Supervisor-supervisee Relationship Research Articles

Academic Adaptation of Chinese Postgraduate Students in Malaysia

In recent years, there has been a notable rise in the number of Chinese applicants seeking admission to Malaysian tertiary education institutions, particularly for postgraduate programmes. This trend can be attributed to the favourable policies implemented by the Malaysian government. For Chinese students themselves, the prior task of studying abroad is to achieve their educational goals, which is challenging for them to study in an unfamiliar educational context. This study aims to explore Chinese postgraduate students’ academic adaptation to Malaysian research-oriented universities that provide qualified postgraduate programmes. Using qualitative methods, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 Chinese postgraduate students studying in five Malaysian public universities. Thematic analysis was adopted to analyse the data collected. The study’s findings unveiled the various factors affecting Chinese postgraduate students’ academic adaptation throughout their postgraduate tenure, encompassing language ability, supervisor-supervisee relationship, pedagogic differences, academic support and emotional support. In addition, the study also highlighted the strategies that Chinese postgraduate students employed to embrace these challenges. The implications of the findings are expected to help Chinese postgraduate students develop effective strategies and programs to facilitate their academic adaptation in Malaysia. Further to this, these findings can offer recommendations to higher education institutions on how to collaborate effectively with Chinese students. Keywords: Academic adaptation, Chinese postgraduate students, Malaysian universities, challenges, strategies.

Отношения между научным руководителем и студентом во время написания магистерской диссертации: мнения студентов

One of the issues that Master’s students frequently experience when writing their theses is how they view and communicate with their supervisors. This study aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of supervisor-supervisee relationships in Master’s thesis writing. The study’s objective is to explore Master’s students’ supervision practices, their interactions with supervisors, and their implications for humanistic education and holistic student development. Participants at a private university in Yogyakarta, Indonesia took the online survey using Google Forms, which contained questions about their thesis writing and other connected concerns. The accounts gathered from the 35 students who responded to the questions were processed as data and interpreted using Krippendorf’s qualitative content analysis and Polkinghorne’s narrative inquiry. The framework employed was intersectionality. The study reveals that the participants perceived supervisors as (1) affable and professional academic mentors, (2) intellectual partners, and (3) personal confidantes. The participants’ accounts may provide insight into the ideal supervisor-supervisee relationship. The supervisees’ perspectives suggest that supervisors’ triple roles assist students in managing relationships and promoting whole-person growth. Several implications for strengthening humanistic education and self-development are highlighted in the study, including supervisory responsibilities, cura personalis, emotional support, and holistic development. This study contributes to the existing literature by focusing on the often-overlooked perspectives of thesis students in Indonesia, particularly at the Master’s level.

Supervision as a Dispersed Practice: Exploring the Creation of Supervisory Spaces in Day‐to‐Day Social Work Practice

ABSTRACTSupervision is integral to social work practice; however, how it operates in day‐to‐day practice remains poorly understood. Existing research mainly comprises quantitative and qualitative accounts of social workers' and supervisors' experiences of supervision. More recently, a small number of studies examining the content of supervision have added to our understanding of what happens in supervision. However, supervisory interactions outside formal supervision have received scant empirical attention. This paper draws on an ethnographic study of four social work teams in England, exploring how formal and informal case discussion supports social workers' sensemaking. Data comprised observations of case talk in the office space (n = 21) and group case discussions (n = 2), recordings of one‐to‐one supervision (n = 17) and semi‐structured interviews (n = 22). Findings highlighted the importance of space in how social workers perceived and engaged with supervision. Supervisory spaces involve the interaction of physical, thinking and emotional spaces to create spaces that are supportive, task‐focused and reflective. Moreover, these supervisory spaces are not confined to formal one‐to‐one supervision or to the dyadic supervisor–supervisee relationship. This raises questions for how child protection social workers can be best supported, across diverse supervisory spaces and relationships, to ensure their practice is effective.

