The authors carried out a meta-study with the aim of identifying the important aspects of effective master’s supervision. The initial database search identified just over 14000 unique hits. The authors then scanned the abstracts of all these hits to determine whether they met the criteria they had set up in response to their research questions. This led to them identifying 79 potential studies. Each of these papers were read in full, with papers that did not deal specifically with master’s supervision excluded. This left the authors with 36 papers.

Qualitative analysis of these sources led to the production of a theoretical framework of the inputs and outcomes of master’s supervision.

Recommendations

Based on the theoretical framework they had produced, the authors put together a number of themes for a successful master’s thesis, suggesting a set of actions for both students and supervisors.

Student Actions

Since the study identifies a lack of research into student actions, only two themes were identified here: Actions towards the supervisor and Self-management.

Actions towards the supervisor

• Take the initiative in planning meetings and interactions.
• Lead interactions in meetings by preparing and presenting an agenda.
• Monitor time during meetings as well as demands on the supervisor's time outside of meetings.
• Make feedback needs explicit when submitting work to the supervisor.
• Process and apply the feedback provided by the supervisor.

Self-management

• Use time available for working on the thesis effectively and consistently by planning ahead, including built-in space in case things take longer than expected and regular writing moments
• involve peers, family, and friends in offering inputs, emotional support, and feedback where appropriate
• use cognitive, affective, and meta-cognitive strategies to regulate motivation, persistence, effectiveness of approach, and progress.

Supervisor actions

In terms of advice to supervisors, the authors identified six themes in the combined studies:

Adaptive supervision

This entailed flexibly applying different actions based on students' needs:

•    Supervisors should adapt their actions to students' needs based on

• existing knowledge
• skills
• attitudes
• student expectations
• circumstances affecting their work
• changes in needs over time
• engage students in active discussions about these themes to adapt their actions effectively

Managing expectations

This theme involves actively negotiating conditions for a realistic, feasible, and successful thesis process:

• initiate discussions on how to engage in the thesis process
• establish that supervision is a dialogue where both parties hold distinct, but connected responsibilities
• make expectations regarding responsibilities and initiate (re-)negotiation as needed
• highlight students' ownership, accountability and agency
• position oneself as a safety net, or a passenger with the student in the driver's seat 
• communicate academic standards explicitly and early on, including notions of integrity, ethics, and institutional requirements

Nurturing actions

Create a safe environment in which the student is seen as a person and where (personal) circumstances are accounted for:

• make students feel welcome from the beginning
• take time to get to know students personally
• show interest in students' cultural backgrounds
• communicate openly and kindly
• role model professional, respectful interactions
• encourage students through difficulties
• focus students on achieving long-term goals
• remain visible, accessible, and engaged throughout - sympathise with students and their circumstances
• listen actively to students and seriously consider their ideas

Directive actions

It is important to provide students with instructions and direct guidance:

• schedule/encourage the scheduling of regular meetings
• role-model time management
• request that students prepare an agenda and bring concrete products and questions to meetings
• set feasible but binding deadlines for thesis milestones
• give some direct instructions for what students should do
• use checklists, forms and other aids to help students plan and execute their work efficiently

Supportive actions

This theme involves providing students with relevant resources, including information, help, and advice:

• provide information, advice and help when the student indicates they need this type of support
• dedicate sufficient resources to the supervision process
• offer guidance on

- selecting and refining the thesis topics
- formulating and adjusting research questions
- searching for literature
- choosing and executing a methodology
- academic writing (conventions)

Feedback

Supervisors should provide feedback on student drafts in an iterative manner so the student can improve their work over time:

• make expectations around feedback explicit, including

- format and timing
- processing and follow-up of feedback
- that it is an iterative process
 

• provide specific, timely, constructive and relevant feedback that does not overwhelm the student
• include both praise and constructive comments to provide encouragement and appropriate challenge
• provide feedback on

- language and grammar (for non-native speakers)
- structure and argumentation
- thesis content accuracy/quality
- students' approaches to working
- student progress towards their goals

Comment: Whilst there is nothing particularly revolutionary about the findings of this study, I think it is good to be reminded of the factors that are important for a successful student/supervisor relationship. It is perhaps also good to be reminded that there are a number of support functions in place for students and supervisors:

At Centre for the Advancement of University Teaching, Stockholm University, our web pages contain tips for supervisors that are very similar to the list above (page in Swedish).

We also offer a number of four-day PhD supervision courses in both English and Swedish for staff from both SU and beyond. 

In these courses, one of the things we are keen on is getting both students and supervisors to reflect on their expectations and roles. Below are links to three questionnaires that we use on the course that deal with some of the issues raised in the article. The first deals with who is responsible for what. This can be filled out by both supervisor and student at the beginning of a supervisory relationship in order to check whether they are on the same page.

Whose responsibility? (20 Kb)

The next two questionnaires deal with attitudes to academic study. Here there is one questionnaire for the student and a similar one for the supervisor.

Student questionnaire (68 Kb)

Supervisor questionnaire (71 Kb)

Remember! Help with thesis writing is also offered to students in Stockholm through a centralized Academic Writing Service
Perhaps this is something you can recommend to your students?

Text: John Airey, Department of Teaching and Learning

The study

Grohnert, T., Gromotka, L., Gast, I., Delnoij, L., & Beausaert, S. (2023). Effective master's thesis supervision–A summative framework for research and practice. Educational Research Review, 100589.

Keywords: Master’s supervision, meta-analysis, advice for students, advice for supervisors