Chapter
Roles of a Supervisor in Developing
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On the other hand, the tasks o f a supervisor for the purpose o f developing a research proposal include the following:
• To direct/guide/push.
• To refine/focus ideas.
• To challenge/correct.
• To encourage/value.
• To discuss/interact.
• To evaluate/judge.
The supervisor is typically the student’s scholarly mentor. In fact in German universities, they are referred to as doctoral fathers. He/she is a m em ber o f the a ca d em ic s ta ff who w o rk s m ost clo s e ly w ith the candidate as he/she proceeds through all phases of the research. The su pervisor u su ally has specific expertise in the field o f the candidate’s scholarship and o ffe r s g u id a n c e in th e s tr u c tu r e , c o n te n t and methodology o f the work. The supervisor also ensures that you are aware o f current standards for the actual thesis/dissertation manuscript, its organisation and format.
The key to finishing you r research is a good working relationship with your supervisor. Problems with your research can be frustrating, but problems with your supervisor can be fatal to your degree. On the other hand, a good relationship can be o f long-tern m utual ben efit to both o f you. D on ’t expect you r supervisor to structure the interaction, energise the relationship, or resolve supervision problems. Relating well is entirely up to you.
Most supervisors are interested in co-working with bright people on ground-breaking research — that
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is w h y th e y b eca m e p o s tg ra d u a te te a c h e rs and professors. Th ey are not particularly in terested in working with students, or on student research projects.
Moreover, few professors really enjoy thesis supervision.
Consequently, problems often arise in the course o f thesis supervision. Kennedy (2004) has shown that eight out o f ten postgraduate students working on their dissertation say they that they are stuck w ith “ the advisor from hell”. The other two think their advisor is
“very nice, BUT...” . Invariably, only very few research students claim that their advisor (or supervisor) is very helpful, cooperative and effective. Supervision problems can arise from the following sources:
• Postgraduate programmes do not adequately define the role o f thesis supervisor.
• Supervisors are not motivated to help their candidates.
• Postgraduate students lack assertiveness in obtaining the services for which their supervisors are paid.
(a) Lack o f standards for supervisor’s role and performance
Institutions have different criteria for choosing, training and evaluating thesis supervisors. In most cases there is no stan d ard at all, no sp ecial tra in in g and no mechanism in place for evaluating performance. This lack o f professional role definition and oversight sets the stage for disaster.
Most in s titu tio n s do n o t d e fin e re a s o n a b le expectations from supervisors. Other than a general
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code o f ethics and a quota on how m any students supervisors can supervise, most don’t set standards for supervising, and don’t monitor the process. The few available guidelines are generalised role descriptions (e.g. meet with students as needed, read and return drafts in reasonable time, monitor students’ progress, etc.). This allows supervisors considerable latitude in carrying out their supervising duties, o f which they take full advantage.
(b) Lack o f motivation for the supervisor
Sadly, on many occasions, a thesis supervisor often p e r c e iv e s th is p h a s e o f h is / h e r p r o fe s s io n a l responsibility as a tim e-consum ing distraction from teaching or their own research and writing. Having no specific training or guidelines for their role in nurturing the fledging thesis into existence, many supervisors find it easier to let their tutees struggle alone.
In academia, supervision gets little credit toward sa la ry in creases, prom otion s, or p restige, so few professors feel it is important. The result is, they lack motivation to supervise well, and are diffident about their supervising relationships. It is your supervisor’s lack o f involvement with the supervising role that places sole responsibility on you to set up and sustain a good supervising relationship.
(c) Lack o f assertiveness by the research student As a research student you are a consumer. You are paying your university for courses and for supervision, with the ultimate goal o f receiving your higher degree.
The university has a responsibility to provide you with
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a supervisor who will guide you towards your goal. The supervisor is doing a job, and is being paid.
