Technology-assisted doctoral supervision: Practice and lessons from Anglo-Saxon universities in Cameroon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20853/39-5-6513Keywords:
doctoral education, supervision, higher education, technologyAbstract
This study investigates how technology-assisted doctoral supervision in teacher education can improve the quality of the supervision process in Cameroon. It is an exploratory sequential mixed method which involves an initial qualitative phase with PhD students followed by a quantitative phase with PhD supervisors. The study was situated in the Affordances Theory mooted by Gibson (1979) that explains how technological affordances can support the supervisory process. The snowball sampling technique was used to select n=80 PhD students using 9 focus group discussion and n=210 doctoral supervisors who responded to the questionnaire. The qualitative data was analysed using thematic-content method while the quantitative data was analysed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25.0, frequency counts and percentages and Pearson parametric test. Findings showed that there is a significant and positive relationship between the use of ICT tools on doctoral supervision and students’ output. Also, the non-use of ICT tools was found to have a slightly negative effect on doctoral supervision. While the use of ICTs by both supervisors and PhD supervisees was evident, it was mostly limited to phone calls and WhatsApp due to inadequate skills in ICT. With issues of globalization, crisis and pandemics, technology is relevant to improve on doctoral supervision. It is, therefore, recommended that the use of technology should be included in postgraduate pedagogy and teacher education to improve on the quality of doctoral supervision. A similar research work can be carried out in other universities in Cameroon and developing economies to corroborate the findings. A comparative analysis is relevant for generalization and improvement in doctoral supervision.
Downloads
References
Aluko, Ruth, and Mary Ooko. 2022. “Enhancing the Digital Literacy Experience of Teachers to Bolster Learning in the 21st Century.” Journal of Learning for Development 9 (3): 420‒435.
Aluko, Ruth. 2021. “Access for Success: Exploring Affordances Theory in a New Hybrid Model Teacher Education Programme.” The Independent Journal of Teaching and Learning 16 (1): 43‒56.
Cooper, Donald, and Pamela Schindler. 2013. Business Research Methods, 12th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
John, Creswell and Vicki Clark. 2011. Designing and Conducting Mixed Methods Research. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Davis, Jenny, and James Chouinard. 2017. “Theorizing Affordances: From Request to Refuse.” Bulletin of Science, Technology and Society, 1‒8.
Dorit, Maor, Jason Ensor and Barry Fraser. 2015. “Doctoral Supervision in Virtual Spaces: A Review of Research of Web-based tools to Develop Collaborative Supervision.” Higher Education Research and Development. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2015.1121206
Etomes, Sophie, and Ernest Molua. 2023. “Analysis of the Market for Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and Economic Returns in Cameroon: An Archetypical African Economy.” Heliyon 9 (11): 1‒16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21679
Etomes, Sophie. 2022. “Challenges Faced by Students During the COVID-19 Lockdown: Rethinking the Governance of Higher Education in Cameroon.” Journal of Education and Learning 11 (6): 27‒40. https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v11n6p27
Fetters, Michael, Leslie Curry, and John Creswell. 2013. “Achieving Integration in Mixed Methods Designs: Principles and Practices.” Health Services Research 48 (6.2): 2134‒2156. http://www.dx.doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.12117
Ganning, Joanna, and Georgina Figueroa. 2019. Doctoral Education and the Academic Job Market in Planning: 2018‒2019. Urban Publications, 0 1 2 3 1623, https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/urban_facpub/1623.
Germain-Alamartine, Eloïse, Rhoda Ahoba-Sam, Saeed Moghadam-Saman, and Gerwin Evers. 2021. “Doctoral Graduates’ Transition to Industry: Networks as a Mechanism? Cases from Norway, Sweden and the UK.” Studies in Higher Education 46 2680–2695, https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2020.1754783.
Gibson, James. 1979. The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Mishack, Gumbo. 2019. “Online or offline supervision? Postgraduate supervisors state their position at university of South Africa.” South African Journal of Higher Education 33(1): 92–110. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.20853/33-1-2673
Hammond, Michael. 2010. “What is an affordance and can it help us understand the use of ICT in education?” http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10639-009-9106-z.
Remco, Heesen, Liam Bright, and Andrew Zucker. 2019. “Vindicating Methodological Triangulation.” Synthese 196 3067–3081. Doi: 10.1007/s11229-016-1294-7.
Hramiak, Alison. 2017. The Impact of Doctoral Studies on Personal and Professional Lives.” Work-Based Learning E-Journal international 7, (1) 20‒39.
Huet, Isabel, and Diogo Casanova. 2021. “Exploring the Professional Development of Doctoral Supervisors through Workplace Learning: A literature Review.” Higher Education Research Development 41 774–788.
