Postgraduate Supervision: Exploring Malaysian Students’ Experiences

Postgraduate supervision has been a subject of close scrutiny all around the globe demanding transparency, parity and rigour as students cross international boundaries, prompting reflection and critical analysis of the student-centered paradigm shift in higher education. Therefore, this study investigated supervisees’ experiences of postgraduate supervision in Malaysia. The study involved 66 postgraduate students from two public universities in Malaysia. Data were collected via a questionnaire and semi structured interviews. Initial findings revealed supervisees were only moderately satisfied with postgraduate supervision. Respondents indicated that an effective supervisor is a ‘people’ oriented person who is a motivator, a confidence booster and one who respects the student as a fellow researcher. Besides being an expert in his/her area of interest, the supervisor must be willing to transfer his/her knowledge and skills to the student in a flexible and non-threatening learning environment. Findings further revealed that supervisors displayed highest levels of competency and supervision providing most help and guidance at the initial stage of writing the research proposal. Supervision lessens after the acceptance of the proposal and less guidance is given at later stages. Supervisees highlighted they encounter most problems and challenges during the final stage of their research – i.e. the thesis writing, viva and correction stages. Respondents also felt that institutional support was below average and suggested the need for better run postgraduate centres and more flexible financial packages to create learning communities for postgraduates. The implications of the study suggest that it is imperative for supervisors to understand a range of postgraduate supervisory approaches to cater to the varying needs and expectations of students.