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Transcripts For Thematic Analysis

The document summarizes three interview transcripts from students discussing their experiences with post-graduate supervision. The first student, Mary, had an awkward experience with a much younger supervisor who was impatient and did not provide enough guidance. The second student, Bafana, had a very positive experience with his supportive supervisor who encouraged independent work and helped get the student published. The third student, Devan, had a strict supervisor who dictated tight deadlines and exactly what research topics and content to include, making it a stressful experience, though the student was able to finish quickly.

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Mike Lassa
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98 views2 pages

Transcripts For Thematic Analysis

The document summarizes three interview transcripts from students discussing their experiences with post-graduate supervision. The first student, Mary, had an awkward experience with a much younger supervisor who was impatient and did not provide enough guidance. The second student, Bafana, had a very positive experience with his supportive supervisor who encouraged independent work and helped get the student published. The third student, Devan, had a strict supervisor who dictated tight deadlines and exactly what research topics and content to include, making it a stressful experience, though the student was able to finish quickly.

Uploaded by

Mike Lassa
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Qualitative data analysis (content / thematic analysis):

Below are three extracts from qualitative interview transcripts. The purpose of the project was to explore
student experiences of post-graduate supervision.

Transcript 1: Mary, 55 years old, Master’s student

“It was very awkward. My supervisor was a colleague who was much younger than me. I’d been
in the department far longer than her but she was the only one who was able to supervise me. I
could tell she sometimes got very impatient with me because I didn’t understand what was
required. I’m sure she thought I should know all of this. But I didn’t want to do a PhD. I was quite
happy lecturing first year students. But my head of school said I had to do it. My supervisor was
the kind of person who wanted me to do it all on my own and give her the whole thesis at the
end. I needed to ask questions. Sometimes I sat for months without doing anything because I
was stuck and too embarrassed to ask her. Sometimes I’d think: I’m almost her mother’s age.
Would she talk to her mother like that?” I think she didn’t know how to deal with the age-
difference between us. I didn’t think I would ever get it finished. It was a horrible experience. I
worked on my own mostly. I never knew if what I was doing was the right thing. The only thing
that got me through was that I met another student who was also doing his PhD. He helped me
a lot. He read chapters and worked on my writing. He showed me what to do.”

Transcript 2: Bafana, 34 years old, Master’s student

“My supervisor was great. He was a big soccer fan and so am I. We’d talk for hours about soccer
before getting to work. I could talk to him about anything. He also talked to me. He’d ask me if
I wanted to do this or that. He’d leave the decision to me. He told me it was my project not his.
That he was only there to help me. He was a great supervisor. His comments were always fair.
He found something to be positive about every time I gave him stuff to read. Even when I knew it
was bad. I could phone him and ask him “should I do this” or “what should I do here”. He always
had time for me. Sometimes we’d go for lunch and talk about soccer and my research. He was
always finding articles for me to read. He’d tell me about new books in the library that I should
read. He told me to write a paper for a conference. He showed me how to get money from the
university to go to the conference. Then when he was editor or a special issue of a journal, he
asked me for that paper. So I got published very easily. It was so encouraging. I really felt like I
had something to contribute. I wanted to be an academic because of him. The PhD was hard but
I enjoyed it. I knew my supervisor would always be on my side.”

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Transcript 3: Devan, 26 years old, Master’s student

“My supervisor was very strict. I was always worried about what he’d say. I had to do exactly
what he wanted. He told me which area to research. I wasn’t really interested in it but that’s
what he said I had to do. I knew I would I’d never get my doctorate if I didn’t do things his way.
He could make things very difficult for me. He wanted me to give him a report every week on my
progress. Then when I was writing chapters, I had to give him a chapter a month. It was very
difficult. He went over every word. He’d change whole paragraphs. Sometimes I’d think “this isn’t
my work”. But what could I do? I had no choice. It was no fun. There’s a lot in my dissertation that
I don’t agree with but I had to put it in. if I had to choose a supervisor again, I’d choose someone
different. But, I must say, I finished very quickly. Friends of mine are still doing their dissertations
but I’m done! He was good that way. He got all his students through with few changes. He was a
good supervisor, but difficult to work with if you didn’t work his way. He was so strict. We couldn’t
argue or say, “I don’t agree with that”, or, “I need a month off”. Oh no! He worked out a schedule
and all his students had to stick to it. That’s how I coped. I worked with other students he
supervised. Together we laughed about things he said or did – that helped.

From Discussion Writing (forthcoming)

By Cecile Badenhorst

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