An Inquiry into Experiences of Supervisors and Supervisees in Conducting Research Supervision in Higher Education Institutions in Eswatini

Abstract

The importance of research in institutions of higher education stretches beyond enabling the student to gain a qualification. Students’ research outputs should contribute to the body of knowledge, hence the need for quality research supervision in institutions. This study thus explored the experiences of supervisors and supervisees in research supervision. An interpretivist research paradigm and a qualitative research approach were used. Data was collected from purposively sampled participants using interviews and focus group discussions. Findings revealed that the supervisor’s role is to guide and support the student step by step throughout the whole research process beginning from problem identification up to data collection and compilation of the final research report. The student’s role is to take full responsibility for their own research from start to finish. Findings showed that supervisors were frustrated by students who lacked basic research knowledge and students who plagiarised previous studies. Students were frustrated by incompetent supervisors who abused their powers and forced them to change topics to accommodate their shortcomings, delayed with feedback and unconstructive feedback. The study recommended that institutions should engage qualified and competent research supervisors, train supervisors and supervisees and review their research policies and incorporate modern research trends, support students with resources to conduct research and publish their research outputs, and supervisors should embrace modern technology in research supervision. Keywords: Experiences, Supervisors, Supervisees, Research