Understanding doctoral supervision: concepts and experiences of selected supervisors and Ph.D. graduates in Uganda

Abstract

Worldwide higher education is witnessing an expansion in graduate education, hence, the need to focus on the quality of graduate training and research, especially at the Ph.D. level is of utmost importance. It is widely acknowledged that supervision plays a major role in a graduate student's outcome. In order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of graduate studies in higher education, there is a need to put graduate supervision as a key focus area in planned reforms. In this paper, the author has reflected the concept of 'supervision' using the social viewpoint, augmented by personal experiences of both supervisors and Ph.D. graduates. The inquiry adopted a largely qualitative approach and data was collected using a self-administered openended questionnaire. The data were analysed descriptively using the themes in the questionnaire. The findings indicated that Ph.D. supervision is characterized by a 'complex' mix of factors, hence requiring thorough planning at three levels i.e. supervisor, institutional andindividual students.