Huet, Isabel, and Diogo Casanova. 2022. “Exploring the Professional Development of Doctoral Supervisors through Workplace Learning: A Literature Review.” Higher Education Research & Development, 41 (3) 774–788. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2021.1877629
Hussey, Lisa, and Jennifer Campbell-Meier. 2020. “Are you mentoring or coaching? Definitions matter”. Journal of Librarianship and Information Science 53 (3): 510–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/0961000620966651
Jackson, Debra, Tamara Power, and Kim Usher. 2021. “Learning to be a Doctoral Supervisor: Experiences and Views of Nurse Supervisors of Higher Degree Research Students.” Journal of Clinical Nursing 30 1060–1069. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15651
Charles, Ong’ondo, Mulu Nega, Sehoole Chika, Goski Alabi, Mamadou Dimé, Peter Barasa, and Lilian-Rita Akudolu. 2018. “Building Phd Capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Acknowledgments. https://www.britishcouncil.org/
Khosa, Amrinder, Steven Burch, Essin Ozdil, and Carla Wilkin. 2020. “Current Issues in PhD Supervision of Accounting and Finance Students: Evidence from Australia and New Zealand.” The British Accounting Review, Elsevier 52 (5): https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/bracre/v52y2020i5s089083891930099x.html
Kwongnui, Sim, and Sarah Stein. 2019. Reconstructing the Roles of Information and Communication Technologies in Doctoral Research Process. Central Regional Hub-Funded Project
Mai, Le, Long Pham, Kioh Kim, and Nhuong Bui. 2021. “The impacts of supervisor – PhD student relationships on PhD students’ satisfaction: A case study of Vietnamese universities.” Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 18 (4): 1‒16. https://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol18/iss4/18
Maor, Dorit, and Janice Currie. 2017. “The Use of Technology in Postgraduate Supervision Pedagogy in Two Australian Universities.” International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 14 (1): 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-017-0046-1
Maor, Dorit, Jason Ensor, and Barry Fraser. 2015. “Doctoral Supervision in Virtual spaces: A Review of Research of Web-based Tools to Develop Collaborative Supervision.” Higher Education Research & Development. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2015.1121206
Matei, Sorin. 2020. What is affordance theory and how can it be used in communication research? Available at http://matei.org/ithink/2020/01/19/what-is-affordance-theory-andhowcan-it-be-used-in-communication-research/.
Motshoane, Puleng, and Sioux McKenna. 2021. “Crossing the Border from Candidate to Supervisor: The Need for Appropriate Development.” Teaching in Higher Education 26 387–403.
Netshitangani, Tshilidzi, and Petunia Machaisa. 2021. “Supervision Experiences of Postgraduate Students at an ODL Institution in South Africa.” Cogent Social Sciences 7: 1970442 https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2021.1970442
Omona, Andrew. 2020. “To be or not to be? The Effect of Supervisor-Supervisee Relations on Student Completion of Doctoral Studies.” World Journal of Education 10 (1): 23 – 29.
Polkinghorne, Martyn, Julia Taylor, Fiona Knight and Natalie Stewart. 2023. “Doctoral Supervision: A Best Practice Review.” Encyclopaedia 3 46–59. https://doi.org/10.3390/encyclopedia3010004
Pyhältö, Kirsi, Lotta Tikkanen and Henrika Anttila. 2024. “Relationship between doctoral supervisors’ competencies, engagement in supervisory development and experienced support from research community.” Innovations in Education and Teaching International 61 (3): 555–569. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2022.2160369
Ruano-Borbalan, Jean-Claude. 2022. “Doctoral education from its medieval foundations to today’s globalisation and standardisation.” European Journal of Education 57(3): 367‒380. https://cnam.hal.science/hal-03760460/documentt
Sarrico, Claudia. 2022. “The Expansion of Doctoral Education and the Changing Nature and Purpose of the Doctorate.” Higher Education 84 1299‒1315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-022-00946-1
Stein, Sarah, and Wong Sim. 2020. “Enhancing the Roles of Information and Communication Technologies in Doctoral Research Processes.” International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education 17 (34): 2‒15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-00212-3
Yatich, Henry. 2021. “Leveraging Technology in Doctoral Supervision: A Complementary Approach in Kenya’s Institutions of Higher Learning.” Advanced Journal of Social Science 9 (1): 44‒52. https://journals.aijr.org/index.php/ajss/article/view/4069
Zaheer, Muhammed, and Munir Saba. 2020. Research Supervision in Distance Learning: Issues and Challenges. Available at https://www.emerald.com/insight/2414-6994.htm
Cuthbert, Denise and Molla Tebeje. 2016. “In Pursuit of the African PhD: A Critical Survey of Emergent Policy Issues in Select Sub-Saharan African Nations, Ethiopia, Ghana and South Africa.” Policy Futures in Education 14(6) https://ssrn.com/abstract=2770901
Nerad, Maresi and Evans Barbara. 2022. Globalization and Its Impacts on the Quality of PhD Education Forces and Forms in Doctoral Education Worldwide. Boston: Sense Publishers
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Sophie Etomes, Folake Ruth Aluko
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged, when works are cited.
Authors, copyright holders, may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, theses, dissertations, conferences and conference papers.
A copy of the authors' publishers version may also be hosted on the following websites:
- Non-commercial personal homepage or blog.
- Institutional webpage.
- Authors Institutional Repository.
The following notice should accompany such a posting on the website: This is an electronic version of an article published in SAJHE, Volume XXX, number XXX, pages XXX “XXX", DOI. Authors should also supply a hyperlink to the original paper or indicate where the original paper (http://www.journals.ac.za/index.php/SAJHE) may be found.
Authors publishers version, affiliated with the Stellenbosch University will be automatically deposited in the University Institutional Repository SUNScholar.
Articles as a whole, may not be re-published with another journal.
The following license applies:
Attribution CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
