The supervision of research for dissertations and theses

Abstract

South African higher institutions of learning are engaged in rapid transformation processes. Some of the consequences are that an increasing proportion of the postgraduate student body is from previously disadvantaged backgrounds and that the body of academic staff has also been transformed. In general, students have limited experience of independent research work as well as using library and other research facilities. However, quality research needs to be maintained. It is of great importance that academics should have the knowledge and skills to supervise research. However, preliminary research indicates that very little is done to equip academic staff in the skills of supervising research.A literature study is done to determine the nature of postgraduate supervision as well as the role of the supervisor and the student. From this investigation an interview schedule, consisting of open-ended questions, was composed to use in focus group interviews with academics from various local and international universities.The interviews revealed that seasoned supervisors experience the guidance of postgraduate students as quite satisfactory although a number of pitfalls were raised by supervisors with less experience in the field. None of the interviewees indicated that they have been formally trained to act as a supervisor. It was also indicated that students need much support and training in scientific formulation and writing. It seems that a definite need exists for newer academic staff to be schooled in research supervision.Keywords: dissertation; postgraduate; report writing; research; research supervision; thesis BACKGROUNDThe task of a university rests on three pillars, namely research, tuition, and community service. The relative importance of each of the three is influenced by the subsidy formula being used by the government from time to time as well as various other factors. Ngcongo (2001:53) maintains that "... supervision and promotion of Masters', Doctoral or PhD students is an important activity through which University staff perform their teaching and research roles". The purpose of this paper is to focus on one aspect of the three pillars, namely research, and more specifically, the supervision of research.For the sake of clarity and understanding of the terms used, the following meanings are imbedded in these terms. Postgraduate refers to higher degrees, namely on Masters and Doctoral level. On Doctoral level, the terms thesis and promoter are used, and similarly the terms dissertation and supervisor are used on Masters level. The generic term research supervision (or supervision for short) will be used to include all interventions and interactions from the staff member (academic or supervisor) in the research process to guide the researcher (postgraduate student, also referred to as candidate).Since the underlying principles are the same for the various research studies, very little differentiation will be made in the discussion between Doctoral and Masters research, as well as between a thesis (dissert...

Improving the Development of Postgraduates’ Research and Supervision

“…Many graduate students are mature and/or distance learners with needs different to those of residential and undergraduate students (Humphrey and McCarthey, 1999). Part-time students struggle to cope with their simultaneous academic and professional workloads and experienced a lack of support and understanding from their supervisors, inflexible program organization and structures, and a feeling of isolation (Lessing and Lessing, 2004;Mackinnon, 2004). Graduate students report anxiety as a result of uncertainty about what is expected of them and procedures such as assessment (Lovitts, 2005;Malfroy, 2005).…”

“…These findings indicate that a differentiated approach to providing information and support to graduate students may be necessary. Lessing and Lessing (2004) add that there needs to be a balance between supervisor input and student independence. Lesssing and Schulze (2002) describe the supervisory role as a balancing act between various factors: expertise in the area of research, support for the student, critique, and creativity.…”

Postgraduate Tracking System: Student Research Progress Tracking Tool

“…To address this issue, several studies have been conducted on the factors associated with the successful and timely study completion of students in research programs (i.e., Latona & Browne, 2001;Lessing & Lessing, 2004). Latona and Browne (2001) developed a framework that defines three factors that can influence the timely study completion of students.…”

“…These three factors are institutional or environmental factors, individual supervision arrangements, and certain student characteristics. In another study, Lessing and Lessing (2004) identified several factors that may influence the graduation time of students; these factors include student-friendly environment at the institution, excellent administrative support from the faculty, strict entry requirements for entrants, and support from supervisors. Tinto (2004) posited that increasing student retention and graduation is possible and recommended the implementation of a mechanism to monitor student progress and performance.…”

Why It Took so Long to Complete Undergraduate Thesis at English Department:

“…To mention a few of them here as follows : Cadman, 2000;Grant, 2003;Ho, Wong & Wong, 2010;Lessing & Lessing, 2004;Sadeghi & Khajepha , 2015;Strauss, 2012;Wang & Li, 2008, 2011. Since these studies are intended for master and PhD students' thesis writing problems, in some contexts they are different from what we have done in terms of their purposes and problems being highlighted.…”