Exploring the professional development of doctoral supervisors through workplace learning: a literature review

ABSTRACT

The professional development of doctoral supervisors is a relatively new area of academic development that is still non-existent in many higher education institutions worldwide. This is particularly relevant to explore as several other studies indicate that the quality of doctoral supervision has a direct impact on the doctoral student progression and attrition rates and on the quality of the student experience. The purpose of this literature review is to explore what has been written about the professional development of doctoral supervisors, with a focus on understanding how learning takes place in the workplace. Through a systematic literature review approach, 20 manuscripts in the social sciences were identified as providing an in-depth exploration of the topic under study. The analysis of these manuscripts was situated within the theories of adult and workplace learning. Professional development occurred in different shapes and forms and is shaped by institutional and national academic cultures. There was a common understanding that learning occurred more often through self-reflection and dialogue, in both formal and informal learning spaces, and that there is a need for focusing more on the pedagogy of the doctorate. The article ends by suggesting a set of institutional recommendations for promoting the professional development of supervisors.

KEYWORDS:

• Professional development
• doctoral supervision
• adult learning
• formal learning
• informal learning

Disclosure statement

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