Module 1 – Self-reflective Questionnaire

1. I spend most of my supervisory time:

2. My most important skill as a supervisor is to:

3. As a result of my knowledge and skills, my student will be equipped to:

4. Consider the table below in which Lee describes different dimensions of supervision.

She suggests that while we each may have a dominant approach; our style should not be fixed but needs to adapt to the student’s needs and where they are in the research process.

Which view seems to be most in line with your own practice? Can you think of a supervision scenario in which one of Lee’s approaches might be best?

Which of these approaches do you think is your dominant approach?

What are the strengths and weaknesses of your dominant approach?

How can you become more flexible in approach to respond to the student’s needs and/or the needs of the research project?

5. There are several factors which contribute to the way in which you supervise. Some of these are randomly listed below. On your own, think about how they contribute to the style of supervision you adopt. Then rank them according to your order of influence with 1 having the most influence.

Rank order from 1 to 10 with 1 having the most significance:

1. Your discipline’s norms/disciplinary knowledge structure
2. Your experience as a supervisor
3. Your experience as a subject matter expert
4. Your personality
5. Your student’s personality
6. Your own experience of being supervised
7. Your student’s level of confidence as a researcher
8. The stage your student is at in their research
9. Your view of learning and knowledge
10. Your view of how research should be done

Make a few notes about why you selected the first three items in your ranking as the most significant factors. How do these factors affect supervision?