Views of Summer TEFL Postgraduate Students and their Supervisors on the Practice of Thesis Supervision in the Ethiopian Context

Authors

Yinager Teklesellassie

Publication Date

2019-01-01

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the views of postgraduate students and their thesis supervisors on the practice of thesis supervision in the Department of English Language and Literature found at an Ethiopian university. The participants of the study were twenty-seven master's students studying the teaching of English as a foreign language (TEFL) and eight of their thesis supervisors. A questionnaire consisting of seven open-ended items and one closed-ended item was used to collect data from the students while a semi-structured interview was used with the supervisors. Frequency count and percentage were used to analyze the data from the closed-ended items of the questionnaire whereas the data from the open-ended item in the questionnaire and the interview were analyzed qualitatively. The findings showed that the supervisors focused on helping their supervisees with methodology and correcting typos. Consequently, most thesis supervisors neglected to support their supervisees in developing a theoretical framework. The findings also indicated that more than half of the supervisees did not frequently receive feedback from their supervisors. Some supervisees also said that they did not have good relationships with their supervisors. However, the results from the analysis of the interviews with the supervisors indicated that the supervisors believed that they had amicable relationships with their supervisees and that they provided adequate feedback. Some supervisors also admitted that the theoretical framework was overlooked by many supervisors in their supervision of TEFL master's students. Finally, conclusions are drawn and recommendations made for further research in the area.

DOI

10.58837/CHULA.PASAA.58.1.6

First Page

131

Last Page

165

Recommended Citation

Teklesellassie, Yinager (2019) "Views of Summer TEFL Postgraduate Students and their Supervisors on the Practice of Thesis Supervision in the Ethiopian Context," PASAA: Vol. 58: Iss. 1, Article 6.
DOI: 10.58837/CHULA.PASAA.58.1.6
Available at: https://digital.car.chula.ac.th/pasaa/vol58/iss1/6