A Pilot Study on the Relationship between Postgraduate Students’ Perception of Thesis Supervision Role and Their Research Skills in a Thai University
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Published:
May 15, 2019
Keywords:
Supervision role, research skills, graduate student, postgraduate student
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Abstract
This quantitative pilot study aimed to test the extent of the relationship between and effect of postgraduate students’ perception of thesis supervision role and their research skills. A questionnaire, constructed based on guidelines from the handbook for supervisors in Thai universities (OHEC, 2006) with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.955, was used as an instrument to collect data using a case study approach on one graduate faculty at a university in southern Thailand with 30 participants. Principal factor analysis was carried out, as well as correlation and regression analysis. The results showed statistically significant positive relationships between essential student research skills and their critical thinking/synthesizing skills; their critical thinking/synthesizing skills and research ethics; their critical thinking/synthesizing skills and systematic thinking skills; and their critical thinking/synthesizing skills and supervisor relationships with students. However, supervisor character was not correlated with any student research skill variables, but highly correlated with the other remaining supervision roles. The strongest predictor of student research skills is the relationship between supervisor and student.
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Research Articles
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References
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Orellana, M., Darder, A., Perez, A., & Salinas, J. (2016). Improving doctoral success by matching PhD students with supervisors. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 11, 87-103.
Polziehn, R. (2011). Skills expected from graduate students in search of employment in academic and nonacademic settings: Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.
Rozanski, A. (2008). The educational orientation of participants in postgraduate managerial study programmes in Poland. Human Resource Development International, 11(1), 91-99.
Schulze, S. (2011). A survey of students' views of supervision at Unisa. South African Journal of Higher Education, 25(4), 784-802.
Sidhu, G., Kaur, S., Choo, L., & Fook, C. (2015). Postgraduate students’ level of dependence on supervisors in coping with academic matters and using digital tools. Paper presented at the 12th International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in Digital Age.
StatSoft, Inc. (2017). Principal components and factor analysis. https://store.fmi.uni-sofia.bg/fmi/statist/ education/textbook/eng/stfacan.html
Vilkinas, T. (2008). An exploratory study of the supervision of Ph.D./research students’ theses. Innovative Higher Education, 32(5), 297–311. doi: 10.1007/s10755-007-9057-5
Yellowley, W., & Farmer, M. (2005). Team teaching in higher education reflections on the added value of team teaching on student and staff learning experiences. International Journal of Learning, 12(6), 85-89.
Alam, F., Alam, Q., & Rasul, M. (2013). A pilot study on postgraduate supervision. Procedia Engineering, 56, 875881. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2013.03.210
Arabaci, I., & Ersözlü, A. (2010). Postgraduate students’perceptions of their supervisors’ mentoring skills (Gaziosmanpa University example). Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences 2 (2010), 4234-4238.
Bitzer, E., & Albertyn, R. (2011). Alternative approaches to postgraduate supervision: A Planning Tool to Facilitate Supervisory Processes. South African Journal of Higher Education, 25, 875-888
Blenkinsop, C. (2003). Research: an essential skill of a graduate nurse? Nurse Education Today, 23, 83-88.
Borders, L., Wester, K., Granello, D., Chang, C., Hays, D., Pepperel, J., & Spurgeon, S. (2012). Association for counselor education and supervision guidelines for research mentorship: Development and implementation. Counselor Education & Supervision, 51, 162-175.
Celik, S. (2011). What are the factors comprising postgraduate education demands, and what are levels of agreement with these factors? Education Research International, 132(1), 185-202.
Chien, C., & Chapman, D. (2014). Expanding graduate education in Malaysia and Thailand. Retrieved from http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20140610125523334
Clutterbuck, D., & Megginson, D. (1999). The lessons for executive and director mentoring. In Mentoring executives and directors (pp. 131-163). Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
de Kleijn, R., Mainhard, T., Meijer, P., Pilot, A., & Brekelmans, M. (2012). Master’s thesis supervision: Relations between perceptions of the supervisor–student relationship, final grade, perceived supervisor contribution to learning and student satisfaction. Studies in Higher Education, 37(8), 925-939.
de Kleijn, R., Meijer, P., Pilot, A., & Brekelmans, M. (2014). The relation between feedback perceptions and the supervisor–student relationship in master’s thesis projects. Teaching in Higher Education, 19(4), 336-349.
