Finding the balance between guidance and freedom in Ph.D.-supervision

Abstract

This paper is a short study on how the supervision process for Ph.D. students differs between different
supervisors and students concerning the balance between guided supervision toward predefined
goals and supervision where the student is given more freedom for exploratory research. An initial
literature study has been performed which has been the basis to set up a set of questions for
interviews of supervisors and Ph.D. students. Interviews with three supervisors and three Ph.D. have
been performed and the outcome is reported in this paper together with reflections on the balance
between guidance and freedom in Ph.D. supervision.