Exploring the Perceptions of Female PhD Scholars on Selecting a Supervisor: A Narrative Inquiry

This narrative inquiry explored the experiences of PhD students in their relationships with their supervisors. The study identified three themes that emerged from the data analysis. The first theme highlights the importance of compatibility between the supervisor and student. Participants emphasized the need to find a supervisor who shares similar research interests, communication styles, and personality traits. They also discussed the negative consequences of not having a compatible relationship with their supervisor, including decreased motivation, lack of support, and difficulties with communication. The second theme focuses on the role of support from the supervisor. Participants emphasized the importance of having a supportive supervisor who is available and responsive, and who provides guidance and mentorship throughout the PhD process. They also discussed the negative consequences of not having a supportive supervisor, including feelings of isolation and frustration, and difficulties in completing their PhD. The third theme highlights the influence of power dynamics on the student-supervisor relationship. Participants discussed the potential for power imbalances in the supervisor-supervisee relationship, and the impact of these imbalances on their research experiences. The study highlights the importance of compatibility, support, and power dynamics in the student-supervisor relationship for successful outcomes in PhD programs.

Effect of Metastereotypes and Conflict Experience on Research Supervisor-Supervisee Relationship Quality Among University Undergraduates

Effect of Metastereotypes and Conflict Experience on Research Supervisor-Supervisee Relationship Quality Among University Undergraduates

LEARNING TO TEACH IN THE ERA OF UNCERTAINTIES: CHALLENGES AND LESSONS LEARNT BY STUDENT TEACHERS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN UGANDA

<p>The global impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is not only being felt by different social classes of people, but also across levels of education systems. There was a paradigm shift from the traditional teaching approaches to a more flexible one, including remote teaching. This crisis uncovered the many challenges in the education system such as access and lack of supportive environments for both teachers and learners. The teacher trainees were greatly affected as they could hardly complete their teacher training programme in time. The purpose of this study was to investigate student teachers’ perception of teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, to explore challenges faced by student teachers; document lessons learnt and coping strategies improvised while teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. A concurrent mixed method design was adopted. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 46-year three student teachers of Muni University. Data were collected using student teachers’ reflective journals and reflective meetings. Challenges experienced by student teachers were related to placement, supervisor-supervisee relationship, inadequate support from school authorities, inadequate skills in classroom room management and time management. Student teachers adopted coping strategies like teamwork, collaborative and adaptive skills, classroom and discipline management. Four categories of lessons learnt were adaptiveness, collaboration, creativity and uniqueness of learners. They learnt how to incorporate modern approaches including those embedded in Bloom’s taxonomy. The study recommended that teacher training institutions should ensure adequate and wholistic preparation of student teachers prior to school practice; school practice supervisors should treat school practice supervision as a non-judgemental exercise meant to enhance student teachers’ professional growth, and school authorities should provide required materials and mentorship to student teachers.</p><p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0955/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Michaelis–Menten kinetics as a model of doctoral supervisor–supervisee relationship

The process of turning a doctoral student into an independent researcher is usually guided by a professor. In this work, the supervisor–supervisee relationship is represented by a scheme inspired by Michaelis–Menten kinetics, which has been used to determine the rate of enzyme-catalysed reactions. Here, the time evolution of the number of supervisors with k supervisees is modelled by a system of linear ordinary differential equations. The long-term behaviour of these equations is analytically examined and illustrated by a numerical simulation. This model related to the PhD formation catalysed by a professor can be presented in a class on differential equations or chemical kinetics.

