Negotiating Power Relations on the Threshold of Supervision

Abstract

Power is a compelling subject for graduate students on the verge of becoming supervisors. Students often express a desire to practice supervision in a more collegial spirit, even as they contend with the daunting expectations of authority attached to the supervisory role. This paper highlights narrative supervisory practices as one pathway for addressing power during this shift in professional identity. In the spirit of shared inquiry, former students comment extensively on this encounter with supervision training.