An Assessment of the Status, Practice and Challenges of Doctoral Supervision at Lupane State University in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The main aim of this paper was to explore the status quo of doctoral practice at the Lupane State University in Zimbabwe, in order to get context into the challenges which are encountered that lead to low completion rates by doctoral students, from both the student and supervisor perspectives. Previous literature highlighted a need for further skills development of novice supervisors. This paper adopted a qualitative methodological approach, combining semi-structured interviews with documentary analysis techniques. The key findings were that as a rural based university, the institution is unable to retain its skilled human capital, and the few supervisors there are unmotivated. For students, the main highlight was their desire to interact and network with other PhD candidates, hence implored the organizing of regular doctoral colloquia to showcase their work in progress. This paper recommends that the university revises its current policies on doctoral supervision to accommodate the various modes of attaining a PhD, as well as expand the supervision models used to ensure that, in the event of a supervisor leaving the university, students are not disadvantaged and can still complete their PhD studies.