Social Support and Frequency of Supervision: The Fit Between PhD Candidates' and Supervisors' Perceptions

• In Event: Graduate and Postdoctoral Supervision, Mentoring, and Professional Development

Abstract

Quality and quantity of supervision is one of the core determinants of a positive doctoral experience. This study contributes to the literature by exploiting a data set collected from both supervisors and PhD candidates to understand the alignment between the candidates’ and their supervisors’ perceptions of good supervision, and the fit between their experiences of the frequency of supervision. 768 PhD candidates and 561 supervisors responded to the survey. The results show that supervisors and candidates identified the informational, emotional, instrumental, and co-constructional support as elements of good supervision. In general, their perceptions of good supervision were quite similar but differed regarding frequency of supervision. The results highlight the importance of promoting the alignment between PhD candidates’ and supervisors’ perceptions.

Authors

• Henrika Anttila, University of Helsinki
  Presenting Author

• Kirsi Maria Pyhalto, University of Helsinki
  Presenting Author

• Lotta Tikkanen, University of Helsinki
  Presenting Author