Mainland Chinese doctoral students' experiences of supervision in Hong Kong : a self-determination theory perspective

Abstract

Statistics show that a growing number of mainland Chinese doctoral students are studying in Hong Kong. However, very little research focuses on the supervision experiences of such students. The supervisor-student relationship has received much attention elsewhere in studies on doctoral supervision, as it greatly influences students’ doctoral education success (Burian & Slimp, 2000; Marsh, Rowe, & Martin, 2002; McCallin & Nayar, 2011). Using self-determination theory, this study explored mainland Chinese doctoral students’ experiences of supervision in Hong Kong. Specifically, it explored how these experiences affected their basic psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness, and how the participants responded to their unmet needs. This study was a qualitative exploration at a university in Hong Kong, involving a total of 24 mainland Chinese doctoral students from different disciplines in their third or fourth year of study. Data were collected in two phases using a self-descriptive questionnaire and individual interviews. The findings showed that students had various perceptions of their autonomy, competence, and relatedness needs during their supervision experiences, and developed strategies based on their experiences to manage their unmet needs. Two tendencies stood out among the findings. First, most students expected to develop a friendship with their supervisor, which they saw as beneficial to both. Second, most students developed self-reliance over time when dealing with their unmet needs; this tendency was largely influenced by their Chinese cultural background. This study suggests students’ past learning experiences in mainland China and their traditional Chinese cultural values greatly influenced their needs, as well as their strategies for dealing with unmet needs. This study argues that, although students reported that unmet needs caused negative outcomes in their learning, those outcomes were reversed and became positive when the students themselves learned how to respond independently to their unmet needs. This study is significant because it supplements the literature on mainland Chinese doctoral students’ supervision experiences in Hong Kong, an important area given the rising number of mainland students studying for research degrees there. Moreover, it extends the application of self-determination theory in the context of Hong Kong doctoral supervision. In addition, this study has practical implications for students, supervisors, and university leaders, in terms of improving the quality of doctoral supervision. This study suggests universities should provide various kinds of language support and promote supervisor supervisee communication, and that students should take a more proactive role in their learning.