Research Student Supervision in Uganda: Myths, Realities and Conceptual Tensions
Abstract
University graduate student research supervision and completion rates in Uganda have increasingly gained traction and may require urgent attention. Myths, realties and conceptual tensions have always vividly afflicted the pace and rate of research student completion. Against this backdrop, this study aimed at establishing the salient features of student-research supervision regulations, guidelines and procedures in Ugandan universities; determining the challenges and problems in research supervision; factors affecting the success of research students; and the myths, realities and conceptual tensions of research supervision. Accordingly, it was found that the student-supervisor wide gap, coupled with the unconducive learning environment characterized by economic hardships afflict the pace and rate of student completion. Further, several tensions identified included those between scholarship and training, between originality and collaboration, between apprenticeship and employment, and between student independence and membership of a team, between the supervisor as a professional and the supervisor as an individual; and that between student dependence and student independence. To deal with such tensions, it’s recommended that supervisors pay particular attention to the specific academic needs of the students to ensure that students get what they desire to progress and complete on time. At institutional level, student centricity should be the norm in all university activities since students form the biggest clientele of the institutions. Likewise, the centricity of post-graduate research should be key in government educational financial planning. Earmarking a reasonable financial percentage for postgraduate research enables research students to address some of the economic hardships that afflict their academic progress
Downloads
References
Agaba, J. (2019). An algorithm to predict the completion rate of postgraduate students in public universities in Uganda. A dissertation submitted to the faculty of Computing and Informatics in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of a Master of Science degree in Information Systems of Mbarara University of Science and Technology, Mbarara, Uganda
Amin, M.E. (2005). Social science research: conception, methodology and analysis. Kampala: Makerere University.
Bell, J. (2004). Doing your research project: a guide for first time researchers in education and social science. New Delhi: Viva Books. Brew, A. (2001). Conceptions of research: a phenomenographic study, Vol. 26, 2002, pp.271-285
Brown, G. & Atkins, M. (1988). Effective teaching in higher education. London: Methuen & Co.
Browne, M. and Freeman, K. (2000). “Distinguishing features of critical thinking classrooms”. Teaching in Higher Education, Vol. 5, No.3, pp.301-309
Cullen, D., Pearson, M., Saha, L. J. and Spear, R. H. (1994). Establishing effective PhD supervision. Canberra: AGPS
Delany, D. (2009). A review of literature on effective PhD supervision, Dublin: Trinity College
Dysthe, O. (2002). Professors as mediators of academic text cultures: An interview study with advisors and master’s degree students in three disciplines in a Norwegian university. Written Communication, Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 493-544
Evans, K.M. (1984). Planning small scale research (3rd ed.). Windsor, Berkshire, UK NFER-Nelson Publishing Co.
Eyangu, S., Bagire, V. and Kibrai, M. (2014). An examination of the completion rate of Master’s programs at Makerere University Business School. Creative Education, 5(22).
Gardner, S.K. (2008). Student and faculty attributions of attrition in high and low-completing doctoral programs in the United States. Higher Education, 58, 97-112
Gurr, G. M. (2001). Negotiating the “Rackety Bridge”: AS dynamic model for aligning supervisory style with research student development. Higher Education Research & Development, Vol. 20, No.1, pp.81-92
Inter-University Council of East Africa (IUCEA 2018) Standards and Guidelines for Postgraduate Studies in East Africa
Johnson, D.W. and Johnson, R.T. (2001) Constructive controversy: energizing learning. https://www.researchgate.net.publication/232429064 (accessed on 13 September 2019)
Kimani, E. N. (2014). Challenges in quality control for postgraduate supervision. International Journal of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE), Vol. 1, No. 9 pp. 63-70 www.arcjournal.org
Lategan, L.O.K. (2008). An introduction to postgraduate supervision. Stellenbosch, South Africa: African Sun Media
Lee, A. (2008). How are doctoral students supervised? Concepts of doctoral research supervision. Journal of Studies in Higher Education, Vol,33, No,3, pp.267-281
Maicibi, N. A. & Kaahwa, Y. (Eds.). (2004). Graduate studies supervision at Makerere University: ABook of Readings. Kampala: Netmedia Publishers.
Martin Y. M., Maclachlan, M. and karmel, T. (1999). Postgraduate completion rates. 2001D Occasional Paper Series, Higher Education Division, Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs
Maxwell, T.W. and Smyth, R., “Higher degree research supervision: From practice to theory”, Higher Education Research and Development 30(2), 2011 http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=journal&issn-0729436 (Retrieved on 7 December 2020)
National Council for Higher Education (NCHE). (2018). The state of higher education and Training in Uganda 2016/17. Kampala, NCHE.
National Council for Higher Education (NCHE). (2014). Benchmarks for postgraduate studies. 2014. Kampala, NCHE.
Phillips, E. M. & Pugh, D. S. (1999). How to get a PhD: A handbook for students and their supervisors. New Delhi: Via Books.
Rudd, E. (1985).A new look at postgraduate failure. Guildford, UK: SRHE/NFER-Nelson.
Taylor, P. (1995). Postgraduate education and open learning: Anticipating a new order. The Australian Universities Review, 38, 28-31.
Ssenyonga, J. and Nakiganda, P.B. (2020). Postgraduate student research realities in Uganda, In Postgraduate research engagement in low resource settings, DOI:10.4018/978-1-7998-0264-8.ch009.
Wamala, R., Ocaya, B. & Oonyu, J.C. (2012). Extended candidature and non-completion of a PhD at Makerere University, Uganda. Contemporary Issues in Education Research, 5(3), 174-184.
Welsh, J. (1978). The supervision of postgraduate research students. Research in Education, 19, 77-86.
----------- (1979).The First Year of Postgraduate Research Study.Guildford, U.K: Society for Research in Higher Education.
----------- (1980). Predicting postgraduate performance. Notes on University Teaching, 1, 1-4.
----------- (1981). The PhD. student and work. Studies in Higher Education, 6 (2), 159-162.
Copyright (c) 2025 Robert Turyamureeba, PhD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
