Pedagogical concerns in doctoral supervision: a challenge for pedagogy
| Date | 27 January 2012 |
| Published date | 27 January 2012 |
| Pages | 20-30 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/09684881211198211 |
| Author | Margaret Zeegers,Deirdre Barron |
| Subject Matter | Education |
Pedagogical concerns in doctoral
supervision: a challenge for
pedagogy
Margaret Zeegers
School of Education, University of Ballarat, Ballarat, Australia, and
Deirdre Barron
Faculty of Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorne, Australia
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to focus on pedagogy as a crucial element in postgraduate
research undertakings, implying active involvement of both student and supervisor in process of
teaching and learning.
Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on Australian higher degree research supervision
practice to illustrate their argument, the authors take issue with reliance on traditional Oxbridge
conventions as informing dominant practices of supervision of postgraduate research studies and
suggest pedagogy as intentional and systematic intervention that acknowledges the problematic
natures of relationships between teaching, learning, and knowledge production as integral to
supervision and research studies.
Findings – The authors examine issues of discursive practice and the problematic nature of power
differentials in supervisor-supervisee relationships, and the taken-for-grantedness of discursive
practice of such relationships. The authors do this from the perspective of the student involved in
higher degree research programs, a departure from the bulk of the literature that has as its focus the
perspective of the supervisor and/or the institution.
Originality/value – The paper examines the perspective of the student involved in higher degree
research programs, a departure from the bulk of the literature that has as its focus the perspective of
the supervisor and/or the institution.
Keywords Australia,Doctorates,Postgraduates,Supervision, Postgraduatepedagogies,Research work,
Supervisors
Paper type Viewpoint
Introduction
Drawing on what is written about higher degree research supervision, in this paper we
take issue with one particular manifestation of supervision within postgraduate
research undertakings; the so-called Oxbridge approach of a novice student researcher
learning from an academic who is assigned as the principal or coordinating supervisor
– a role based on discipline rather than teaching knowle dge. As experienced higher
degree research supervisors and student advocates in postgraduate student
associations ourselves, we have focused our discussion on the implications of
current practice for student research success or otherwise. We use as a starting point
current literature (Amundsen and McAlpine, 2009; Bartlett and Mercer, 2001c;
Croissouard, 2008; Grant, 2003; Green, 2005; Green and Lee, 1999; Kamler and
Thomson, 2008; Lee and Green, 2009) that focuses on supervision as a blend of
pedagogical and personal relationships and the ensuing theorisation of these
relationships in relation to language, knowledge and power. A number of scholars in
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0968-4883.htm
QAE
20,1
20
Quality Assurance in Education
Vol. 20 No. 1, 2012
pp. 20-30
qEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0968-4883
DOI 10.1108/09684881211198211
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