Every Supervisor tells me his or her own things: a personal lived experience with working with two PhD Supervisors

Abstract

Various studies have explored PhD supervision worldwide, but with a paucity of studies on experiences with two supervisors. This paper recounts the personal lived experience with working with two supervisors at the PhD level to inspire fresher PhD candidates locally, regionally and globally. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis framework, the paper retells both positive and negative experiences, focusing on three ambivalent types of experience with working with two PhD supervisors: (i) balanced attitudes and perseverance with seniority,(ii) matching the supervisors-supervisee working pace, and (iii) handling two supervisors’ diverging content orientations, which led to timely completion of PhD studies. The paper argues that experience with two PhD supervisors is both enjoyable and challenging, but candidates have to be equipped with strategic interpersonal skills. It informs fresher PhD candidates about tips on strategies to deal with two supervisors and lessons for timely completion of PhD journey.

Keywords: Personal lived experiences, PhD supervision, two supervisors, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, University of Rwanda