Is mindfulness a useful next trend in doctoral supervision - Article

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man

Explores whether mindfulness can serve as a next trend in doctoral supervision by shifting attention from supervisors’ actions to supervisors’ ways of being in the supervisory relationship. Reviews trends in doctoral education in Australia and globally, noting evolving concerns about supervision quality, candidate role clarity, research and writing skills, completion and retention, and student dissatisfaction. Argues that mindfulness traits can support rapport, create a conducive interpersonal environment, and foster candidates’ intellectual insightfulness and scholarly identity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Trends in the doctoral education literature

Australia: key historical concerns

Early 1990s: supervision quality and completion rates

Later 1990s–2000s: policy, dissatisfaction, and completion variability

A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W Is mindfulness a useful next trend in doctoral supervision? Nicolette Buirski Southern Cross University A review of the trends in doctoral education reveals that the focus has been on what supervisors should do in supervision and very little on ways of being in the supervisory relationship. A new direction for doctoral supervision foregrounds the importance ofmindfulness traits that well-regarded supervisors embody in their highly valued relationships with candidates, that tacitly establish rapport and create a supportive interpersonal environment that is conducive to the candidate’s intellectual insightfulness and developing scholarly identity. These traits are capable of being learned by supervisors, regardless of the disciplinary setting, and may inform the professional development of doctoral supervisors. Keywords: Liminal spaces and threshold concept theory; mindfulness traits of well-regarded doctoral supervisors; doctoral supervisory relationship; supervisor development. Introduction In Australia and most countries, the award of a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) generally requires the development of a thesis that scholars will judge for its significance and originality as a contribution to knowledge in a discipline or field of education. Doctoral candidates must negotiate the intellectual and emotional challenges commonly associated with meeting the requirements for the award of a PhD. To this end, universities typically appoint one or more supervisors to guide and support the candidate. The desired characteristics and behaviours of doctoral supervisors have been extensively investigated, giving rise to the identification of a variety of models for best supervisory practice. Less well understood are the kinds of dispositional qualities of mind and character, which might be called mindfulness traits, that enable a supervisor to develop a strong intellectual and emotional rapport with a candidate within the supervisory relationship. This article suggests that there may be lessons from the rising trend of mindfulness in positive psychology, and particularly mindfulness in helping relationships, for promoting doctoral supervisory relationships that may assist candidates to negotiate the liminal space of candidacy. The article begins with an overview of trends in doctoral education in Australia and globally. Trends in the doctoral education literature In Australia, interest in doctoral education has been evident since the early 1980s. Issues of concern in the literature reported at that time included: the quality of doctoral supervision (Ibrahim, McEwan & Pitalbo, 1980; Barrett, Magin & Smith, 1983); a perceived lack of clarity about doctoral supervisory roles and responsibilities (Moses, 1984); deficiencies in the research and writing skills of doctoral candidates (Zuber-Skerritt & Knight, 1986); the lack of recognition given to doctoral candidates for their contributions to research (Powles, 1984); and poor retention and completion rates (Anderson & Johnston, 1983; Barrett & Magin, 1983; Hill, Johnston & Smith, 1983; Nightingale, 1984; Powles, 1989). Interest in the quality of supervision intensified during the early 1990s, particularly as it pertained to improving on-time vol. 62, no. 2, 2020 Is mindfulness a useful next trend in doctoral supervision? Nicolette Buirski 61 A U S T R A L I A N U N I V E R S I T I E S ’ R E V I E W doctoral completions. Moses investigated gender-related and discipline-specific barriers to doctoral completions (Moses, 1990a; 1990b); and the Australian Vice-Chancellors’Committee (1990) examined the progress rates of doctoral candidates over a seven-year period from 1983. There also emerged an interest in the nature of supervisory quality. Parry and Hayden (1994) investigated doctoral supervisory practices across a range of academic departments at a large metropolitan university in Melbourne; and Cullen et al., (1994

FAQs

What does the article argue about mindfulness in doctoral supervision?

It argues that mindfulness traits of well-regarded supervisors can strengthen rapport and create a supportive interpersonal environment, which benefits candidates’ intellectual development and scholarly identity.

How do the trends in doctoral education literature relate to supervisory practices?

The review shows that research increasingly focused on improving supervision quality, on-time completions, and understanding supervisory roles, while also documenting candidate dissatisfaction and gaps in supervisory practice.

Why does the article emphasize “ways of being” rather than only “what supervisors should do”?

It suggests that dispositional qualities of mind and character—mindfulness traits—operate within the supervisory relationship and help supervisors develop emotional and intellectual rapport with candidates.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man