Not submitted
1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND The assignment considers the student-supervisor relationship in doctoral supervision. The relationship between a supervisor and student at postgraduate level is one of the most important aspects that would determine the success of the student, more so at doctoral level (Quality Assurance Agency [QAA], 2020:12; cf. Hasgall, Borrell-Damian, Van Deynze, Seeber and Huisman (2019:6); Keefer, 2015:21). South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP), which is the country’s blue print for addressing its challenges by the year 2030, has set a target to produce more than 100 doctoral graduates per million people annually by 2030. This translates into an increase from 1420 graduates in 2010 to over 5 000 annually by 2030 (Republic of South Africa [RSA], 2011:59-60). The question that arises in this regard is, what is the role of a doctoral supervisor in contributing to the achievement of the target set in the NDP? This is one of the questions this assignment will seek to answer. Supervisors are required to have the right mix of skills that would enable them to guide students through the journey. The current stressful environment of COVID-19 in which we are operating requires even more specialised skills to deal with so-called ‘soft’ issues such as psychological and emotional challenges that students could be facing. Lee (2008:275) cites that emotional intelligence and flexibility are leading contributors to successful completion when working with students. Institutions of higher learning would need to provide support to their doctoral supervisors to empower them with the necessary skills to support students. Fulgence (2019:726) identifies three key elements aimed at improving the quality of doctoral supervision: The first one is making supervisors aware of the various roles required in the current knowledge society. The second is training supervisors so that they gain and develop the necessary skills to perform their roles (cf. Lee, 2008:276). The third is providing supervisors with ideas to allow them to self-manage and continue learning and generating their own doctoral supervision tools as their roles evolve as the needs of society change. A doctoral study can take several years to complete. It requires students who are resilient problem solvers and supervisors who can assist them in navigating this unchartered territory (Baptista, Frick, Holley, Remmik, Tesch, and Akerlind, 2015:61). Elliot (2021:1) refers to that doctoral studies “are often characterised by unstructured journeys with multiple possible routes capable of branching out in different directions”. The journey is interwoven with challenges and is a lonely process. If the journey is not adequately mapped, there is potential to intensify uncertainty, confusion and even trepidation (see figure 1 below). Similarly, Keefer (2015:18) refers to the concept of ‘doctoral liminality’ which could be described as a combination of uncertainty, confusion, and lack of confidence on the part of a doctoral student. Thus, a good relationship between a supervisor and a doctoral candidate cannot be overemphasised as this relationship is critical in mapping the doctoral journey as well as averting uncertainty, confusion, trepidation and lack of confidence. Furthermore, Pyhältö, Vekkaila and Keskinen (2015:93) aver that a positive supervisor-student relationship, wherein meetings take place often in a relaxed environment as well as an empathetic attitude towards the student have been associated with good progress and satisfaction with doctoral studies. The above highlights the importance of having a well-rounded doctoral supervisor who is equipped by their institution to provide adequate support to their doctoral students for purposes of increasing throughput rates and overall success in the doctoral journey. Figure 1: Challenges in the doctoral journey Unstructured long journey Uncertainty, confusion, trepidation and lack of confidence Solitary journey with high expectations Source: (Elliot 2021:1; Keefer, 2015:18) The assignment will henceforth provide the following: the methodology followed in this assignment, a consideration of relevant theoretical and empirical literature, the author’s reflection on the literature considered and a conclusion which will summarise the assignment and highlight the contribution made.
