Alignment of Doctoral Student and Supervisor Expectations in Malaysia

Abstract

Aim/Purpose: This paper compares doctoral student and supervisor expectations of their respective roles and responsibilities in doctoral research supervision relationships in Malaysia. It identifies the areas, and the extent to which expectations align or differ. Background: Incongruence of expectations between doctoral students and their supervisor has been cited as a major contributor to slow completion times and high attrition rates for doctoral students. While researchers urge the need for explicit discussion of expectations, in practice doctoral students and supervisors rarely make their expectations explicit to each other, and few researchers have examined the areas of alignment or misalignment of expectations in depth. Methodology: Semi-structured interviews were held with fifteen doctoral students and twelve supervisors from two research-intensive universities in Malaysia. An inductive thematic analysis of data was conducted. Contribution: This paper provides the first in-depth direct comparison of student-supervisor expectations in Malaysia. A hierarchical model of student-supervisor expectations is presented. Findings: Expectations vary in the degree of congruence, and the degree to which they are clarified by students and supervisors across four different areas: academic practice, academic outcomes, skills and personal attributes, personal relationships. A hierarchical model is proposed to describe the extent to which both students and supervisors are able to clarify their mutual expectations arising throughout the doctoral student-supervisor relationship. Recommendations for Practitioners: Institutions should support discussions with both doctoral students and supervisors of expectations of their student-supervisor interactions, and encourage them to be more proactive in exploring their mutual expectations. Recommendation for Researchers: Data is recommended to be collected from students who have recently completed their studies, given the observation that some student participants were uncomfortable speaking about their supervisors while still in the student-supervisor relationship. Impact on Society: Opening opportunities for discussions of expectations by students and supervisors, supported and encouraged by the institutions within which they work, can help set the scene for positive and productive relationships. Future Research: Findings indicate there is need to examine in depth the impact of gender, and the competing pressures to publish and graduate on time, as they relate to the student-supervisor relationships and experience.

Sustainable supervisory relationships between postgraduate international students and supervisors: a qualitative exploration at a Malaysian research university

“…Sinclair et al (2014) argue that “the role of a productive advisor in contributing to productivity during doctoral candidature” (p. 1982) is correlated with building on capacity for later research activity. Effective communication (Baydarova et al , 2021) and similar research interests between both parties are also the key factors in establishing further research collaboration. Xu et al (2021) further argue that, with developmental supervisory dialogues, both students and supervisors learn to associate, share, support, clarify and develop the research project with one another productively and constructively over time.…”

“…(AS 8) Because of the positive experiences during Master's degree supervision, both parties have enhanced and sustained a long-term research connection in terms of PhD supervision. The continuity of this research relationship is very much based on mutual understanding between both parties, respect and congruent work ethics, as illustrated by Baydarova et al (2021). Sinclair et al (2014) argue that "the role of a productive advisor in contributing to productivity during doctoral candidature" (p. 1982) is correlated with building on capacity for later research activity.…”

Postgraduate Students’ Perceptions of Support Services Rendered by a Distance Learning Institution

“…It has also been established that postgraduate students prefer experienced supervisors who challenge them intellectually, explain the subject clearly, guide their learning, and critique their work skilfully to get the best out of them (Baydarova et al, 2021). Therefore, the supervisor and supervisee should develop a healthy relationship and manage the supervisory process through regular interactions geared towards helping the candidate contribute new scientific knowledge (Sidhu, Kaur, Fook & Yunus, 2014).…”

“…This motivates students to persist and overcome the challenges of situation and time, deal with stress and become independent learners (Simpson, 2013). Baydarova et al (2021) described this as a student-centred supervision approach that gives students a greater say on what and how they learn, given their unique backgrounds, needs, and capabilities. The supervisor can grant students more autonomy by giving them space to make choices about their studies and respecting their views, which increases their motivation and self-efficacy (van Rooij et al, 2019).…”

“…The English language barrier is another hurdle that slows down progress and increases the dropout of many postgraduate students who are second-language speakers from diverse cultural, linguistic, and educational backgrounds (Manyike, 2017;Martirosyan, Bustamante & Saxon, 2019). This diversity makes the supervisory role more complex due to the increasing pressure on higher education institutions (HEIs) and supervisors to provide high-quality supervision to attract and retain more students (Baydarova, Collins & Ait Saadi, 2021). This study focused on the Ethiopian doctoral students registered in the College of Education and probed their perceptions of the support provided by Unisa.…”