Acquisition of New Skills

The capacity to study independently for an advanced degree de­mands a multitude of personal qualities - in particular, motivation and self-confidence - apart from the more specific skills of selecting a promising research topic, developing appropriate research designs and techniques, and finally writing your thesis. Your supervisor's role in this process is to advise, guide and criticize constructively; his :rim is always to encourage you towards greater independence in vour thinking and your judgement.

This attitude, which is common among supervisors in Australian universities, may contrast with the tradition of greater involvement of supervisors with their students in some American and British universities.

There are, of course, varia­tions between supervisors. The differences depend partly on individual character and the relationship between student and super­visor, partly on the number of students assigned to the supervisor, partly on the traditional attitudes to supervision within the depart­ment, and partly on the level of the supervisor's interest in the stu­dent's area of research. Here is the way one supervisor in a Science department described his responsibilities towards his research stu­dents:

In the early stages a student needs to be led along and reading and early experimental work. But if he/she good scholar the supervisor should gradually retreat to the position devil's advocate (critic), providing stimulus and criticism posing on the student's academic abilities any undue once again the weak student whose work is not goin well treated in this way if the thesis is to be acceptable. Her e visor must intervene in a more positive way and guide i­n a more position tive way.

More extensive discussion of this subject - the kind which research students can normally expect from their

Particular problems for overseas students

Experienced supervisors recognize that overseas students to have additional difficulties in adjusting to the

Search degree. Their problems commonly fall in categories:

  1. Relations with their supervisor,
  2. Section of tne research topic,
  3. Participation in discussions, and
  4. Writing the thesis in English.
Where as all research students will run into difficulties areas, overseas students may experience mot, and more serious long-term problems.

appropriate research designs

promising research topic