Postgraduate supervision and academic support: students' perceptions

Abstract

Postgraduate supervision in South Africa currently takes place in the context of university transformation, increasing numbers of disadvantaged students and appeals for improved completion rates. Thus there is concern for quality. Among others, quality is determined by the extent to which students' expectations are met. Data about students' perceptions of supervision provides important information about their expectations and if these are satisfied. Survey research was employed to determine distance education students' perceptions of their postgraduate supervision in the Faculty of Education, University of South Africa. Students had to rate the supervision they were given regarding the stated outcomes of these degrees. Their judgments of individual styles of supervision were also determined. Finally, students had to describe the most rewarding or frustrating aspects of their studies and what they would recommend regarding postgraduate supervision. The article concludes with suggestions to enhance the quality of supervision. These include the training of supervisors. BACKGROUND

Challenges experienced by postgraduate nursing students at a South African university

“…Barroca et al (2010) explained that through effective induction, many challenges that arise from misconceptions or inappropriate expectations for these students might be bypassed. In support of the participants' experiences of high workload with time constraints in this study, Essa (2011), Hunt, Mehta andChan (2009), and Lessing and Schulze (2002) described that the limited time in the programme for student engagement and support contributes to a sense of isolation.…”

“…Peer group support should be mobilised by creating student support communities with strategies such as the use of dissertation partners, peer support groups, workshops and collaborative study groups (Benshoff et al 2015;Conrad 2003;Juniper & Cooper 2002;Lategan 2008;Lessing & Schulze 2002;Topping et al 2000).…”

Factors Influencing Gen-Y Undergraduates’ Choice of Research Supervisor: A Case Study of a Malaysian Private University

“…Information on the perceptions of students offers very important clues as to what they expect (Lessing & Schulze, 2002). It is very pertinent in today's time when students are EDUPIJ • Volume 6 • Issue 4 • 2017 becoming more and more aware of their rights, as a result of which they demand more quality (Lessing & Schulze, 2002).…”

“…What factors affect a student's choice of supervisor, especially at the undergraduate level, is mostly an understudied area. Existing research on research supervision revolves around postgraduate students, and that too is limited to the period when the research students have actually initiated their research studies (Al-Naggar, Sarory, Al-Naggar, & Al-Muosli, 2012;Burnett, 1999;Fulton & Turner, 2008;Ismail et al, 2011;Lessing & Schulze, 2002;Malfroy, 2005;Nordentoft, Thomsen, & Wichmann-Hansen, 2013;Svinhufvud & Vehviläinen, 2013;Vilkinas, 2008). This paper focuses on undergraduate research students who are yet to embark on their research journey.…”

“…Effective facilitation and responsibility is required for the completion of a student's research (Al-Naggar et al, 2012). Lessing and Schulze (2002) equate a supervisor's role to that of a guide which advises and ensures scientific quality while providing emotional support. Grant (1999, p. 2) says that predominantly supervisory practice is viewed as a "fundamentally rational and transparent practice between autonomous individuals."…”