The supervisor as a ‘coastguard’ in the methodological preparedness of doctoral candidates

Abstract

This study aims to explore the role of a doctoral supervisor in doctoral candidates’ state of methodological preparedness within a specific disciplinary and institutional context. The number of doctoral graduates per million is commonly used as an indicator of progress to high-level competence and growth, and has become a global policy priority. The throughput rate of doctoral candidates is closely associated with their methodological preparedness, for which doctoral supervision is one of the key antecedents. While several studies have explored supervisory qualities as perceived and experienced by doctoral candidates, the supervisor’s role, as perceived and experienced by supervisors themselves, appears to be under-researched. This study aims to provide a deeper understanding of this role from both the supervisors’ and doctoral candidates’ perspectives. This study departed from the view that researchers and participants share the world of doctoral supervision. Hence, we used phenomenology as an approach to the world of doctoral supervision, employing the Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) method to understand how doctoral supervisors and candidates make sense of their lived experiences of doctoral supervision. We deliberately decided against survey studies as used in related studies. Although previous research utilised the ‘voyage by ocean’ metaphor concerning doctoral education, this study extends the discourse by applying an interpretive phenomenological design to provide a rich description of the supervisor’s role as a coastguard within the context of an open distance learning institution. Doctoral supervisors perform a coastguard role in ensuring that candidates meet the regulatory requirements for their doctoral voyage, are timeously rescued and supported during their voyage, receive the necessary navigation assistance to reach their destinations, and are cared for in a humanitarian way. We recommend that a similar study be conducted on a large scale and in different contexts to further inform the enhancement of doctoral candidates’ methodological preparedness.