Abstract
Postgraduate and doctoral research may be conceived as a social process requiring continuous interaction and negotiation between the student and the supervisor with the aim of developing scholarly disposition in the student. However, the dynamics of student-supervisor relationship go beyond the two actors and are also shaped by certain contextual factors arising from the disciplinary, institutional, cultural, and temporal context. Disciplinary context influences the relationship in terms of task structure and via funding availability. Institutional context has an impact in terms of rules framed and practices followed. Cultural context influences in terms of expectations regarding initiative, feedback, and independent thinking. Finally, temporal context signifies the change in student-supervisor relationship depending upon the research stage and the maturity of student/supervisor. This chapter also offers some recommendations and potential research designs to engage with these contextual factors.
TopIntroduction
Research supervision is a crucial element in developing scholarly disposition among students (Halse & Malfroy, 2010) as it is their first introduction to the research and academic culture (Almusaed & Almssad 2020; Deem & Brehony, 2000). Postgraduate research (in particular PhD) is a lengthy process and a large part of the process hinges on the supervisor-student relationship. Doctoral research may be conceived as a social process (Andriopoulou & Prowse, 2020; Hodza, 2007) requiring continuous interaction and negotiation between the student and the supervisor, sometimes taking place in an informal milieu (Gupta, 2007) amid uncertainty (Albertyn & Bennett, 2020). Hence, doctoral research is not only about the PhD thesis as a final product, but also about the process through which the supervisor instils and develops scholarly disposition among research students. However, the dynamics of student-supervisor relationship go beyond the two actors and are hugely influenced by certain contextual factors (Bastalich, 2017; Deem & Brehony, 2000). This chapter focusses on the contextual factors that influence the supervisor-student relationship during postgraduate research. The chapter draws from existing research on the topic as well as from the author’s own experience across two diverse research systems from two countries, Ireland and India. The author completed a full-time Master of Technology degree with a significant research component (thesis duration one year) in India and is currently working as Assistant Professor in an Indian university (Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS) Pilani). He completed his PhD in Business from an Irish university (Trinity College Dublin)). During the period, the author has continuously been in touch with doctoral students from Ireland and India, across social sciences and engineering. The chapter compares and contrasts the two research systems and in so doing, highlights the impact of contextual influences on the research process in general, and on the student-supervisor relationship in particular.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Institutional Context: The policies, rules, and practices in the wider national higher education system as well as those in the university.
Pastoral: A supervisory approach in which the supervisor acts as a mentor providing high support but does not impose any structure.
Cultural Context: Cultural background of the student and the supervisor.
Contractual: A supervisory style relying on high structure with high support. The nature of relationship in this situation is in the form of social contract relying on each party to fulfill their commitments.
Laissez-faire: A supervisory style marked by low structure and low support. Student is allowed to explore the topic at their own pace.
Directorial: A supervisory approach that makes use of very high structure but does not provide much additional support.
Disciplinary Context: Prevalent research norms and practices in a discipline.