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Postgraduate student-supervisor interface: issues and challenges

In this qualitative paper we discuss our face-to-face experience with 28 foreign (mainly from Iran) postgraduate students who registered with the Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science and 31 who registered with the Department of Professional Development and Continuin...

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Main Authors: Mohd Riji, Haliza, Syed Hassan, Syed Tajuddin, Ahmad, Shamsuddin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 2013
Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/28968/1/08%20Page%20503-516.pdf
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/28968/
http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JSSH%20Vol.%2021%20(2)%20Jun.%202013/08%20Page%20503-516.pdf
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spelling my.upm.eprints.289682015-10-30T04:05:40Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/28968/ Postgraduate student-supervisor interface: issues and challenges Mohd Riji, Haliza Syed Hassan, Syed Tajuddin Ahmad, Shamsuddin In this qualitative paper we discuss our face-to-face experience with 28 foreign (mainly from Iran) postgraduate students who registered with the Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science and 31 who registered with the Department of Professional Development and Continuing Education, Faculty of Educational Studies, UPM. The paper addresses itself to three principal areas of concern: firstly, the supervisor-student relationship; secondly, the students’ literacy and academic competency; thirdly, academic and social cultural interface. The discussions are predicated on our personal experiences with these students over a three-year period. The influx of postgraduate students, particularly from Iran and Middle Eastern countries made it necessary for us to pay due attention to our encounters with them. The locus of tensions largely dwelt on UPM’s educational system and values. Academic incompetence, language and cultural differences are major issues. Understanding of related issues will benefit both the students and UPM in its efforts to become a global player in higher education. We recommend that both qualitative and quantitative studies be conducted by supervisors to explore and determine the overseas students’ motivation and learning behavior. We postulate development of an intellectual community that can stimulate challenges beyond the academic encounters. For both faculties, various forms of learning media for the promotion of effective communication should be developed and made available for flexible learning to occur. To help students improve their academic literacy, it is important ‘to identify the epistemological and ontological dimension for a flexible approach to learning’ (Tavakol & Dennick 2009). Formal counselling sessions can allow students to know what type of learner they are. Universiti Putra Malaysia Press 2013-06 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/28968/1/08%20Page%20503-516.pdf Mohd Riji, Haliza and Syed Hassan, Syed Tajuddin and Ahmad, Shamsuddin (2013) Postgraduate student-supervisor interface: issues and challenges. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 21 (2). pp. 503-516. ISSN 0128-7702; ESSN: 2231-8534 http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JSSH%20Vol.%2021%20(2)%20Jun.%202013/08%20Page%20503-516.pdf
institution Universiti Putra Malaysia
building UPM Library
collection Institutional Repository
continent Asia
country Malaysia
content_provider Universiti Putra Malaysia
content_source UPM Institutional Repository
url_provider http://psasir.upm.edu.my/
language English
description In this qualitative paper we discuss our face-to-face experience with 28 foreign (mainly from Iran) postgraduate students who registered with the Department of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Science and 31 who registered with the Department of Professional Development and Continuing Education, Faculty of Educational Studies, UPM. The paper addresses itself to three principal areas of concern: firstly, the supervisor-student relationship; secondly, the students’ literacy and academic competency; thirdly, academic and social cultural interface. The discussions are predicated on our personal experiences with these students over a three-year period. The influx of postgraduate students, particularly from Iran and Middle Eastern countries made it necessary for us to pay due attention to our encounters with them. The locus of tensions largely dwelt on UPM’s educational system and values. Academic incompetence, language and cultural differences are major issues. Understanding of related issues will benefit both the students and UPM in its efforts to become a global player in higher education. We recommend that both qualitative and quantitative studies be conducted by supervisors to explore and determine the overseas students’ motivation and learning behavior. We postulate development of an intellectual community that can stimulate challenges beyond the academic encounters. For both faculties, various forms of learning media for the promotion of effective communication should be developed and made available for flexible learning to occur. To help students improve their academic literacy, it is important ‘to identify the epistemological and ontological dimension for a flexible approach to learning’ (Tavakol & Dennick 2009). Formal counselling sessions can allow students to know what type of learner they are.
format Article
author Mohd Riji, Haliza
Syed Hassan, Syed Tajuddin
Ahmad, Shamsuddin
spellingShingle Mohd Riji, Haliza
Syed Hassan, Syed Tajuddin
Ahmad, Shamsuddin
Postgraduate student-supervisor interface: issues and challenges
author_facet Mohd Riji, Haliza
Syed Hassan, Syed Tajuddin
Ahmad, Shamsuddin
author_sort Mohd Riji, Haliza
title Postgraduate student-supervisor interface: issues and challenges
title_short Postgraduate student-supervisor interface: issues and challenges
title_full Postgraduate student-supervisor interface: issues and challenges
title_fullStr Postgraduate student-supervisor interface: issues and challenges
title_full_unstemmed Postgraduate student-supervisor interface: issues and challenges
title_sort postgraduate student-supervisor interface: issues and challenges
publisher Universiti Putra Malaysia Press
publishDate 2013
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/28968/1/08%20Page%20503-516.pdf
http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/28968/
http://www.pertanika.upm.edu.my/Pertanika%20PAPERS/JSSH%20Vol.%2021%20(2)%20Jun.%202013/08%20Page%20503-516.pdf
_version_ 1643829622567075840
score 13.211869

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