Thesis and Dissertation Writing in a Second Language: a handbook for Supervisors

particularly given that many Asian students have come from a very support-
ive, structured environment and need to be supported towards autonomy and
independence. Her advice is summarized below.
Tips for hands-on supervision in the initial stages
1
The aims and expectations of candidature should be articulated and
agreed upon by both parties early on. In the initial stages these include:
●
substantial discussions between supervisor and student to build a
trusting and respectful relationship;
●
articulation of roles and responsibilities;
●
agreement on a timetable and a realistic framework;
●
orientation of the student to support, including language support
and research training;
●
discussion of the supervisor’s availability and means of contact;
●
agreement on methods of monitoring progress.
2
Hold individual or group meetings to check accuracy of students’ com-
prehension of reading materials in their areas of interest and to develop
critical/analytical discussion skills. This may help with the transition
from descriptive to analytical writing.
3
Encourage students to make notes in dot form or a paragraph to ensure
they clarify the outline of their thinking and sentence structure.
4
Oral discussion skills are very important and may require explicit devel-
opment.
5
Consider referral to language advising/editing services early as language
is developmental and cannot simply be addressed through preliminary
language courses. Language proficiency tests are entry-level only and
assess types of writing that are very different to that of a research thesis.
(adapted from Bryce 2003)
Once the relationship is established, an open-door policy helps maintain it,
with the supervisor regularly initiating contact with the student. Another
key element is the establishment of a relationship of ‘personal trust’ which
enables the supervisor to intervene appropriately if the candidate is experi-
encing difficulties and to refer the student to appropriate resources. The
hands-on supervisor recognizes that there is an unequal power relationship
between student and supervisor but uses his or her power to mentor the stu-
dent’s professional development as the student establishes him- or herself as
a peer (Sinclair 2005: vii).

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40
Working with second-language speakers of English
Mentorship, which involves a type of apprenticeship learning, collabora-
tion in research and writing, and the establishment of trusting relationships,
has been identified as a key component of successful supervision in a number
of studies of second-language research students (Belcher 1994; Braine 2002;
Dong 1997; Hasrati 2005; Myles and Cheng 2003). In Belcher’s (1994) study
of three second-language PhD students in the US and their mentors, the most
successful of the student–supervisor relationships was observed to be less
hierarchical, while being trust-based and supportive. While the supervisor
still retained her authority, the successful student grew and developed the
ability to become an independent researcher, in some ways surpassing her
supervisor’s expectations.
Su Wu’s (2002) analysis of her experience of two very different postgraduate
environments in the UK underlines what she perceives as Taiwanese students’
need for explicit, hands-on, supportive supervision. Su Wu came to study in
the UK from the highly structured, competitive, teacher-directed Taiwanese
education system in which the traditional teacher ‘filled the pot’ (the empty
student). She began her MPhil studies at an ‘ancient’ (her words) university
where teaching tended to be conceptualized as simply ‘lighting the fire’ in the
student, and then she enrolled at a new polytechnic university for her PhD.
She contrasts these two experiences, describing the shock she and her fellow
Chinese students experienced at the ‘ancient’ university, which appeared to
lack structure and support and did not articulate its expectations of students,
all in the name of cultivating the ‘independence’ and the maturity of post-
graduate students. The polytechnic, on the other hand, provided her with the
explicit induction, support and structure she needed for her doctoral studies.
Another characteristic of hands-on supervision that may particularly
support the second-language student and reduce potential isolation and
lack of access to academic research networks is the encouragement of team-
work environments that:
●
foster collaboration between candidates via informal coursework,
seminars and use of electronic media;
●
draw in other academics and experts;
●
link candidates into broader research community and/or industry
networks;
●
encourage joint preparation for conference and journal papers.
(Sinclair 2005: viii)
While these sorts of environments are common in the sciences they are much
less so in the social sciences and arts and, as identified earlier in this chapter,
social and emotional isolation is a common experience for many PhD students
(Deem and Brehony 2000; Delamount et al. 1997) and may be more acutely
experienced by international second-language students far from friends and
family. Dong (1998) comments that many supervisors are not aware of their

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Working with second-language speakers of English
41
second-language students’ sense of isolation. Delamount et al. recommend
providing access to facilities such as a staff common room and some social
events where students and faculty can meet and socialize, while being sensi-
tive to the needs of those who may not drink alcohol or may have childcare
responsibilities. Second-language students need assistance with understand-
ing the ways they can ‘maximize the benefits to be derived from supervision,
research training, reading groups, seminars and participation in learned soci-
eties’ and a clearer understanding of ‘what doctoral study is about’ (Deem and
Brehony 2000: 163). Some international social sciences students interviewed
by Deem and Brehony would have welcomed ‘more collective ways of work-
ing’:
You see, we don’t have a common room ... where we could sit and talk
and ... which is normal. I mean, my other university ... I mean you always
bump into people in the coffee room [...] and you always can have a little
chat with somebody in the coffee room and they say ‘how are you doing’
and ‘how are you getting on’.
(International student, cited in Deem and Brehony 2000: 158)
Supervisors can help international students by providing stability, structure
and continuity, and by acknowledging the investment that students have
made in coming to study in a foreign county, as well as their strong desire for
success combined with the social and family pressures that are often heavier
than those of English students (Wu 2002).
The introduction of research training courses at British and Australian
universities may help with both transition and social network issues and they
may parallel, to a limited extent, the substantial coursework that North
American doctoral students complete before proceeding to the dissertation.
Our own courses in thesis writing that run over a semester provide not only
skills development but also an opportunity for students to interact across dis-
ciplinary boundaries and build collegial friendships (Paltridge 2003; Starfield
2003). Deem and Brehony (2000) found that the international students they
surveyed appreciated the research training courses and felt them to be more
beneficial than did the local students, both in terms of social contact and for
skills and theoretical framework development:
it was a very good experience ... In my country I felt everything was so
new, ontology, epistemology and all new and different concepts going
round in my head so having another year of methods course made a lot of
difference because you settle down. [...] nowadays I go a lot back to my
notes, especially those from the sessions about philosophy of social
research.
(Deem and Brehony 2000: 157)

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42
Working with second-language speakers of English
Cohort or group supervision, which is the common and frequently very suc-
cessful way supervision occurs in the natural sciences, fosters collaboration
and communication and could be considered across all disciplines, particu-
larly as a means of integrating second-language students into specific research
cultures (Sinclair 2005). In Chapter 3, we consider the role that writing
groups and learning how to provide feedback on the writing of others may
help develop thesis writing skills.