The supervisory experience : culture in action

Abstract

The supervisory experience is one that is critical for both candidate and supervisor, and increasingly significant for universities. Successful supervision in the current higher degree research context is typically measured in terms of number of completions. This overshadows the largely unnoticed but real work of everyday supervision practices, that is, the ongoing assembling of social relations. This paper investigates the social and moral orders at work in situ in supervision experiences to investigate how these practices might contribute to graduating candidates with a strong sense of confidence as researchers, a strong sense of excellent achievement, and with collegial and scholarly values. This paper examines one supervisory relationship between a supervisor and doctoral student. Analysis of their email communications over the course of the candidature shows the supervisory experience as a collaborative accomplishment of practical activity, and the activity as culture in action.