THE LEARNER DEVELOPMENT JOURNAL
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ISSN: 2433-5401
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The Learner Development Journal Issue 4: Exploring the Supervision Process
Across Diverse Contexts: Collaborative Approaches

Authors: Jang Yuan Chao
Title: Review of “Experiencing Master’s Supervision: Perspectives of International Students
and Their Supervisors”
Date of publication online: 2020Author contact: jchao1@sheffield.ac.uk

Published by the Japan Association for Language Teaching
Learner Development Special Interest Group, Tokyo
http://ld-sig.org/Copyright 2020 each respective author

The APA citation reference for this paper is:
Chao, J. Y. (2020). Review of “Experiencing Master’s Supervision: Perspectives ofInternational Students and Their Supervisors”. In S. Little & M. Golledge (Eds.), TheLearner Development Journal Issue 4: Exploring the Supervision Process Across Diverse Contexts:
Collaborative Approaches (pp. 76-78). Tokyo: The Japan Association for Language
Teaching (JALT) Learner Development Special Interest Group.

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BOOK REVIEW
Review of “Experiencing Master’s Supervision: Perspectivesof International Students and Their Supervisors” by Nigel
Harwood and Bojana Petrić, 2016, Taylor & Francis Group(Print ISBN: 9781138929807, Ebook ISBN: 9781317398653)
Jang Yuan Chao, University of SheffieldIn this book, Harwood and Petrić share their findings
from a study of the discourse between master supervisors and supervisees from four different departmentsin the social sciences and humanities faculty at a UK research-intensive university. The authors’ motivation for
the research was threefold: a desire to share their personal
experiences supervising international master’s students;
to explore an increasingly important educational context in which there has been insufficient research; and to
propose research-based interventions to improve supervisory pedagogy. The focus of the authors’ study is precisely
what the title indicates: international master’s students.
But this book is valuable for supervisors and supervisees, regardless of their ethnicity and the context of theirrelationship. It is shocking that there has been so little
research on this educational context, considering the factthat the supervision of postgraduate students is one of thecore responsibilities of academics and a measure of academic outcomes. By revealing the discourse and dynamics
that occur within the supervisory relationship, the authors
challenge both parties to take a step back and think twice
before assuming that the other is to blame for any failure or shortcomings in the academic
research experience.
Both authors are highly involved in the learning and teaching of international higher education students for whom English is a second language. Their extensive experience workingwith students learning and using English as a second language, and researching about thembrings relevance to the work they are describing in this book. As a reader and an international doctoral student, I can identify with many parts of the participants’ experiences and theseremind me that I am not alone in what I went through and am going through now.
An initial chapter in the book is dedicated to explaining the methodology of their study
which was highly informative and well-explained. Harwood and Petrić adopted a multiple
longitudinal case study approach, with each “case” being one supervisee or supervisory dyad.
The authors define their study as “longitudinal”, but in fact the duration of each case wasonly five or six months, the time typically taken to complete the research and dissertation
writing required at the four research sites. For each case, the authors analyse the stages of the76

