcher identity awareness, development, and affirmation. We argue that the increased understanding of experienced uncertainty and the ways for postgraduate supervisors to support students through facilitating self-directed learning and researcher identity development could contribute to containing and harnessing uncertainty during the course of research.

Deconstructing power differentials in the postgraduate supervision process : mentoring in Ubuntu praxis

Deconstructing power differentials in the postgraduate supervision process : mentoring in Ubuntu praxis

Over Mountain Tops and Through the Valleys of Postgraduate Study and Research: A Transformative Learning Experience from Two Supervisees’ Perspectives

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to illuminate the learning that happens in assuming a supervisee’s role during the postgraduate study. Background: The facilitators and barriers students encountered while pursuing postgraduate studies, strategies to achieve success in postgraduate studies, and how to decrease attrition rates of students, have been sufficiently explored in literature. However, there is little written about the personal and professional impact on students when they are being supervised to complete their postgraduate studies. Methodology: Autoethnographic method of deep reflection was used to examine the learning that transpired from the supervisee’s perspective. Two lecturers (a Senior Lecturer in Nursing and an Aboriginal Tutor) focused on their postgraduate journeys as supervisees, respectively, with over 30 years of study experience between them, in Australia and abroad. Contribution: Future postgraduate students, researchers, would-be supervisors and experienced supervisors could learn from the reflections of the authors’ postgraduate experiences. Findings: Four themes surfaced, and these were Eureka moments, Critical friend(s), Supervisory relationship, and Transformative learning. The authors highlighted the significance of a supervisory relationship which is key to negotiating the journey with the supervisor. Essential for these students also were insights on finding the path as well as the destination and the transformative aspects that happened as a necessary part of the journey. Conclusion. The postgraduate journey has taught them many lessons, the most profound of which was the change in perspective and attitude in the process of being and becoming. Personal and professional transformative learning did occur. At its deepest level, the authors’ reflections resulted in self-actualization and a rediscovery of their more authentic selves. Recommendations for Practitioners: This article highlights the importance of the supervisory relationship that must be negotiated to ensure the success of the candidate. Reflections of the transformation are recommended to support the students further. Recommendation for Researchers: Quality supervision can make a significant influence on the progress of students. Further research on the supervisory relationship is recommended. Impact on Society: The support in terms of supervision to ensure postgraduate students’ success is essential. Postgraduate students contribute to the human, social, professional, intellectual, and economic capital of universities and nations globally. Future Research: Further reflections of the transformative learning will advance the understanding of the personal and professional changes that occur with postgraduate supervision.

A conceptual enquiry into communities of practice as praxis in international doctoral education


 
 
 Undertaking a PhD entails diverse and multi-faceted challenges as doctoral researchers enter a distinct academic culture that requires transition to a new level and threshold of learning – with both knowledge acquisition and production at the core. While doctoral researchers are expected to secure different dimensions of knowledge, which necessitates meaningful ‘dialogue’ with experts, the colossal task is still ironically associated with isolated doctoral experience and somewhat limited postgraduate supervision provision. With the extra concerns typically confronting the international doctoral cohort, the pressure tends be intensified, and may lead to psychological well-being concerns. Nevertheless, there is evidence from the literature that highlights the often unacknowledged forms of learning opportunities and support mechanisms via community participation. By employing communities of practice as the main framework, this conceptual paper exemplifies the crucial role played by these communities – how these communities serve to scaffold doctoral researchers’ academic progress, support their psychological adjustments, and reinforce the crucial, but perhaps limited, formal doctoral support provision. By featuring effective examples of educational praxis via these communities, our paper offers a holistic understanding of formal and informal infrastructures as part of the wider doctoral ecology with a view to achieving a more holistic and meaningful doctoral experience.