“THE ANSWER SHOULD ALWAYS COME FROM THEM”: NOVICE ACADEMICS' PERSPECTIVES ON SUPERVISING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECTS

Abstract

The research project that typically forms one of the most important components of the final year of an honours degree is often seen as the culmination of the skills and knowledge that has been gained throughout the course of four years of undergraduate study. This component of the programme is also distinguished by the fact that it involves mentoring of a student by a member of the academic staff of a particular discipline. While supervision of students is often carried out by an academic with many years of experience, it is also important to develop the supervisory capacities of novice mentors (early career academics). This experience is often novel and challenging for these novice mentors, and this qualitative study focused on the experiences and perspectives of novice academic mentors in the field of Humanities and Social Sciences. This study, which viewed novice mentors supervising undergraduate research through the lens of the Community of Practice, utilized a structured interview, conducted with five participants. The interviews were transcribed and a thematic analysis was carried out which yielded a range of thematic categories that focused on the perspectives and experiences of novice mentors. These included views on the undergraduate research project, expectations of research students, supervisors' views on their own role as supervisors, and impact on professional development. The results indicate that novice supervisors view their first experiences in supervision in a positive manner and that further training and guidance should be offered.