CAREER as a RESEARCHER: Managing Supervisor- Student Relationship

Many students have a passion to work in the academia and contribute a lot in the areas of research and would like to innovate something new for the betterment of humankind. Really its a dream. Alkali (1990) says, "It is well to dream...as long as we live, we shall continue to dream. But it is also important to remember that like babies dreams are conceived but not all dreams are born alive. Are you frustrated with this statement? Should you need to stop dreaming? Exactly not! Proper planning and guiding can translate your all dreams into reality; its just a matter of time. Obtaining PhD, writing thesis/dissertation at Master or MPhil level are the steps toward building a career as a research scholar. Supervisor- Student Relationship is very crucial when a student finishes his/her coursework and starts to write thesis/dissertation proposal. He/she needs to be maintained a relationship with his/her supervisor. Now question arise that what type of relationship should prevail between the supervisor and the student. This piece of writing aims to focus on that issue from the real experiences shared by four recently obtained PhD students. IIUM Postgraduate Student Society (PGSS) organised a workshop entitled Managing Supervisor- Student Relationship on Saturday, January 28, 2012 at Ibn Taymiyah Conference Room, Faculty of Economics and Management Sciences, IIUM where four recently obtained PhDs talk without reservation about their feelings and how they would maintain their relationship with their respective supervisors. They are namely- Dr. Adewale Abideen Adeyemi, Dr. Naail Kamil, Dr. Muhammad Tahir Jan and Dr. Wan Edura Wan Rashid. As a participant I tried to note down what they said and I collected a PowerPoint from Dr. Abideen on which basis I am further contuning my writing. First Speaker: Dr. Adewale Abideen Adeyemi Abideen joined as a faculty of IIUM after obtaining PhD and he remarked students role as a mediating variable between supervisors role and institutional role which lead to successful PhD completion and supervisor- student relationship is very crucial in the entire process. He basically focused on the following few criteria for selecting the supervisor. He advised to
ensure a balance in supervisors:

Personality Style of supervision Research Interest Number of Supervisees

Administrative Responsibilities

He noted that relationship between supervisor and student is hierarchical, and may assume a continuously changing status from boss/subordinate, teacher/student, friends, mentor/mentee etc. Because student should remember that its not the supervisors job to put up with every unpleasant idiosyncrasy of every idiot who want to do a PhD with them. As a student, you are an apprentice, not a customer who is always right (Abdul Karim Alias, 2010) Remarking the PhD Program as a marathon and saying there is no fast lane, no short cuts, he mentioned five qualities that a student should attain In order to survive and work with proper
dedication as follows:

Brilliance with Intelligence Motivation with Satisfaction Learning with character Education with knowledge Humane personality

After that he requested students not to forget the 7Ps Principle: Proper Planning Plus Prayer Prevents Poor Performance

Moreover, for acquiring knowledge the students should demonstrate among their colleagues following things: Commonality

 seek the common ground of shared experience as a first step in understanding one another and as a basis for communication. This could include common background, interests, opinions, values, people, or goals. Concern: An honest commitment to an interest in the other person. This is best demonstrated by devoting time and by being a sincere, active listener. Consistency: being dependable in who we are and what we do. It can be experienced within the mentoring relationship and also observed in dealings with others. Competence: Individual skills and gifts are identified, evaluated and shared with each other. Synergy is developed through sharing insights and new ideas. Individual egos are put aside as help is freely requested and given. Confidentiality:

Respect for confidentiality must be given while maintaining a careful balance with individual values. These expectations must be established early in the relationship and reestablished as situations present themselves. Define clear boundaries, since recovery from failure to deliver on expectations can be difficult to achieve. Finally he finished his speech quoting that: Your PhD is like a living bird in your hands. If you ask me whether it is dead or alive. My
response will be: its in your hands!

(To be continued)

CAREER as a RESEARCHER: Managing Supervisor- Student Relationship (Final episode) Second Speaker: Dr. Naail Kamil