Perspectives of early career supervisors on navigating the Socio-emotional needs of their doctoral candidates
Date
2024-06
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Publisher
Central University of Technology
Abstract
All supervisors of doctoral research aim at guiding their students towards success on their doctoral journeys. Desired characteristics of successfully guiding doctoral studies have been widely reported in relevant literature and gave rise to various models of exemplary supervisory practice. One area within the supervisory relationship that has received limited attention is the emotional aspect of supervisors' role, their dispositional qualities of mind and character which are key factors in establishing an intellectual and emotional working rapport with candidates. This exploratory qualitative study sought to gain a deepened understanding of how supervisors address the socio-emotional needs of their students. A combination of online and in-person semistructured interviews with ten doctoral study supervisors, and thematic analysis of data, revealed that supervisors fully acknowledge the notion that interpersonal and emotional issues are key factors in the supervisory process. However, the way they see, and experience emotional factors differ. While some regard the supervisory process as an intellectual academic relationship, others regard supervision more as mentoring, allowing more space for selfexpression and emotions. The study's findings carry implications for enhancing the training and support offered to doctoral supervisors and students enrolled in doctoral programmes, as well as identifying potential areas for improvement.
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The original publication is available at: https://journals.co.za
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Citation
Leshem, S. & Bitzer, E.M. 2024. Perspectives of Early Career Supervisors on Navigating the Socio- Emotional Needs of their Doctoral Candidates. Journal for New Generation Science, 22(1): 35-51. doi.10.47588/jngs.2024.22.01.a3.