The socialisation of engineering postdoctoral scholars

ABSTRACT A descriptive phenomenological research design using a socialisation theoretical framework is employed to describe the lived experience of socialisation and its influence in the career pathways of 16 engineering postdoctoral scholars. Descriptive phenomenological data analysis strategies resulted in four constituents regarding effective postdoctoral socialisation: (1) academic identity is nurtured, (2) disciplinary belonging is reinforced, (3) scholarly performance is strengthened, and (4) career development is essential for pursuing the professoriate. The essential structure was conceptualised as follows: Effective socialisation of engineering postdoctoral scholars includes the enhancement of their academic identity, disciplinary belonging, and scholarly performance, as well as attention to the career development needs of those aspiring to be a professor. These findings shed light on the importance of the supervisor-supervisee relationship in the socialisation process and the role of supervisors in shaping postdoctoral scholars’ career trajectories.

Research Supervision as an Antecedent to Graduate Student Progression in the Public Higher Institutions of Learning in Uganda

This study investigated research supervision as a key factor in the progression of graduate students in the public higher institutions of learning in Uganda. A cross-sectional survey design was used to conduct the study. A total of 312 graduate students on masters' degree programs were randomly selected from 4 public institutions of higher learning. The study also included 20 research supervisors who were conveniently selected and 4 purposively selected graduate school heads. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from the students. The supervisors and research school heads were interviewed. The ordered logistic regression and content analysis methods of data analysis were used to establish the contribution of research supervision to the graduate students’ progression. The findings revealed that the supervisor-supervisee relationship, supervisor guidance and feedback are significant antecedents of the graduate students’ progression. The study thus concluded that public institutions of higher learning institute mechanisms that address the supervisor-supervisee relationship, supervisor guidance and the promptness of any feedback in order to enhance the students’ progression. The study recommends that public institutions of higher learning institute i) annual training programs that focus on promoting a good relationship between supervisors and supervisees, ii) regular research seminars that bring together the supervisors and supervisees and iii) regular meetings between the administration, research supervisors and supervisees in order to review the students’ progress. The institutions should also emphasize adherence to the policy of giving feedback on the students’ research work within set time frames.

The Role of Intercultural Competence on Graduate Supervisor-Supervisee Relationship and Well-being

ABSTRACT: In light of the increasing trend toward internationalization, developing intercultural competence (ICC) in graduate supervisors and supervisees by providing professional learning opportunities has become progressively more important in higher education institutions. ICC improves the supervisor-supervisee relationship, which, in turn, contributes to individual and collective well-being. We begin this article by reviewing the definitions of ICC. Based on our document analysis of graduate supervision handbooks in Canadian research-intensive universities, we present the current availability of professional learning opportunities for graduate supervisors and supervisees to develop their ICC. We also report on the thematic analysis of our written self-reflections on the role of ICC in supervisor-supervisee relationship and well-being. We conclude the article by making recommendations for a range of professional learning opportunities.

The Role of Intercultural Competence on Graduate Supervisor-Supervisee Relationship and Well-being

ABSTRACT: In light of the increasing trend toward internationalization, developing intercultural competence (ICC) in graduate supervisors and supervisees by providing professional learning opportunities has become progressively more important in higher education institutions. ICC improves the supervisor-supervisee relationship, which, in turn, contributes to individual and collective well-being. We begin this article by reviewing the definitions of ICC. Based on our document analysis of graduate supervision handbooks in Canadian research-intensive universities, we present the current availability of professional learning opportunities for graduate supervisors and supervisees to develop their ICC. We also report on the thematic analysis of our written self-reflections on the role of ICC in supervisor-supervisee relationship and well-being. We conclude the article by making recommendations for a range of professional learning opportunities.

Assessment of Mining Students’ Perception of Industrial Attachment Programme at Malawi Polytechnic

