Development and Initial Testing of an Instrument for Evaluating Needs and Inferring Readiness of Research Supervisors: A Mixed Methods Approach

Research supervision can be conceptualized as being embedded in a comprehensive theoretical framework in which components of perceived cognitive skills, personal beliefs, behaviors, administrative and environmental factors work together to determine needs and readiness. Utilizing rigorous data collection and analyses methods that integrate quantitative and qualitative data is recommended to develop an instrument to determine needs and readiness. To achieve optimal practice in research supervision, development should be based on well-specified basic requirements and needs of supervisors built on a methodology rooted within the mixed methods paradigm. Further data and analyses are needed to ascertain whether the identified thematic variables can be replicated in a second sample drawn from other populations and subcultural groups.