Abstract

Feedback is a complex socio-cultural construct, utilising various modalities over the lifespan of a research candidature. This study reports findings from a review of global literature on supervisory feedback to postgraduate research students. Three focus questions guided the review: students’ problems in receiving feedback, perceptions of positive feedback strategies, and potential improvements to the feedback process. The review method combined a systematic search process with explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria applied to literature published over the last decade. A detailed content analysis of 43 articles is reported in a thematically ordered narrative. Findings suggested that problems with feedback were found to be caused by the content, processes involved and the expectations of those involved. Second, feedback strategies that positively impacted learning and teaching capabilities of both students and supervisors were identified as most effective. Third, improvements to the feedback process were canvassed through the three key actors of institutions, supervisors and students, providing insights into the synergistic relationship among these actors. Further research is warranted as feedback processes and products are at the mercy of research supervision, which is increasingly operating in online environments spanning different time zones, with professional, cultural and linguistic diversities impacting feedback processes and products.

摘要

反馈是一个复杂的社会文化结构，在研究候选人的整个生命周期内利用各种方式。本研究报告了对全球有关研究生监督反馈的文献的回顾结果。三个重点问题指导了审查：学生在接受反馈方面的问题、对积极反馈策略的看法以及对反馈过程的潜在改进。该审查方法将系统搜索过程与适用于过去十年发表的文献的明确纳入和排除标准相结合。对 43 篇文章的详细内容分析以按主题排列的叙述形式进行报道。调查结果表明，反馈问题是由所涉及的内容、过程和相关人员的期望引起的。第二，对学生和主管的学习和教学能力产生积极影响的反馈策略被认为是最有效的。第三，通过机构、主管和学生这三个主要参与者探讨了对反馈过程的改进，从而深入了解了这些参与者之间的协同关系。进一步的研究是必要的，因为反馈过程和产品受研究监督的支配，研究监督越来越多地在跨越不同时区的在线环境中运行，专业、文化和语言的多样性影响反馈过程和产品。通过机构、主管和学生这三个主要参与者对反馈过程的改进进行了探讨，从而深入了解这些参与者之间的协同关系。进一步的研究是必要的，因为反馈过程和产品受研究监督的支配，研究监督越来越多地在跨越不同时区的在线环境中运行，专业、文化和语言的多样性影响反馈过程和产品。通过机构、主管和学生这三个主要参与者对反馈过程的改进进行了探讨，从而深入了解这些参与者之间的协同关系。进一步的研究是必要的，因为反馈过程和产品受研究监督的支配，研究监督越来越多地在跨越不同时区的在线环境中运行，专业、文化和语言的多样性影响反馈过程和产品。