The Impact of University of Zululand Structural and Cultural Contexts on Postgraduate Supervision Practice (2011–2016)

Isike, Christopher

doi:10.1080/18146627.2017.1341292

Cited by 4 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…While there is some fairly recent literature on doctoral supervision in sub-Saharan Africa (Manderson et al, 2017;Jili & Masuku, 2017;Ndayambaje, 2018;Isike, 2018;Assimwe, 2019;Cekiso et al, 2019;Mothiba et al, 2019;Ngulube & Ukwoma, 2019;Nsereko, 2019;Gohar & Qouta, 2021), there is little research currently available on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on doctoral supervision methods and practices in the same region of the world.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The need for revision of selected aspects of online Master's and doctoral student supervision

Ferreira–Meyers

2022

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Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, higher education institutions have been concerned about their Master and doctoral students, in particular how and when they would be able to continue and complete their research activities and dissertations. Scholars have noted the potential deterioration in the quality of research projects for a variety of reasons (transformation and/ or abandoning of approved research methods, anxiety-related lowered performance rates, altered modes of supervision and delays in completion times). In this article, I discuss the findings of a small-scale study, undertaken in July 2020, on whether there has been a significant change in the supervision of Master's and doctoral students in Africa due to the outbreak and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I used a Google Form online survey to obtain participants' opinion on the frequency of interactions between supervisors and supervisees, the medium of interaction as well as the Master's and doctoral candidates' general progress. The study participants were all instructors in higher education who supervise Master and PhD students. There has been a change in frequency and means of supervision, that there is more reliance on videoconferencing tools and interaction "at a distance". However, the data cannot conclusively confirm that there has been a significant transformation in the way students are supervised because many study participants indicated their wish to return to the way things were done pre-pandemic. Nevertheless, there will probably be more reliance on social media, email and other online tools such as Zoom and Skype post-pandemic. In the words of the study participants, "online supervision is developing" and "the pandemic has also given us more tools of engagement, which is good".

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The need for revision of selected aspects of online Master's and doctoral student supervision

Ferreira–Meyers

2022

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“…Because university structures emphasize performance and productivity, mentors may lack time to provide graduate students with the psychosocial support they expect (Graham & Gabois, 2013). Institutional regulations also affect graduate work (Parker-Jenkins, 2018); it is important to consider effects of university cultures and structures when examining graduate students' challenges (Isike, 2018).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Falling Through the Cracks: Graduate Students’ Experiences of Mentoring Absence

Hall

Liva

2022

cjsotl-rcacea

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Theory about how mentorship is supposed to work, its goals, and what “makes it work” is abundant. It is rarer to encounter empirical information about processes and implications when mentoring is a problem. Graduate students experience significant psychological, physical, financial, and relational challenges and likely have expectations about the ameliorating effects of mentorship. Limited qualitative literature has described graduate students’ perceptions about problems with mentorship and students’ outcomes. The descriptive qualitative study used secondary analysis to describe students’ perceptions of problematic mentorship. Graduate student research assistants conducted 12 recorded focus group interviews and transcribed them. The authors used inductive content analysis to develop themes. Fifty-four participants were recruited, including masters’ (n=19), PhD (n=34), and a graduate student not enrolled in a specific faculty (n=1). The students represented multiple disciplines. The major theme identified was “falling through the cracks.” The subthemes included missing mentorship, students’ difficulties accessing mentorship, university structures undermining mentoring, and damage to mentees. Falling through the cracks highlights students’ struggles with accessing mentorship, effects of missing mentorship, and students’ solutions for modifying structural features that inhibit mentoring. Quantitative work could compare psychological outcomes associated with present and missing mentoring.

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“…This paper uses the story of the Owls at Unisa's Theo Van Wijk building to demonstrate how these Owls represent Eurocentric values at Unisa compromising the university's mission to lead the decolonization and Africanization of the African university in the discourse. The decoloniality and Africanization debate at Unisa has actually become “dead on arrival” (Isike, ). Because of resultant confusion in the debate, incorrect assumptions emerge.…”

Section: The Statement Of the Problemmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Viewing indigenous African education as blanket informal might be misleading and untruthful. It is Eurocentrism that portrays Africa as being incapable of developing itself (Ndlovu & Makoni, ), let alone to develop its education systems because Africans “were incapable of doing research and producing worthwhile knowledge” (Isike, ). In South African context of apartheid, “research was not for Blacks” (Isike, ).…”

Section: The Owl (A Noctua) In Global Culturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is Eurocentrism that portrays Africa as being incapable of developing itself (Ndlovu & Makoni, ), let alone to develop its education systems because Africans “were incapable of doing research and producing worthwhile knowledge” (Isike, ). In South African context of apartheid, “research was not for Blacks” (Isike, ). Great African educationalists in the class of Ali Mazrui, John Mbiti, and Henry Odera Oruka for instance (Letseka, ) are belittled and unrecognized in Eurocentrism.…”

Section: The Owl (A Noctua) In Global Culturesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The paradoxical meanings of the artifact owls (Athene noctua) at the University of South Africa: An impediment to transformation, decolonization, and Africanization discourse

Mafukata

Moseki

Khan

2019

Journal of Public Affairs

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This paper interprets the expressions embedded in the artifact Owls displayed at the Theo Van Wijk building of the University of South Africa (Unisa) in relation to the university's transformation, decolonization, and Africanization discourse. These artifacts are said to depict Unisa as a space of wisdom; this in terms of Greek mythology and philosophy. The use of Greek mythology and philosophy in a university meant to be promoting African values, systems, and beliefs contradicts the university's transformation, decolonization, and Africanization discourse. Philosophical inquiry was adopted to intellectually interpret what these artifact Owls expressed. The paper found that these Owls are a point of contestation and conflict between Western and African cultures. The perpetual display of these Owls upholds and sustains tendencies of colonialism and apartheid although discarding Africannes. Unisa is reduced into a Western‐centric space of little and irrelevant significance for the postapartheid democratic state. These artifact Owls must be removed and replaced by an African‐friendly symbolism of wisdom. Sankambe could be the best option.

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The Impact of University of Zululand Structural and Cultural Contexts on Postgraduate Supervision Practice (2011–2016)

Cited by 4 publications

References 7 publications

The need for revision of selected aspects of online Master's and doctoral student supervision

The need for revision of selected aspects of online Master's and doctoral student supervision

Falling Through the Cracks: Graduate Students’ Experiences of Mentoring Absence

The paradoxical meanings of the artifact owls (Athene noctua) at the University of South Africa: An impediment to transformation, decolonization, and Africanization discourse

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