Higher degree research supervision beyond expertise: a Rancièrean and Freirean perspective on HDR supervision (original) (raw)

From behind closed doors: making the tacit explicit in research supervision practice

2012

Government policy requires improvement in the supervision and support of research higher degree students. This paper describes a recent initiative that draws on a variety of sources of evidence to underpin the design of research supervision development. In this approach evidence translates into a learning experience designed to make tacit practices explicit so that they can be questioned, reflected on and changed in line with the needs of particular students. The paper concludes with preliminary outcomes emerging from this initiative as reported by participants, observers and a presenter. Recommendations as to how these might be developed further are also considered.

Doctoral supervision: facilitating access to a community of research practice?

Supervision lies at the heart of PhD pedagogy, but the focus has been on improving efficiency and completion rates of the PhD process rather than theorising about the nature of the postgraduate supervision process. The study explores the usefulness of situated learning as a theoretical framework for thinking about PhD pedagogy. In the process, Petersen’s conception of supervision as boundary work is investigated: the study considers the extent to which the construct of the supervisor as facilitator of the negotiation of the boundaries around the research community of practice gives helpful insights. Six PhD supervisors from an engineering department at a research intensive South African university were interviewed, using a semi-structured interview guide. Thirteen of their PhD students completed an open-ended questionnaire. The transcribed interviews and the questionnaires were analysed to identify categories relating to the elements of the situated learning framework. Conference participation and paper publication are explored as legitimate peripheral activities in which PhD students participate in order to gain access to the community. An important result uncovered in the study is the high premium placed on the PhD student’s ability to work independently. This insistence on autonomy set up tension with the different elements of the situated learning framework. The study also hinted at issues of power possibly linked to the matter of ‘competent autonomy’ prized in doctoral students. This possibly presents the greatest constraint for the use of situated learning as a theoretical framework, and some suggestions are made for mitigating this limitation. Keywords: PhD supervision, situated learning, boundary work, PhD autonomy, community of practice, legitimate peripheral participation.

The supervision of research for dissertations and theses

Acta Commercii

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 loca...