Unveiling Supervisor-Supervisee Relationships in Master’s Thesis Writing: Insights from Students’ Voices
https://doi.org/10.26907/esd.19.2.03
EDN: FNOLTF
Abstract
One of the issues that Master’s students frequently experience when writing their theses is how they view and communicate with their supervisors. This study aims to gain a comprehensive understanding of supervisor-supervisee relationships in Master’s thesis writing. The study’s objective is to explore Master’s students’ supervision practices, their interactions with supervisors, and their implications for humanistic education and holistic student development. Participants at a private university in Yogyakarta, Indonesia took the online survey using Google Forms, which contained questions about their thesis writing and other connected concerns. The accounts gathered from the 35 students who responded to the questions were processed as data and interpreted using Krippendorf’s qualitative content analysis and Polkinghorne’s narrative inquiry. The framework employed was intersectionality. The study reveals that the participants perceived supervisors as (1) affable and professional academic mentors, (2) intellectual partners, and (3) personal confidantes. The participants’ accounts may provide insight into the ideal supervisor-supervisee relationship. The supervisees’ perspectives suggest that supervisors’ triple roles assist students in managing relationships and promoting whole-person growth. Several implications for strengthening humanistic education and self-development are highlighted in the study, including supervisory responsibilities, cura personalis, emotional support, and holistic development. This study contributes to the existing literature by focusing on the often-overlooked perspectives of thesis students in Indonesia, particularly at the Master’s level.
About the Authors
N. Dewi
Sanata Dharma University
Indonesia
Indonesia
Novita Dewi
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
Yu. D. Ardhiani
Sanata Dharma University
Indonesia
Indonesia
Yustina Devi Ardhiani
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
E. Sunarto
Sanata Dharma University
Indonesia
Indonesia
Emanuel Sunarto
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
A. Shakka
Sanata Dharma University
Indonesia
Indonesia
Anne Shakka
Yogyakarta, Indonesia
References
1. Ardi, P., Widyaningsih, T. L., & Widiati, U. (2023). Appreciative collaborative reflection to catalyze Indonesian EFL teachers’ identity configuration in a teacher professional education program. Education and Self Development, 18(2), 10–26. https://doi.org/10.26907/esd.18.2.02
2. Barus, G. (2022). Mengulik tiga faktor pendukung percepatan penulisan skripsi mahasiswa. [Examining three factors in support of accelerating student thesis writing]. Scholaria: Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Kebudayaan, 12(2), 96–108. https://doi.org/10.24246/j.js.2022.v12.i2.p96-108
3. Bogel, G. (2012). The school library through an Ignatian lens. Knowledge Quest, 40(4), 46–51.
4. Crenshaw, K. W. (2017). On intersectionality: Essential writings. The New Press. Ferreira-Meyers, K. (2022). The need for revision of selected aspects of online master’s and doctoral student supervision. Perspectives in Education, 40(1), 288–305. https://doi.org/10.18820/2519593X/PIE.V40.I1.17
5. Grant, B. M. (2018). Assembling ourselves differently? contesting the dominant imaginary of doctoral supervision. Parallax, 24(3), 356–370. https://doi.org/10.1080/13534645.2018.1496584
6. Guidance Note on Intersectionality, Racial Discrimination and Protection of Minorities (2022), accessed on 5 July 2023 at https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/minorities/30th-anniversary/2022-09-22/GuidanceNoteonIntersectionality.pdf
7. Hendrickse, R. (2022). COVID-19: An alternative approach to postgraduate supervision in the digital age. South African Journal of Higher Education, 36(5), 98–118. https://doi.org/10.20853/36-5-4554
8. Krauss, S. E., & Ismail, I. A. (2010). PhD students’ experiences of thesis supervision in Malaysia: Managing relationships in the midst of institutional change. Qualitative Report, 15(4), 802–822. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2010.1182
9. Krippendorff, K. (2019). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. SAGE Publications. Lambey, L., Lambey, R., & Kalangi, L. (2017). Analisis persepsi dan ekspektasi mahasiswa atas kualitas dosen pembimbing tesis di program magister akuntansi FEB Universitas Sam Ratulangi Manado. [Analysis of student perceptions and expectations over the quality of lecturer tutoring thesis in the FEB Master of Accounting program of Sam Ratulangi Manado University.] Jurnal Riset Akuntansi Dan Auditing “Goodwill,” 8(2), 233–241. https://doi.org/10.35800/jjs.v8i2.18298
10. Maryono, G., Emilia, E., & Gustine, G. G. (2018). A Graduate Student’s Thesis Writing Process. English Language and Literature International Conference (ELLiC) Proceedings 5(1), 449–461.
11. Neupane Bastola, M. (2022). Engagement and challenges in supervisory feedback: Supervisors’ and students’ perceptions. RELC Journal, 53(1), 56–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033688220912547
12. Opoku, E. K., Chen, L. H., & Permadi, S. Y. (2022). The dissertation journey during the COVID-19 pandemic: Crisis or opportunity? Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 30, 100374. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhlste.2022.100374
13. Polkinghorne, D. E. (2013). Narrative identity and psychotherapy. In C. A. Ingemark (Ed.), Therapeutic uses of storytelling, (pp. 21-41). Nordic Academic Press.
14. Rizqiyyah, R., Nurkamto, J., & Rochsantiningsih, D. (2021). From pandemic to new normal: Portraying EFL graduates’ metacognitive strategy in thesis writing. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 13(2), 1103–1113. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v13i2.500
15. Roostika, R. (2017). The role of city and host university images on students’ satisfaction with the assigned destination. Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research, 6(1), 250–261. http://buscompress.com/journal-home.html
16. Safitri, C. D., Azisah, S., & Annur, M. J. (2021). The analysis of students’ challenges to thesis writing at UIN Alauddin Makassar. English Language Teaching for EFL Learners, 3(2), 41. https://doi.org/10.24252/elties.v3i2.21013
17. Sharma, U. N. (2017). The role of supervisor and student for completing a thesis. Tribhuvan University Journal, 31(1–2), 223–238. https://doi.org/10.3126/tuj.v31i1-2.25358
18. Supratiknya, A. & Sunardi, St. Eds. (2008). Pendidikan tinggi dalam abad kedua puluh satu. [Higher education in the twenty-first century.] SMI Universitas Mrican.
19. Syed, S. (2017). Exploring international female doctoral students’ narratives through the lenses of intersectionality and feminist standpoint theory (Doctoral dissertation, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh).
20. Tiwari, H. P. (2019). Writing thesis in English education: Challenges faced by students. Journal of NELTA Gandaki, 1, 45–52. https://doi.org/10.3126/jong.v1i0.24458
21. Wisker, G. (2012). The good supervisor: Supervising postgraduate and undergraduate research for doctoral theses and dissertations. Bloomsbury Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-02423-7
Review
For citations:
Dewi N., Ardhiani Yu.D., Sunarto E., Shakka A. Unveiling Supervisor-Supervisee Relationships in Master’s Thesis Writing: Insights from Students’ Voices. Education and Self-Development. 2024;19(2):23-37. https://doi.org/10.26907/esd.19.2.03. EDN: FNOLTF
Views:
6
Email this article 