Using the invariance test, this study compared the research experiences of students from two sibling cultural groups in a Hong Kong context. Data were collected from 304 Mainland Chinese and 225 local Hong Kong research students. Their research experiences were measured using the Student Research Experience Questionnaire (SREQ) and two scales…

With the massification of higher degrees, the efficiency gaze has fixed on students and supervisors, or on their relationship, as the "problem" to be managed, in need of administrative regulation, skill improvement or perhaps emotional management. This critical review of a selection of higher education journal articles on doctoral…

This study focused on the mentoring experiences of 10 faculty members during the dissertation stage of two online professional doctoral programs. Interview data provided insight into the strategies used by the professors in the areas of virtual communication, research design and dissertation development, and psychosocial support, and the…

The allocation of authorship credit in academic publication raises complex ethical issues but is comparatively under-researched, particularly in the social sciences. The paper analyses the results of research into attitudes to multiple authorship based on a survey questionnaire of academics working in education faculties in universities in Hong…

International policy changes that have prioritised increasing growth in the numbers of doctoral students have led to wide-ranging debate about the changing purpose of the doctorate. However, there has been little research aimed at investigating doctoral supervisors' views of the purpose of the doctorate, despite the significant role supervisors…

This article reviews the literature on supervisory elements in distance postgraduate research programmes leading to a master's or doctoral degree. The authors first identify and review the main supervisory challenges from the perspectives of both supervisor and supervisee. This paves the path to investigate and categorise the strategies that have…

This study considered the sources of facilitating experiences and strategies for thesis writing from doctoral students and graduates (N = 30). The sample was balanced between science and social science knowledge areas, with equal numbers of English as Second Language (ESL) participants in both groups. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were used…

Despite the importance of goals in educational theories, goals in master's thesis projects are rarely investigated. Therefore, this study explores how goals play a role in master's thesis supervision in terms of: defining the goals (up-component); locating where the student stands in relation to the goals (back-component); and how the student can…

Academic supervision of PhD dissertations and master's theses has traditionally been conceptualised as the pedagogy of the dyadic relationship between master and apprentice. Recently, researchers have argued for a more systemic approach. Yet, many communities lack practices for sharing the pedagogical responsibility of supervision. Consequently,…

The challenges of the doctoral journey can create social and academic isolation. Student support is normally facilitated through the supervisory team and research training programmes. There is little empirical evidence on the role group supervision and peer learning can play in nurturing and sustaining doctoral scholarship. This article explores…

The purpose of the present investigation was to examine how a collective knowledge-creation-oriented approach to doctoral education is being adopted in research within the field of education. The authors interviewed nine leaders of national centres of excellence in science research and 12 education professors whose research communities cultivate…

This paper critically engages with the pedagogical design of a generic professional doctorate programme as a framework for creation of actionable knowledge within the practice of both adviser and candidate. Within this exploration the relational dimensions of the adviser-candidate interaction are identified and their potential impact partially…

Existing tensions within and between the discourses permeating doctoral candidature are being exacerbated by those of interdisciplinarity and industry collaboration. Drawing on the author's experience as a doctoral candidate within a cooperative research centre, this article interrogates the conflicting and challenging pressures placed on…

The literature examining graduate attributes remains unclear regarding their value to work within and outside of the university context. The current article sought clarity through a quantitative analysis of the relationship between self-perceptions of PhD-related graduate attribute acquisition and both objective (e.g. productivity) and subjective…

This article explores the role of group supervision within doctoral education, offering an exploration of the experience of group supervision processes through a small-scale study evaluating both student and staff experience across three cohorts of one professional doctorate programme. There has been very little research to date exploring…