Industrial attachments were added to the engineering academic curriculum at the Polytechnic to ensure students are industry-ready when they graduate. The question that arises is how effective are these industrial attachments to the students. Present study seeks to address this question through a survey questionnaire utilizing a Likert Scale with “1” for “very poor”, “2” for “poor”, “3” for “good”, “4” for “very good” and “5” for “excellent” so as to gauge the students’ perception of their three-month industrial attachment programme. There were six perception aspects comprising learning experience, pre-placement activities, student industrial attachment committee, host organization, evaluation process and supervisor-supervisee relationship. These six perception aspects had variables A1-A10, B1-B4, C1-C4, D1-D6, E1-E8 and F1-F4 respectively. In total, 36 questionnaires were returned fully completed from a total of 44 questionnaires distributed (a return rate of 82 percent). The collected data was tabulated and analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage and mean in Microsoft Excel. The results indicated that majority of the Mining Engineering Department students’ perception ranged from “good” to “excellent” with an overall mean score of 3.6 on the Likert scale. Overall, 88% of the students rated the industrial attachment programme favorably from “good” to “excellent” on the Likert scale while 12% rated it unfavorably from “very poor” to “poor”. Of particular concern were the variables “gain writing skills”, “well-structured training programme”, “lifetime learning capacity and entrepreneurial skill” and “attending to arising issue promptly” which had “poor” ratings of 33%, 17%, 25% and 17% respectively. Nevertheless, the students’ favourable perception imply that the Faculty of Engineering curriculum aligns well with the needs of the industry thereby making the students to proactively acquire the work culture at host organizations. Industrial attachments in respective universities are tailored according to various industrial needs hence the findings from this research will benefit higher learning institutions, government institutions and host organizations with similar or different attachment training programmes for future improvement.

Supervisor's Feedback on Progress of E-Logbook System of CPSP: A Cross-sectional Survey.

To determine the feedback of supervisors regarding role of e-logbook in monitoring of training, strengthening supervisor-supervisee relationship and improving overall environment of postgraduate training at College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP). Cross-sectional survey. College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (CPSP) from July to December, 2017. All registered supervisors of CPSP who were monitoring training and had minimum three years postfellowship experience were included. Non-probability consecutive sampling technique was employed. HTML-based questionnaires were sent through e-log. Likert scale was used to rate statements about e-logbook, where "1" was "strongly disagree" and "5" denoted "strongly agree". The data were entered in SPSS version 21 and analysed through its statistical package. A total of 816 supervisors responded to the questionnaires (response rate of 65%). Out of these, 74.3% were males and 25.7% were females with mean age of 52.8 +6.9 years. Majority of the supervisors agreed (62%) or strongly agreed (10%) that e-logbook has helped to improve the supervisor-supervisee relationship. More than half (60%) of the supervisors agreed, whereas some (19.3%) strongly agreed that e-logbook is a better monitoring tool than conventional logbook. The supervisors believed that overall training environment has improved with the introduction of e-log system (51% agreed and 9% strongly agreed). The age of supervisors and duration of supervisorship had no statistically significant effect on the responses of supervisors to various statements about e-logbook. Supervisors perceive electronic logbooks as a useful medium for training monitoring and improvement of the relationship between supervisors and their residents. They have shown wide acceptability to the e-log system. E-log should continue as the primary monitoring system of the training programmes of CPSP.

Psychometric Analysis of a Proposed Model to Determine Factors Influencing Selection of a Research Supervisor

Aim/Purpose: This paper found some factors which influence research supervisees’ selection of their research supervisors. Background: Research on supervisor-supervisee relationship is mostly conducted when research students have already initiated their studies. Research on how a supervisor is selected before the research begins is researched less. How do supervisees select their supervisors? Which factors do they consider important? These questions were not clearly answered in the literature so far. Methodology: A scale was developed to measure factors which influence the selection of research supervisors. Using an online survey, data was collected from 315 research students in Malaysia between August and October 2018. Psychometric properties of the scale were assessed using exploratory factor analysis followed by confirmatory factor analysis. Construct reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity of the scale were assessed using composite reliability, maximal reliability, average variance extracted, and maximum shared variance. Contribution: How research supervisees select their supervisors is an understudied area. Most of the research on supervisor selection is done after the research journey has begun. This research focuses on the thought processes before supervisor selection. Findings: Demographics, expertise, and physical appearance emerge as important constructs that influence the thought process of a research supervisee. Each of these constructs is composed of several dimensions, each with its own weight and importance. Recommendations for Practitioners: Research supervision is an integral part of contemporary teaching profession. To develop this important dimension of an academic’s career, this research holds high significance. The emerging factors will help researcher supervisors enhance their profiles and become more visible. This has practical implications for higher education institutions as well. Recommendation for Researchers: Further studies in this area can explore these factors across different cultures, distinction between undergraduate and postgraduate students, public and private higher education institutions, and scholarship or self-funded students. Impact on Society: Attracting better and relevant research students will result in a better match between researcher’s capability and supervisor’s expertise leading to high impact research. Future Research: This research was done on only 315 respondents. More respondents from diverse population might influence the outcome.

