PhD Students' Experiences of Thesis Supervision in Malaysia: Managing Relationships in the Midst of Institutional Change

Authors

Steven Eric Krauss, Universiti Putra MalaysiaFollow
Ismi Arif Ismail, Universiti Putra Malaysia

Abstract

Despite the plethora of studies that have been conducted on PhD supervision, little qualitative investigation has been conducted with a diverse, non-Western sample of doctoral students in an attempt to understand how the supervisory relationship is experienced. In response, eighteen students from diverse, non-Western backgrounds studying at one Malaysian research university were interviewed. Results illuminated the theme of "management" of the supervisory experience and included two streams:(a) acceptance of the situation, and (b) response to the situation so as to optimize their experience. The two major themes further included four sub-themes that included managing personal relations, time and accessibility constraints, academic compatibility, and expectations. Implications for the development of international research universities where PhD supervision of a diverse student body is a critical factor for university success and development are discussed.

Keywords

Supervision, Doctoral Students, In-Depth Interviews, Supervisory Relationships, and Management

Publication Date

7-1-2010

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2010.1182

Recommended APA Citation

Krauss, S. E., & Ismail, I. A. (2010). PhD Students' Experiences of Thesis Supervision in Malaysia: Managing Relationships in the Midst of Institutional Change. The Qualitative Report, 15(4), 802-822. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2010.1182