Setting expectations
To generate a good relationship, you need to hold reason ab le expectation s for you r su p erviso r’s role functions, as well as his or her attitudes and behaviours.
Without understanding your supervisor’s role, you w on’t k n o w w h a t to a sk fo r. W ith o u t p e r s p e c tiv e on appropriate attitudes and behaviours, you w on’t know h ow to e v a lu a te y o u r s u p e r v is o r ’s p e rfo rm a n ce.
Moreover, without balanced expectations, y o u ’re liable to be easily disappointed without cause, and you w on’t sense if your relationship with your supervisor starts to fail. As important as it is, achieving realistic expectations is difficult, mainly because there is a terrible lack of recognised supervising standards against which to gauge your interaction.
The imbalance o f power
To sustain your relationship with your supervisor over the several years a thesis takes, you must perceive and resolve problems as they arise. Solving these problems is touchy. The power imbalance between you and your supervisor lim its you r course o f action. Practically speaking, you need to start with a positive, businesslike attitude toward your supervisor and make changes and improvements, using suggestion and negotiation.
But you also need to keep your supervisor’s role in perspective. Supervisors traditionally convey the notion:
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• That they are all-powerful.
• That they are doing students a favour by advising them.
• That students have no option but to kowtow to their wishes.
Supervisors promote these ideas to retain their near- totalitarian control over the advisin g process, and students believe them.
In reality, supervisors do have final approval over the thesis or dissertation, but they are not all-powerful;
they can be influenced, and they can be replaced.
Professors are not doing postgraduate students a favour by s u p e rv is in g them. Even if su p erviso rs are not a d e q u a te ly r e m u n e ra te d , th e y are e m p lo y e d to supervise students along with their other teaching, research and community service assignments. Students pay th e ir in s titu tio n s , and th ro u g h th em , th e ir supervisors, for the advice they receive. M oreover, supervisors are more often than not likely to be co authors with their former postgraduate students, of publications in learned journals which may be outputs from their research thesis work.
Unquestioning acceptance o f the “suggestions” of a supervisor can scuttle your dissertation/thesis. You m ay have a b etter grasp o f y o u r topic than you r supervisor does, and you will probably remember your study better from one meeting to the next. If you blindly fo llo w y o u r su p erviso r’s direction s, you m igh t get hopelessly confused, or worse, you may begin to feel the thesis/dissertation isn ’t yours, and lose motivation to finish.
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S tu d en ts n a tu ra lly fo cu s on the su p e rvisin g relationship more than their supervisors do, and the more successful students take control o f it. Knowing the operating procedures for relating well with your supervisor helps you get the advice and support you need.
Types o f Supervisors
Several kinds o f supervisors can be identified. First, th e re are th o s e w h o o n ly a d v is e in e x p e rie n c e d researchers from within their own departm ents and only for a single study. Second, there are those who provide assistance within their own discipline but over a longer period, and who are interested in the developing c a r e e r o f th e in e x p e r ie n c e d r e s e a r c h e r . T h e s e su pervisors are som etim es referred to as mentors.
Finally, there are those who find themselves supervising a b ro a d ran ge o f in e x p e rie n c e d re s e a rc h e rs n ot n ecessa rily from w ith in th eir own d iscip lin e. Th is supervision may be provided formally or informally, one- on-one or in workshops and seminars. The knowledge and abilities required, the commitment o f resources and the nature o f the supervisory relationship will vary greatly between these three broad groups.
Expectations From a Supervisor
There is a certain amount of controversy about exactly what makes one research supervisor more successful than another. There is, however, a basic bundle o f knowledge, ability and other resources about which there is general agreement. The exact proportions of the elements which make up this bundle will depend in part on whether you are supervising someone within
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your discipline or supervising someone from another discipline.
