Affability of Supervisory Communication Skills on Research Process Completion for Postgraduate Students: A Case of Northern Zone Universities, Tanzania

Abstract

This study investigated the contribution of communication skills employed by research supervisors in enhancing the research process completion for postgraduate students in universities of the Northern zone of Tanzania. Guided by Katz's theory, developed by Robert Katz in 1955, the study employed a convergent design using the mixed-methods approach. The target population was 6 Directors of postgraduate studies, 14 heads of departments, 175 supervisors, 390 PhD continuing students, 635 masters continuing students, 84 PhD alumni, and 150 masters alumni, equivalent to 1454. The study sampled 214 respondents using probability and non-probability techniques. Questionnaires and interview guides used to collect data were validated by three research experts from the Faculty of Education at MWECAU. The Cronbach Alpha method and peer debriefing were employed to determine the reliability of questionnaires and interview guides, respectively. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics presented in tables, while qualitative data were transcribed, coded, and organized into themes and presented in the narrations and quotations. The findings revealed that research supervisors, through various forms of communication skills, enhanced the completion of postgraduate students' research process by providing immediate research feedback and organizing and conducting supervisory meetings. The study also revealed that some supervisors use polite language to communicate with postgraduate students on research matters and clarify complex concepts regarding students' research. The study concluded that though some supervisors did not give feedback immediately and some students ignored supervisors' corrections and were destructed by job responsibilities, communication skills employed by research supervisors have a good contribution in enhancing the completion of postgraduate students' research process. The study recommended that university administration should continuously strive to enhance student support in achieving their academic goals.