Supervision in Healthcare: A Critical Review of the Role, Function and Capacity for Training

This paper examines the notion of clinical supervision and takes a close look at what it means from the perspective of both the supervisee and the supervisor, considering how it can be of benefit to the learner, the teacher and the patient. Clinical supervision has been shown to be vital for the development and consolidation of undergraduate and postgraduate education, while having a positive impact on patient outcomes and as such is a fundamental component in healthcare education. Central to supervision is achieving the best outcomes for the supervisee, and effective supervision ensures the development of confidence, professional identity, and the consolidation of therapeutic knowledge. Clinical supervision provides a platform for extending the supervisor-supervisee relationship beyond the student-teacher model to one of mutual personal development in contemporary knowledge and skills for clinical practice. Despite the perceived importance of clinical supervision for healthcare more broadly, there is evidence to suggest that few supervisors are adequately prepared with the theory and practice of clinical supervision to adequately fulfill the expectations that the role entails. It follows therefore, that in many cases, there is an expectation that the health professionals will supervise without adequate preparation. This paper, although not a panacea, may assist those who are supervising and who seek or require some guidance and support.

How to Supervise International PhD Students: A Narrative Inquiry Study

This narrative inquiry study was undertaken, recruiting 06 successful PhD students in China. The participants were invited and semi-structured interviews were taken one-by-one. The study aimed to explore information about supervisor-supervisee relationship and factors that motivate international PhD students to enhance their research outcomes in a cross-cultural environment. The qualitative data were coded, using QDA miner lite software. After the formation of initial codes, five major categories were emerged included: empowerment, usefulness, success, interest and caring. Each category represented the respective component of MUSIC model of academic motivation (Jones, 2009). The findings illustrated that International PhD students are satisfied with work and life. The supervisors used effective strategies to motivate international PhD supervisees to enhance academic outcomes. The study uncovered students’ expectations which included: formal meetings, feedback, guidance, and team work. Based on study findings and results, the MUSIC model can be used as supervision strategy. It is a comprehensive model where all of its five components cover the supervisees’ expectations.

Formal and Informal basis of Authority in Instructional Supervision: A Perspective of Heads of Schools and Teachers in Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe has achieved quantitative expansion in education. The focus is now on achieving academic excellence. One of the ways of improving the quality of education is instructional supervision. Effective supervision of instruction, through changing teacher behaviour, can improve the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom. The basis of authority a supervisor has in a school is one of the supervisory dimensions that could impinge directly on the supervisor-supervisee relationship. Two major bases of authority in a school organization may be identified, namely, formal and informal authority, and both influence supervisee’s behaviour. The study sought to investigate which of the two bases of authority (formal and informal) is perceived by school heads and teachers in Zimbabwe to be more effective during instructional supervision. The investigation employed the survey research design. The study was conducted in 628 schools: 298 in Greater Harare, an urban province, and the 330 schools in Mashonaland Central, a predominantly rural province. Harare being the largest city was specifically selected as a typical urban province; while Mashonaland Central, with many responsible authorities, was specifically chosen to represent a predominantly rural province. The sample size was 729 school heads and teachers randomly chosen as follows: 368 from Greater Harare and 361 respondents from Mashonaland Central Province. Data were analysed using the SPSS. The findings showed that school heads and teachers perceived Informal Basis of Authority in instructional supervision as more effective while Formal Basis of Authority was perceived as generally not quite effective. The study recommended that supervisors broaden their supervisory influence, power and formal authority base by tapping into the informal organisation resource. Therefore, they should possess and tap both their expert and referent authorities, so as to augment and buttress their formal positional authority.