Learner Development Journal • Volume 1: Issue 4 • December 2020

Jang Yuan Chaosupervisory journey in detail, from the development of the students’ proposals to determining research questions and submission of their final dissertation. The authors used multiplemethods, i.e., semi-structured interviews, diary/log entries and supervisors’ think-aloud tocollect data from ten supervisees and four supervisors.
Five “richest cases” (p. 32) are featured in this book. Two out of the cases were from SouthAsia, while the rest of the participants came from Eastern Europe, the Americas, and East
Asia. The criteria for the choice of those five “richest cases” are not explicitly described in thebook. However, I could relate with some of the experiences recounted by all five participants,
such as needing more guidance in starting an assignment, which shows that some learning
experiences need not be confined to different ethnicities and cultural background. In particular, I could specifically relate quite closely to Janet’s story because I had similar problems when
I was doing my master studies. Like Janet, I initially expected that my supervisor would giveme clear instructions and that I would have frequent opportunities for consultation. This may
be a common cultural misunderstanding for students, like Janet and me, who come from EastAsia. Reading about the frustration Janet experienced was a déjà-vu moment for me, it was
bitter but definitely there is a sweet endnote to this experience as I have grown to understandand appreciate the merits of a more autonomous way of learning.
There are several conclusions that are put forward in this book. Ultimately, the authors
believe that the supervisory experience could be improved upon and they list several points
for supervisors to consider when planning supervision. One point where I would absolutely
agree with the authors would be that the supervisory journey is filled with a range of profound emotions. The study recognises the importance of managing emotions of supervisees
for successful outcomes of the supervisory journey. Another important aspect is seen in Jay /Billy and Clara’s story - the issue of the lack of alignment of supervisor’s expertise and supervisees’ projects. However, the researchers concluded that even if such misalignment canbe lessened or avoided, it appears that each party would still have divergent ideas on supervisory roles (p. 198). Hence, it seems at the end of the day, successful supervision is a balance
between “supervisor and supervisee pedagogies and preferences” (p. 198).
One of the main strengths of the book for me was the way in which it is written. The findings are written in a very readable narrative style, making comparisons between case studies
with the primary objective of identifying “common and disparate themes and patterns acrosssupervisory journeys” (p. 25). What makes it particularly appealing is the authors’ comments
and observations provided at the introduction of each case study for each participant featured
in the book. Though they appear trivial, these personal notes are crucial for helping readers
make sense of the findings described and concluded. The writing style intrigued my naturalinquisitiveness and kept me moving from case to case. I enjoyed it so much that I forgot that
I was reading the findings of a research study. The description of the emotions as experienced
by the participants hit a raw nerve in me. In particularly, I could relate to Laura’s accountof dropping by her supervisor’s office without any clear purpose or goal. Similar to Laura, I
would doubt myself and make many “spur of the moment” decisions and scheduled meetings
aimlessly with my supervisor just to chat in the hope of gaining some assurance and direction. It was my supervisor’s firm but gentle approach and clearly articulated feedback on all
my writing assignments that eventually built my confidence in my learning journey.
There are weaknesses in this book too, however. I would have liked to have read about otherpossible influencing factors, such as gender in relation to the discourse of a supervision relationship (Smeby, 2000). Besides, the title states, “Perspectives of…and their supervisors”
and yet the supervisors’ perspectives were addressed only via a concluding interview, which I
thought was insufficient. Though the authors explained that it was due to many supervisors’
reluctance to participate in their study that made them reduce the number of interviews, it
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Book Review: “Experiencing Master’s Supervision: Perspectives of International Students and Their Supervisors”

does not justify a deflection from an emphasis on the importance of their accounts. I thinka lack of representation of the supervisor’s point of view can make the study appear to haveplaced all responsibilities for improving the learning and supervisory experience solely on thesupervisor alone, making the power relations between the supervisor-supervisee one that isasymmetric. Overall, I should think the research described in this book is only the beginningof more studies to come.
Nonetheless, this book is worth reading for everyone involved in a supervisory experience atthe postgraduate level because it raises pertinent issues and serves as a launchpad to a better
understanding of this important educational practice. Harwood and Petrić’s work brings hopeto the possibility that, ultimately, the supervisory experience is changeable and that supervisors and programme policymakers can change the circumstances of supervision to ensure
clarity and satisfaction for both supervisor and supervisee. Although supervisory discourse
occurs in various forms and, hence, the findings cannot and should not be readily generalised,
their work addresses genuine issues and serves to illuminate new possible directions for supervisors, supervisees, and the higher education programme policymakers to better manage
this highly complex academic relationship.

Reference
Smeby, J. (2000). Same-gender relationships in graduate supervision. Higher Education, 40(1),52-67. doi:10.1023/A:1004040911469

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Learner Development Journal • Volume 1: Issue 4 • December 2020