Abstract:
Postgraduate supervision can be a challenging form of teaching, with the
challenges further compounded by context or institutional-specific factors.
The Faculty of Education at the National University of Lesotho has faced
numerous challenges in offering postgraduate degrees, with a few qualified
supervisors for the large number of students who enrol in these programmes.
This study explored the nature of the challenges confronting postgraduate
supervision in this context. It was underpinned by the interpretivist paradigm
and employed a qualitative approach. Fifteen supervisors participated,
of whom nine (three associate professors and six senior lecturers) were
individually interviewed. Six junior lecturers took part in a focus group
discussion. Guidelines on postgraduate supervision were also subjected to
document review. The findings revealed that while some supervisors had
positive experiences, others are frustrated. This is due to a lack of training, and
lack of clarity on supervisory procedures, as well as the low academic literacy
and lack of commitment exhibited by some students. It is recommended that
supervisors should be capacitated through training. Furthermore, supervisory
guidelines should be reviewed and benchmarked against best practices in the
field.
