Earning the right to choose: student selection structures among doctoral supervisors in Africa

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to explore the institutional structures and practices that shape the selection and allocation of doctoral students to supervisors at African universities. Contemporary debates on doctoral admissions and selection are predominantly informed by practices in well-established higher education systems. This study, therefore, addresses the need for more diverse contributions that account for geographical and disciplinary variations while maintaining contextually nuanced interpretations. Design/methodology/approach A total of 474 doctoral supervisors across academic disciplines, career phases and universities across the African continent participated in the study. Data were collected with an online supervisory experience survey. Findings Results show that only a quarter of supervisors select their doctoral candidates themselves. This study shows that the miscellany of centralised and decentralised student admission models grants varying systemic power to individual supervisors through the embedded structures of student selection, where emerging academics have less autonomy in choosing their doctoral students. The results also showed that African supervisors in the social sciences, humanities and arts were less involved in student selection. Doctoral supervisors were largely satisfied with their supervisory load, but the load was unevenly spread across academic rank. The results showed that, contrary to existing research, there is no evidence of a high supervisory load, but a near-equal informal supervisory load shows the prevalence of hidden labour of early-career supervisors. Originality/value This study provides an exploration into the student selection practices of doctoral supervision in Africa, moving beyond a parochial view, whilst appreciating the nuance and diversity of national, disciplinary and institutional differences.