It is important for research supervisors to develop a realistic understanding o f their own strengths and weaknesses in the area o f their students’ research. Not all supervisors need to be experts in the subject areas o r m e th o d o lo g ie s o f th e r e s e a r c h e r s th e y a re supervising, but they do need to be aware o f their limitations and should be able to point those they are supervising in the direction o f appropriate support and resources. The supervisor doesn’t have to provide all the necessary support, but he/she will need to be able to help the student find it. Supervisors should be aware o f disciplinary approaches and methodologies, and when supervising students from outside their discipline, they sh ou ld be w a ry o f im p osin g co n ve n tio n s o f th eir discipline in inappropriate ways.
All research supervisors should have:
• A broad knowledge o f epistemology and the philosophy o f science.
• Theoretical knowledge in the area o f the research topic.
Th e research su p erviso r sh ou ld h ave broad expertise in the area o f the research topic so as to engage the inexperienced researcher in constructive d e b a te , re c o m m e n d r e a d in g fro m a p o s itio n o f knowledge, and engage critically with the inexperienced researcher’s literature review, conceptual framework, and eventually his/her findings and conclusions. A formal supervisor will require in-depth knowledge of the area, while other types o f supervisors need a general
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sen se o f th e a re a an d k n ow w h e re to sen d th e inexperienced researcher for additional support.
Th e research su p erviso r sh ould h ave broad expertise in the common methodologies associated with the p a rtic u la r area o f co n ten t. T h is e n a b les the supervisor present the inexperienced researcher with a range o f different possible methodologies, and to assist h im /h er in the com plex jo b o f selectin g the m ost appropriate methodology for the particular study. While a s u p e rv is o r sh ou ld h ave stro n g m e th o d o lo g ic a l expertise in the relevant area, a co-supervisor or minor s u p e rv is o r w o rk in g w ith re s e a rc h e rs from o th er disciplines needs a broad awareness of the options and should be able to assist the researcher to find suitable support from another source, if necessary.
Procedures and requirem ents vary som ewhat between institutions, and even in some cases, within institutions. It is crucial that the research supervisor is fully aware o f these procedures and requirements in order to ensure that the inexperienced research er’s proposal is acceptable for its particu lar purposes, w hether for external funding or for registering for a higher degree.
Before deciding to take on a particular student, the prospective supervisor should reflect on:
• W hat knowledge is needed to provide support and advice for the project concerned.
• How his/her own knowledge measures up.
• Do you feel confident in your own knowledge of the relevant areas?
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* If not, can you improve your own knowledge?
* Can you bring in outside expertise to assist you?
* Can you refer the inexperienced researcher to an expert in the relevant area?
P ro v id in g support and advice to in experienced researchers is a challenging enterprise and supervisors should strive to improve their ability continually. In some cases it is appropriate for research supervisors to find ways o f upgrading their skills and knowledge; in others, they should sim ply acknowledge gaps and refer the in e x p e rie n c e d r e s e a rc h e r to an e x p e r t in th ose particular areas.
In general, the major supervisor is expected to:
• Show active interest in the student’s research topic.
• Draw on his/her own research expertise to assist the student with his/her own research.
• Treat the student as a peer.
• Suggest possible links between the student’s research and research in other areas.
• Provide constructive and timely feedback that helps to improve the standard of the student’s research.
• Provide administrative advice that helps the student with his/her research.
• Provide assistance to enable the student further his/her research career.
• Provide extra support when the student needs it most.
T h e e a r ly s ta g e s o f re s e a rc h at w h ic h the foundation for the study are laid are crucial. Where the necessary thinking and planning are exhaustively and
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co m p eten tly carried out, the research is lik ely to progress more smoothly, the researcher is likely to have a more positive and encouraging experience, and the final product is likely to be o f a higher quality.
The m ajor h igh ligh ts o f the tech n iqu es and skills required in preparing and writing a research proposal as described thus far are summarised in the last chapter o f this book.
Practice Questions
1. W hat are the roles of supervisors in developing a research proposal?
2. Outline the problems commonly faced by thesis supervisors.