Doğan, N., & Bıkmaz, Ö. (2015). Expectation of Students from their Thesis Supervisor. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 174 (Supplement C), 3730-3737. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.sbspro.2015.01.1106
Egan, R., Stockley, D., Brouwer, B., Tripp, D., & Stechyson, N. (2009). Relationships between area of academic concentration, supervisory style, student needs and best practices. Studies in Higher Education, 34(3), 337-345. doi: 10.1080/03075070802597143
Garcia, M., Malott, R., & Brethower, D. (1988). A system of thesis and dissertation supervision: Helping graduate students succeed. Teaching of Psychology, 15(4), 186-191.
Ghadirian, L., Sayarifard, A., Majdzadeh, R., Rajabi, F., & Yunesian, M. (2014). Challenges for better thesis supervision. Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 28, 1-9.
Keser, H., Ozcinar, Z., Kanbul, S., & Meerah, T. (2010). World Conference on Learning, Teaching and Administration PapersReadiness of preparing postgraduate students in pursuit of their doctoral programme. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 9, 184-188. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.sbspro.2010.12.133
Mainhard, T., van der Rijst, R., van Tartwijk, J., & Wubbels, T. (2009). A model for the supervisor–doctoral student relationship. Higher Education, 58, 359-373. doi: 10.1007/s10734-009-9199-8
Meerah, T., Osman, K., Zakaria, E., Ikhsan, Z., Krish, P., Lian, D., & Mahmod, D. (2012). Developing an instrument to measure research skills. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 60, 630-636. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187704281203889X
Mhunpiew, N. (2013). A Supervisor's Roles for Successful Thesis and Dissertation. Online Submission.
Mistry, J., White, F., & Berardi, A. (2009). Skills at Master’s Level in Geography Higher Education: Teaching, Learning and Applying. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 33(1), 123-148.
Mizany, M., Khabiri, M., & Sajadi, S. (2012). A study of the capabilities of graduate students in writing thesis and the advising quality of faculty members to pursue the thesis. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 31, 5-9. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.12.006
Nasir, S., & Masek, A. (2015). A model of supervision in communicating expectation using supervisory styles and students learning styles. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 204, 265-271. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042815047989
Nordentoft, H., Thomsen, R., & Wichmann-Hansen, G. (2013). Collective academic supervision: A model for participation and learning in higher education. Higher Education, 65, 581-593. doi: 10.1007/s10734-0129564-x
Office of the Higher Education Commission. (2006). Supervisor: Duties and roles. Bangkok: Thailand Office of the Higher Education Commission.
Office of Postgraduate Education. (2016). Aims and Objectives of Research Postgraduate Education. Retrieved 10 April 2016 from http://pg.ust.hk/cgi-bin/pg/eng/secondary.php?catid=1&sid=1&tid=164
Orellana, M., Darder, A., Perez, A., & Salinas, J. (2016). Improving doctoral success by matching PhD students with supervisors. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 11, 87-103.
Polziehn, R. (2011). Skills expected from graduate students in search of employment in academic and nonacademic settings: Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research.
Rozanski, A. (2008). The educational orientation of participants in postgraduate managerial study programmes in Poland. Human Resource Development International, 11(1), 91-99.
Schulze, S. (2011). A survey of students' views of supervision at Unisa. South African Journal of Higher Education, 25(4), 784-802.
Sidhu, G., Kaur, S., Choo, L., & Fook, C. (2015). Postgraduate students’ level of dependence on supervisors in coping with academic matters and using digital tools. Paper presented at the 12th International Conference on Cognition and Exploratory Learning in Digital Age.
StatSoft, Inc. (2017). Principal components and factor analysis. https://store.fmi.uni-sofia.bg/fmi/statist/ education/textbook/eng/stfacan.html
Vilkinas, T. (2008). An exploratory study of the supervision of Ph.D./research students’ theses. Innovative Higher Education, 32(5), 297–311. doi: 10.1007/s10755-007-9057-5
Yellowley, W., & Farmer, M. (2005). Team teaching in higher education reflections on the added value of team teaching on student and staff learning experiences. International Journal of Learning, 12(6), 85-89.