Congruent and incongruent views of postgraduate supervision
Malfoy, J. and Webb, C. (2000)
In M. Kiley & G. Mullins (eds.), Quality in Postgraduate Research: Making Ends Meet. Adelaide: Advisory Centre for University Education
Abstract
Postgraduate research is a fundamental part of higher education. It contributes to the research profile of a university, consolidates international research links, provides a training ground for future researchers, and extends the boundaries of knowledge. Whilst there is some valuable practical resource material to support the training of postgraduate supervisors, most of the more formal studies of postgraduate supervision rely on anecdotal and case material (for example, Phillips & Pugh, 1994; Salmon, 1992).
Postgraduate supervision is first and foremost about teaching and the facilitation of learning of research students (Conrad, 1999). Yet there has been even less research from the standpoint of it being fundamentally a pedagogical engagement between the student and the supervisor nor, more particularly, of it being essentially about a dynamic relationship between people. This is manifest in the apparent lack of interest in the diversity of supervisory relationships, and the unique qualities of different supervisory relationships at the expense of a burgeoning interest in quality assurance measures and training for supervisors in the more generic aspects of supervising processes (Conrad, 1999). This paper reports on a small scale pilot project conducted into postgraduate supervision relationships to investigate the congruence or incongruence between student-supervisor pairs’ perceptions of their relationship during the early stages of candidature.
Cite this text
Malfoy, J. and Webb, C. (2000)
Congruent and incongruent views of postgraduate supervision.
In M. Kiley & G. Mullins (eds.), Quality in Postgraduate Research: Making Ends Meet. Adelaide: Advisory Centre for University Education