Difficulties Faced by Postgraduate Students of English Language Teaching (ELT) in Thesis Writing in Turkey

There are a growing number of students who continue postgraduate degrees in English Language Teaching (ELT) in state and private universities in Turkey. It is taken for granted that thesis writing is a significant aspect of postgraduate education and postgraduate students are experiencing some difficulties with the thesis writing process. In this process, supervision is a complex process and sometimes supervision is the element that makes things easier for postgraduate students or exacerbates the process. Therefore, supervisor–supervisee relationship is a topic that has been explored much abroad lately but relatively few are written about the Turkish case. Considering this research gap, this article investigates postgraduates’ views on master’s and PhD thesis supervision and difficulties they faced in thesis writing in ELT. The participants from different private and state universities received a link to an online survey engine. The aim was to understand how thesis writing in ELT and supervision are experienced in Turkey. In this study, qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. The data collected in the study were analyzed by content analysis technique and frequency counting. The findings are important as they show that there are serious linguistic challenges inherent in thesis writing that are complicating the process but also supervisory process that needs delicate attention. The paper suggests that supervisors and universities should consider the positive and negative aspects of their attitudes and behaviors throughout this process. Some measures can be taken to enhance the quality of supervision at universities in Turkey.

Multicultural Orientation in Psychotherapy Supervision: Cultural Humility, Cultural Comfort, and Cultural Opportunities.

As a complement to multicultural competence, the multicultural orientation (MCO) perspective has been proposed as a pragmatic way to enhance cultural understandings about psychotherapeutic dynamics, processes, and outcomes. Consisting of three core components-cultural humility, cultural comfort, and cultural opportunities-the MCO is considered relevant for both individual and group treatment. However, the MCO perspective has yet to be specifically applied to psychotherapy supervision. Because supervision often provides multicultural oversight for individual and group psychotherapy services, considering the ramifications of MCO for psychotherapy supervision (MCO-S) is important. In this article, the implications of MCO-S are reviewed, with attention given to the impacts of cultural humility, cultural comfort, and cultural opportunities on the supervisor-supervisee relationship. Case examples are provided to illustrate the ways in which MCO can affect the psychotherapy supervision process and outcome. Supervision research possibilities are also proposed.

Assessing the Quality of Supervision Experiences in the Different Research Stages at Postgraduate Level

<p><em>The nature of supervisory relationship is dynamic that changes over the course of candidacy. Subsequently, the supervision demands of supervisees also change to help them in performing certain tasks at specific research stages. In this context, this research is proposed to investigate the supervision experiences of supervisees in four different research stages (i.e. Stage 1: developing synopsis, Stage 2: collecting data, Stage 3: writing thesis and Stage 4: submitted thesis). In the light of six supervision aspects (i.e. Project management, Intellectual support, pertinent research skills, Inter-personal communication skills, Workload management and Supportive skills) the quality of supervision was assessed from supervisees’ perspective. Cross-sectional survey design was used to assess the supervision experiences of (N=422) supervisees in four distinct stages of research supervision. The data were collected from 12 public and private universities of the Punjab. For this study, a multi-sectioned, self-constructed Supervisor-Supervisee Relationship Questionnaire (Saleem, 2014) was used. The findings of the study highlighted the need to train the supervisors to manage their time not just in terms of teaching and supervision of research students, but also keeping the stages of their research in mind. By addressing the stage specific needs of supervisees the quality of supervision could be improved.</em></p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: quality of supervision, research stages, supervision dynamics, supervision experiences</p>