A blessing in disguise: Beyond cross-cultural online supervision

ABSTRACT

This article draws from a mixed-method study of 111 Indonesian doctoral students’ experiences in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative data from follow-up interviews conducted throughout 2020 offer insights into doctoral students’ enforced online supervision experiences. Beyond the inevitable challenges, in-depth interviews reveal that most participants’ narratives involve cross-cultural issues. We highlight one participant’s cross-cultural experience of online supervision, which she called ‘a blessing in disguise’. This student’s narrative epitomises the transformative potential of repositioning oneself in relation to others and strategies involving additional support to operate online. By employing positioning theory, this study provides insights into effective practices for online supervision during a time of crisis.

KEYWORDS:

• Cross-cultural
• online supervision
• positioning theory
• Indonesian doctoral students
• COVID-19
• narrative

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the editors and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions to improve the article. The authors also would like to thank Eileen Hanrahan (Language Learning Adviser at Deakin University) for the feedback and all the research participants who volunteered to share their insights for this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP) for Citra Amelia's doctoral scholarship and the Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University for the fieldwork assistance.

Notes on contributors

Citra Amelia

Citra Amelia is a doctoral candidate in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University in Australia. Her doctoral research is focused on the factors affecting PhD completion progress.

Alistair Welsh

Alistair Welsh is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University in Australia. His interdisciplinary interests relate to socio-linguistic research into identity, culture and discourse.

Monika Winarnita

Monika Winarnita is a Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University in Australia. Her research interest includes understanding the experiences of Indonesians in Australia, particularly through an ethnographic approach.

Ramón López Castellano

Ramón López Castellano is a Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University in Australia. His research interests include a wide range of topics related to cultures, society and identity.