Effective Supervision from Research Students’ Perspective

Abstract

There are many factors that determine the success of research students in doing their postgraduate programs. Of these are the supervisors and effective supervision. The aim of this paper is to identify the attributes of supervisors and examine elements of effective supervision from the graduate research students" perspective. In addition, the study also examines whether the means of the students" opinions on their supervisors and effective supervision differ by demographic factors (program, faculty, course structure, gender and semester). Descriptive statistics will be used to describe the sample and Pearson chi-square test will be employed to test students" opinions on their supervisors and effective supervision and their relationships with demographic factors. Our results suggest that the three most important attributes of supervisors are: supervisors should be friendly, approachable and flexible; knowledgeable and resourceful; and encourage students to work and plan independently. In addition, the results indicate that effective supervision means that supervisors are able to establish good and professional relationships with students; give support and guidance; and provide continuous motivation and inspiration. Using Pearson chi-square test, the results suggest that there are no significant differences in means between attributes of supervisors and effective supervision based on program, faculty, course structure, gender and semester.

Postgraduate Research Students’ and their Supervisors’ Attitudes towards Supervision

“…Throughout the period of PhD studies, a key person in a student's life is his or her research supervisor; therefore, an effective working relationship between the supervisor and the student is crucial (Bair & Hawoth, 2004;Murphy, Bain, & Conard, 2007;Shariff, Ramli, & Ahmad, 2014;Tahir, Ghani, Atek, & Manaf, 2012). Sambrook, Stewart, and Roberts (2008) state that "the purpose of supervision is to steer, guide, and support students through the process of conducting a doctorate" (p. 72); they further state that a research supervisor's role is "… to provide both technical and emotional support..." (p. 72).…”

“…Some research has been conducted to investigate the students' level of satisfaction with their PGR supervision experiences, quality of supervision (Tahir et al 2012;Zuber-Skerritt & Ryan, 1994), and students' and supervisors' beliefs about supervision (Murphy et al 2007). The qualities of an effective supervisor and the research students' expectations of their supervisors have also been explored while investigating supervisory styles, supervisory relationships, attrition, and noncompletion of the PhD (Latona & Browne, 2001;Sharif et al 2014;Tahir et al, 2012).…”

“…The qualities of an effective supervisor and the research students' expectations of their supervisors have also been explored while investigating supervisory styles, supervisory relationships, attrition, and noncompletion of the PhD (Latona & Browne, 2001;Sharif et al 2014;Tahir et al, 2012). Evidence suggests that ambiguous and dissimilar assumptions and expectations on the part of the supervisor and the student give rise to problems in the supervisory relationship (Abiddin, Ismail, & Ismail.…”

“…Evidence suggests that ambiguous and dissimilar assumptions and expectations on the part of the supervisor and the student give rise to problems in the supervisory relationship (Abiddin, Ismail, & Ismail. 2011;Aspland, Edwards, & O'Leary 1999;Hockey, 1996;Tahir et al 2012;Talebloo & Baki, 2013). A clear understanding of the role of the supervisor and student is crucial to building a healthy and productive supervisory relationship (Thompson, Kirkman, Watson, & Stewart, 2005) and successful completion of the PhD degree.…”

“…Students expect their supervisor to act as a guide who helps them throughout their doctoral studies, from the selection of the topic to the completion of their research. They also expect their supervisors to provide regular, timely, and constructive feedback on their written work and overall progress in the program (Abiddin, 2007a;Abiddin et al, 2011;Abiddin & West, 2007b;Tahir et al 2012;Talebloo & Baki, 2013). Much of the evidence related to students' expectations of their supervisors comes from reflective, or theoretical and scholarly papers.…”