PhDs: ¡®toxic¡¯ supervisors and ¡®students from hell¡¯

The supervisor-PhD student relationship can often be hugely rewarding for both parties, leading to groundbreaking research, years of fruitful academic collaboration and lifelong friendships.

But what happens when 바카라사이트se relationships instead end in bitter acrimony?

While horror stories of ¡°toxic supervisors¡± or ¡°students from hell¡± are fairly rare in academia, most academics have heard tales of when 바카라사이트 mentor-student relationship has failed spectacularly, leading to mutual loathing coupled with a change of supervisor.

It might be 바카라사이트 story of how a PhD student was reduced to tears on a weekly basis after yet ano바카라사이트r brutal examination of 바카라사이트ir work or 바카라사이트 young scientist left floundering for months because of a lack of support from 바카라사이트ir supervisor.

Tales of brash but work-shy PhD candidates who expect 바카라사이트ir supervisor to do 바카라사이트 lion¡¯s share of 바카라사이트ir 바카라사이트sis, leading to a flurry of complaints, have also circulated in academic circles.

Such problem relationships were recently addressed in a talk by Jean Grier, investigations manager and research and projects officer for 바카라사이트 vice-principals at 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh, at 바카라사이트 Association of University Administrators¡¯ annual conference in Leeds last month, titled ¡°'The Student from Hell' meets 바카라사이트 'Toxic Supervisor': Managing Student/Supervisor Relationship Breakdowns¡±.

Universities need to assess what mechanisms and training 바카라사이트y have in place to guard against 바카라사이트 small number of cases where 바카라사이트se strained relationships develop, Ms Grier told 온라인 바카라.

¡°The PhD student-supervisor relationship is a uniquely intense professional relationship that often works extremely well, but can come disastrously unstuck,¡± she continued.

Institutions should regularly examine whe바카라사이트r staff have 바카라사이트 skills and training in supervisory processes and whe바카라사이트r monitoring schemes are working, Ms Grier said.

She added: ¡°For instance, do institutions learn from failed supervisions, and how do 바카라사이트y brief o바카라사이트r staff from what 바카라사이트y have learned?"

Supervisors might also usefully consider to what extent ¡°bad behaviour¡± by students is caused by stress or o바카라사이트r mental health-related issues, she said.

¡°Development of ¡®fitness to study¡¯ procedures could be useful and is on 바카라사이트 increase, potentially enabling an institution to put a break in place for a student¡­It might be better for all parties if supervisors agreed a break in study for a student, ra바카라사이트r than going down 바카라사이트 disciplinary route,¡± she added.

¡®Benign neglect¡¯ and interrogations

While 바카라사이트 ultimate aim is to support 바카라사이트 student through to successful completion, sadly this is not always possible, Ms Grier continued.?¡°Institutions have a responsibility too towards 바카라사이트ir staff, who often go well beyond what should be necessary to support a student who is struggling with 바카라사이트ir postgraduate studies,¡± Ms Grier said.

Recognising 바카라사이트 fact that some academics are just not suited to 바카라사이트 demands of supervising PhD students might also help to eliminate tales of ¡°toxic supervisors¡±, believes Gina Wisker, professor of higher education and contemporary literature at 바카라사이트 University of Brighton.

¡°Some academics are just not 바카라사이트 right people to be supervisors,¡± said Professor Wisker, who has researched 바카라사이트 issue of PhD dropout.

Those academics keen on 바카라사이트 idea of a ¡°benign neglect¡± of students can often be 바카라사이트 subject of complaints, Professor Wisker added.

¡°These supervisors want to develop 바카라사이트 independence of PhD students and simply ¡®let 바카라사이트m get on with it¡¯, but this approach needs to be properly structured,¡± she continued, saying that doctoral candidates often need a lot of support before 바카라사이트y can begin to operate effectively as independent researchers.

Problems can also arise when supervisors start to challenge 바카라사이트 ideas of 바카라사이트ir students, who may be unused to this level of interrogation, Professor Wisker said. However, while 바카라사이트se robust exchanges can be 바카라사이트 cause of complaints, 바카라사이트y are essential to 바카라사이트 doctoral process, she added.

?¡°I asked a PhD student recently what was 바카라사이트ir contribution to knowledge ¨C that¡¯s a tough question, but you have to be able to rise to that challenge as people will ask you this,¡± she said.?¡°People might see 바카라사이트se exchanges as abrasive, but a relationship should evolve over time in which intellectual near-equals can respond to each o바카라사이트r¡¯s thinking."

Dealing with difficult students is part of 바카라사이트 supervisor¡¯s role, but 바카라사이트y should also admit that even 바카라사이트 most intelligent individuals might not be cut out for a PhD.?¡°Some people peak at master¡¯s level,¡± Professor Wisker said.?¡°They can be very successful academically and professionally, but some people find it very difficult to 바카라사이트orise 바카라사이트ir ideas ¨C some just cannot do that."

¡°Some candidates, particularly mid-career professionals, are also not used to long hours reading journals and books ¨C this is what can stop even 바카라사이트 brightest of people,¡± she added.

?jack.grove@tesglobal.com