Supervision: How to promote independence while providing appropriate guidance

Abstract

Supervising research students is by no means a simple task. Supervisors are often caught in the predicament of attempting to provide adequate guidance without compromising on the students’ ability to develop into independent researchers who are able to lead a successful research carrier later on in the future. This over-arching aim of promoting students’ independency while, at the same time, providing them with the adequate guidance they need to successfully finish their research studies is the topic of this article. Five different aspects of supervision are addressed in this work, viz. students’ expectations; establishing supervisors as role models; giving effective feedback; enhancing the psychological well-being of research students; and the outcomes of good supervision. Problems relating to these five different aspects are raised and recommendations for overcoming these problems with the previously mentioned over-arching aim in perspective are provided. Although this article does not cover all aspects of the complex process of supervision, considering the points discussed herein can significantly contribute to an improved supervision of research students.