Module 4, Session 3: Coaching and Mentoring

[CPC Admin]

#2738

This forum is to share your views on coaching and mentoring.

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[Lydia]

#2903

I was unable to download the PPT. But I will briefly discuss the difference between coaching and mentoring in post graduate supervision. This can be very narrow. My understanding is that coaching is about performance just like in sports where the student is expected to meet certain standards of work eg, reading, organization of concepts and writing skills within set times. This is usually a ‘tough love’ situation where the student has to stretch some cognitive, emotional and aesthetic muscles if they are to advance in the research process.

Mentoring on the other hand is about guiding and advising with a gentle human demeanor that softens up the tough couching phase. Mentoring is necessary to direct the student through providing advice and allowing them to take the best choices. Sometimes mentoring is directive leaving the student with no other option except what the supervisor offers from an expert point of view.

[Amos]

#2921

In my view, mentorship is a key component of supervision and coaching. The aspect of building strong relationship with the PG student ensures that the student builds on their character, resilience, confidence and innovativeness in their studies/research. This is essential in obtaining the desired outputs and or outcomes.

[Jethro]

#2953

Besides mentoring and coaching taking place in the process of thesis writing this can as well continue well even after graduation and I guess this will be more around mentoring. I have developed a very good relationship with my supervisor such that we ended up publishing and conference presentation well after graduation. My mentor and I talked after defending my PhD work and he advised me on possible areas where I can work with him after graduation. I really found this very useful

[Lynn Kisembe]

#2958

Mentoring in supervision!

Thinking aloud! Can a supervisor serve as a mentor and a couch at a given time to a student?

[Christopher Odhiambo]

#2960

For me a good supervision is a function of supervising, coaching and mentoring. The critical issue is how to balance them for the benefit of both the student and the supervisor. In my supervision I submerge them in a very subtle way.This is because the process and product of supervision are equally important.But at the end of the entire enterprise both the supervisor and the student must retain their academic identities.

[Rose Ramkat]

#2978

In my opininon i think both mentoring and coaching should be used by supervisor at different stages of the of supervising the student. Their are times when mentoring will allow the student to be a critical thinker and know we value their views and opinions. Their are times when coaching is required because certain task which could be experiments have to be done through certain strict procedures that should be followed correctly.

[Susan Kilonzo]

#2981

I feel that not all supervisors are mentors and not all supervisions can allow for mentorship to happen. For me mentorship is not forced. It is a mutual relationship. The student should be able to innately know if a supervisor is a mentor or a coach depending on their relationship. I agree with Dr. Henk that mentorship is not a one-off affair. It could be lifetime. This is why we have people in our academic lives that we always go back to for advice and different forms of support. Mentors expose the mentees to new frontiers, and are not just interested in their academic excellence but overall growth. They therefore go out of their way to provide much more than thesis supervision. There should be respect between the two and the boundaries should be clear so that the process lasts long.

[Esther Kiaritha]

#2982

Supervision is a function of both mentoring and coaching. I look at both being in a continuum, and supervision being more on the coaching side of the continuum at the beginning of the supervision process, and moving towards the mentoring as the supervision continues. This is because as you start off the process,
a) there is a specific agenda (research),
b) it performance oriented (to carry out research that leads to certification)
c) it comes with a job and position (as lecture, I have a formal duty to supervise the student).
d) it is short live (as long as the research takes)
e) It is all about clarifying and attainment of purposes in research

As the supervision continues, the students and supervisor can decide to get into a long-time relationship after mutual trust and respect has developed. It is at this time that the supervisor becomes both a teacher and a friend (in Bennet (2002) words, “becoming a nurturing teacher and a knowlegeable friend”). It is no longer about formal duty and professional position for the supervisor, but rather developing a personal relationship that provides not only academic support but also professional, emotional, psychological and moral support.

[Wil Hout]

#2994

These are interesting observations about mentoring and coaching. One thought that came up in my head when reflecting on the experience with many supervisees, both at Masters and PhD level (but I guess particularly at the latter), is that the supervisor ultimately also wishes to learn from the erstwhile supervisee. So indeed, while there is a trajectory from coaching to mentoring, there is also certainly a step towards ‘equality’. This is something you experience, for instance, when you ask a former supervisee to become an external examiner for the first time or when you ask her to contribute to a book that you are editing :)

[Shonisani]

#2999

What an interesting presentation regarding mentoring and coaching in research
supervision. Coaching relates primarily to performance improvement in a research skills. The goal is typically set with the suggestion of the coach. While the student has set his/her own goal, Supervisor as a coach has primary ownership during the process. Coaching involves observed report on what student has done in research project.

Mentoring relates primarily to the identification and nurturing of potential for the student throughout research journey. It can be a long-term relationship. The student owns both the goals and the process. Feedback comes from within the mentee. This enhance student to develop insight and understanding through intrinsic observation and becoming more aware of their own experiences. Supervisor and student can maintain their professional relationship through coaching and monitory each other.

[Israfil BOYACI]

#3012

Thank you for the presentation. It was real eye-opener on mentoring and coaching concepts.

It may not be possible both for supervisors and students, always, to go beyond coaching and to build lifetime relationship. Even so, at least, there needs an environment that maintains mutual trust, respect, and mutual benefits in every supervision process.

Also, we should always keep in mind that if a research relationship fails, the PG students as novice researchers seems to be affected negatively more (while saying this, I am assuming supervisors are more resilient to fail than a student)! Therefore, as supervisors, we think to apply every method that help to increase likelihood of our PG students, while also give information to the students about the challenges we face in our relationships.
(thank you all)

[Israfil BOYACI]

#3013

Thank you for the presentation. It was real eye-opener on mentoring and coaching concepts.

It may not be possible both for supervisors and students, always, to go beyond coaching and to build lifetime relationship. Even so, at least, there needs an environment that maintains mutual trust, respect, and mutual benefits in every supervision process.

Also, we should always keep in mind that if a research relationship fails, the PG students as novice researchers seems to be affected negatively more (while saying this, I am assuming supervisors are more resilient to fail than a student)! Therefore, as supervisors, we think to apply every method that help to increase likelihood of our PG students, while also give information to the students about the challenges we face in our relationships.
(thank you all)

[Nwabisa]

#3016

Thank you for an interesting presentation.

Both coaching and mentoring are a process that enables individuals to achieve their full potential. As a supervisor, you have a role to help the student to achieve their personal best. This is achieved through facilitating, motivating, observing, supporting, encouraging and evaluation of the outcomes, among other things. I fully agree with Esther in that supervision is a function of both mentoring and coaching. As she puts it, its more about coaching at the beginning then, as time goes on one can become a mentor by building trust and modelling positive behaviours. As a mentor, it means that your advice may not be limited to the work context.

[Jacinta]

#3017

Supervision would consist of both coaching and mentoring. Initially, coaching may prevail especially when taking the student through what the university requires. For instance, some universities have structured procedures which a good supervisor is supposed to take the student through. Some of the procedures may entail how to acquire postgraduate guidelines, proposal and thesis preparation guidelines. It can also entail giving a student literature reference from your publications or other useful references.
However, mentoring comes up during both proposal and thesis development. This is the crucial stage in which the student career is strengthened and focused.

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