Turning Doctoral Research Supervision into a Partnership: Towards Promoting Quality Research in African Context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53103/cjess.v2i2.35Keywords:
Supervision, Doctoral Research, Partnership, African Context, Completion Time and Quality ResearchAbstract
Purpose: The paper establishes different perspectives of doctoral research supervision in African context and the contribution of adopting doctoral research supervision into student-supervisor partnership to enhance the quality of research.
Background: Research reveals that the need for doctorates has increased in the 21st century. Whereas it is revealed that research supervision is key throughout the doctoral journey, there is need to establish new and contextual techniques of enhancing doctoral research supervision for quality research in African context.
Methodology: The paper adopted a documentary review qualitative approach to establish different perspectives of doctoral research supervision in the African setting. Through the same approach 46 papers were reviewed and it was evident that Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) research supervision need to be an interactive process between doctoral candidates and their supervisors.
Contribution: The paper contributes to the current literature on aspects of doctoral research supervision and puts to light the contribution of establishing partnerships in doctoral research supervision towards quality research.
Findings: The paper reveals that doctoral education in Africa has been affected with several supervision setbacks ranging from limited human and physical resources to unfavorable supervision practices. Findings, further revealed that incorporation of partnership approach in the supervision journey enhances quality research and output.
Recommendations:The paper suggests that universities should regularly revise and update rules, regulations and policies that govern doctoral training and research supervision. Similarly, new interactive research supervision technique of pursuing research supervision as a partnership among doctoral students and supervisors should be adopted for quality research results.
Downloads
References
Akudolu, L.-R., & Adeyemo, K. S. (2018). Research and PhD capacities in Sub-Saharan Africa: Nigeria report. Online Submission.
Baptista, A. (2016). Doctoral education through the lenses of the Bologna Process. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research, 2, 29–36.
Baptista, A., Frick, L., Holley, K., Remmik, M., & Tesch, J. (2015). The doctorate as an original contribution to knowledge : Considering relationships between originality , creativity , and innovation. Frontline Learning Research 3(3), 55–67.
Bastalich, W. (2017). Studies in higher education content and context in knowledge production : a critical review of doctoral supervision literature doctoral supervision literature. Studies in Higher Education, 42(7) 5079. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1079702
Bitzer, E. (2016). Research into doctoral education: A survey of institutional research projects in Southern Africa. Institutional Research in South African Higher Education, 277–297. https://doi.org/10.18820/9781928357186/14
Cekiso, M., Tshotsho, B., Masha, R., & Saziwa, T. (2019). Supervision experiences of postgraduate research students at one South African higher education institution. South African Journal of Higher Education, 33(3), 7–25. https://doi.org/10.20853/33-3-2913
Centre for Research on Science and Technology (2009). Postgraduate studies in South Africa a statistical profile. Council on Higher Education, South Africa.
Cloete, N., Mouton, J., & Sheppard, C. (2015). Doctoral education in South Africa policy, discourse and data. African Minds. Cape Town, South Africa.
Colbran, S. (2014). Collaborative supervision of legal doctoral theses through e- learning. accessed on 26th/10/2021 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265006942
Daramola, O. (2021). Lessons from postgraduate supervision in two african universities: An autoethnographic account. Education Sciences, 11(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11070345
European Universty Association (2010). Salzburg recommendations: Universities achievements since 2005 in implementing the Salzburg principles. European University Association, ASBL, Brussels, Belgium.
European University Association (2016). Doctoral education – Taking Salzburg forward implementation and new challenges. European University Association, ASBL, Brussels, Belgium.
Fan, L., Mahmood, M., & Uddin, A. (2018). Supportive Chinese supervisor, innovative international students : A social exchange theory perspective. Asia Pacific Education Review, 0(0), 0. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-018-9572-3
Franke, A., & Arvidsson, B. (2011). Research supervisors’ different ways of experiencing supervision of doctoral students. Studies in Higher Education, 36(1), 7–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070903402151
Frick, L., Mckenna, S., & Muthama, E. (2017). Death of the PhD: When industry partners determine doctoral outcomes. Higher Education Research & Development, 36 (2) 4360. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2017.1263467
Gatfield, T. (2005). An investigation into PhD supervisory management styles: Development of a dynamic conceptual model and its managerial implications. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management 27(3), 311–325. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600800500283585
Hasgall, B. A., Saenen, B., Deynze, F. Van, & Seeber, M. (2019). Doctoral education in Europe today: Approaches and institutional structures. European University Association, Geneva, Switizland.
