Harwood and Petris book is a very welcome addition to the literature of research student supervision. Its focus on masters level supervision is especially welcome given the very large numbers of international students undertaking masters degrees that require the writing of a dissertation in English. The fine-grained analysis of both students and supervisors experiences of this are an important strength of the book. The multiple case studies and the longitudinal nature of the research, further, provide the opportunity for detailed observations to be made that are both revealing and important about students and supervisors experiences.
Brian Paltridge, Professor of TESOL, University of Sydney
This is an interesting and useful book for all supervisors, not just those who supervise international students. Its strength lies in the in-depth interviews, which bring the reader in close contact with very different students and their supervisors at crucial stages of the dissertation process. The case studies also give valuable insight into the problems students experience with academic writing, the varying amounts and forms of feedback supervisors give, and particularly how critical it is for students who don´t understand how to utilize the feedback. This highlights the importance of discovering the student´s real needs, as failure to master academic discourse may jeopardize the whole master project.
Olga Dysthe, Professor, Department of Education, University of Bergen
Experiencing Masters Supervision reminds us that engaging in research at any level is an inherently uncertain, even risky, business! Through undertaking five case studies that span the life of a UK masters dissertation, Nigel Harwood and Bojana Petri explore the manifold pedagogies of supervision in the social sciences and humanities. Their study offers a vivid and detail-rich view of what goes on in masters research education, especially from an international students point of view. The stories in this book flesh out more abstract insights offered elsewhere in ways that will deeply engage readers supervisors and students alike.
Barbara M. Grant, Associate Professor, Critical Studies in Education, The University of Auckland, Aotearoa/New Zealand