Herman, C. (2017). Looking back at doctoral education in South Africa. Studies in Higher Education, 42(8), 1437–1454. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2015.1101756
Igumbor, J. O., Bosire, E. N., Karimi, F., Katahoire, A., Allison, J., Muula, A. S., Peixoto, A., Otwombe, K., Gitau, E., Bondjers, G., Fonn, S., & Ajuwon, A. (2020). Effective supervision of doctoral students in public and population health in Africa: CARTA supervisors’ experiences, challenges and perceived opportunities. Global Public Health, 0(0), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2020.1864752
Ismail, H. M., Majid, F. A., & Ismail, I. S. (2013). “It’s complicated” relationship: Research students’ perspective on doctoral supervision. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 90(InCULT 2012), 165–170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.07.078
Jones, M. (2018). Contemporary trends in professional doctorates. Studies in Higher Education, 43(5), 814–825. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.1438095
Jowi, J., Ong’ondo, C., Nega, M., Sehoole, C., Alabi, G., Dimé, M., Barasa, P., & Akudolu, L.-R. (2018). Building PhD capacity in sub-Saharan Africa. International high education. accessed on 26th/102021 from www.daad.de .
Kaur, A., Kumar, V., & Noman, M. (2021). Partnering with doctoral students in research supervision: opportunities and challenges. Higher Education Research and Development, February. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1871326
Kitazawa, K., & Zhou, Y. (2009). The phd factory. Nature, 471(21).
Lee, A. (2008). How are doctoral students supervised ? Concepts of doctoral research supervision. Studies in Higher Education 33(3), 267–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802049202
Löfström, E., Pyhältö, K., & Löfström, E. (2019). What are ethics in doctoral supervision, and how do they matter ? Doctoral students’ perspective what are ethics in doctoral supervision, and how do they matter? Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 0(0), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2019.1595711
Loukanova, S., Prytherch, H., Blank, A., Duysburgh, E., Tomson, G., Gustafsson L., L. L., Sié, A., Williams, J., Leshabari, M., Haefeli E., W. E., Sauerborn, R., & Fonn, S. (2014). Nesting doctoral students in collaborative north south - partnerships for health systems research. Global Health Action, 7(SUPP.1). https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v7.24070
Malunda, P. N., Atwebembeire, J., & Ssentamu, P. N. (2021). Research supervision as an antecedent to graduate student progression in the public higher institutions of learning in Uganda. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 20(5), 73–95. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.20.5.5
Manderson, L., Bondjers, G., Izugbara, C., Cole, D. C., Egesah, O., Ezeh, A., & Fonn, S. (2017). Enhancing doctoral supervision practices in Africa: Reflection on the CARTA Approach. Jhea/Resa, 15(2), 23–40.
Matas, C. P. (2012). Doctoral education and skills development: An international perspective educación doctoral y desarrollo de competencias : Una perspectiva internacional Doctoral Education: Expansion, Crisis, and Initial Reforms. Revista de Docencia Universitaria 10(2), 163–191.
Mckenna, S. (2017). Crossing conceptual thresholds in doctoral communities Crossing conceptual thresholds in doctoral communities. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 3297, 0. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2016.1155471
Maringe, F., & Ojo, E (Eds). (2017). Sustainable transformation in African higher education. Sense Publishers, Rotterdam.
Muller, A (1988). Model for research supervision. Health SA Gesondhied, 3(2)
Nethsinghe, R., & Southcott, J. (2015). A juggling act: Supervisor/candidate partnership in a doctoral thesis by publication. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 10, 167–185. https://doi.org/10.28945/2256
Orellana, M. L., Darder, A., Pérez, A., & Salinas, J. (2016). Improving doctoral success by matching PhD students with supervisors. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 11(January), 87–103. https://doi.org/10.28945/3404
Qureshi, R., Science, O., Vazir, N., Consultant, F. E., Commons, C., & License, I. (2016). Pedagogy of research supervision pedagogy: A constructivist model. Research in Pedagogy, 6(2), 95–110. https://doi.org/10.17810/2015.38
Rong’uno, S. K. (2016). Institutional and student related factors and doctoral studies completion rates in education at selected public universities in Kenya. [Unpublished doctoral Thesis]. University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya.
Samuel, M. A. (2016). Values and purposes of a PhD: Comparative responses from South Africa and Mauritius. Higher Education Forum, 13(February), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.15027/39937
Singh, M. (2009). Using Chinese knowledge in internationalising research education: Jacques Rancière, an ignorant supervisor and doctoral students from China. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 7(2), 185–201. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767720902908034
Teferra, D. (2015). Manufacturing − and exporting − excellence and ‘ mediocrity ’: doctoral education in south africa. South African Journal of Higher Education 29(5), 8–19.
Waghid, Y. (2006). Reclaiming freedom and friendship through postgraduate student supervision Reclaiming freedom and friendship through postgraduate student supervision. Teaching in Higher Education, 11(4). https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510600874185
Wellington, J. (2013). Searching for ‘ doctorateness. Studies in Higher Education, 38(10) https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2011.634901
Wolff, L. (2010). Learning through writing : Reconceptualising the research supervision process. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 22(3), 229–237.
Wright, T., & Cochrane, R. (2010). Factors influencing successful submission of PhD theses. Studies in Higher Education, 37–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/713696139
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Noel Japheth, Susan Kurgat, John K Chang’ach
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
All articles published by CJESS are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. This license permits third parties to copy, redistribute, remix, transform and build upon the original work provided that the original work and source is appropriately cited.
