Silwa Claesson

Voice Disorders in Teacher Students—A Prospective Study and a Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVESnTeachers are at risk of developing voice disorders, but longitudinal studies on voice problems among teachers are lacking. The aim of this randomized trial was to investigate long-term effects of voice education for teacher students with mild voice problems. In addition, vocal health was examined prospectively in a group of students without voice problems.nnnMETHODSnFirst-semester students answered three questionnaires: one about background factors, one about voice symptoms (Screen6), and the Voice Handicap Index. Students with voice problems according to the questionnaire results were randomized to a voice training group or a control group. At follow-up in the sixth semester, all students answered Screen6 again together with four questions about factors that could have affected vocal health during their teacher education. The training group and the control group also answered the Voice Handicap Index a second time.nnnRESULTSnAt follow-up, 400 students remained in the study: 27 in the training group, 54 in the control group, and 319 without voice problems at baseline. Voice problems had decreased somewhat more in the training group than in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (Pu2009=u20090.1). However, subgroup analyses showed significantly larger improvement among the students in the group with complete participation in the training program compared with the group with incomplete participation. Of the 319 students without voice problems at baseline, 14% had developed voice problems.nnnCONCLUSIONSnVoice problems often develop in teacher students. Despite extensive dropout, our results support the hypothesis that voice education for teacher students has a preventive effect.

Supervisor or counsellor? – Emotional boundary work in supervision

Purpose – The aim of this article was to focus on how supervisors relate to and handle the emotional work involved in the supervision process. These emotional issues are related to changes in the academic system, such as an increasing emphasis on efficacy and quality assurance. Design/methodology/approach – Interviews with supervisors are discussed using a theoretical framework built on the concepts of emotional boundary work and feeling rules. A narrative approach was used to make connections between individual stories and the institutional level of the academic system. Findings – The findings show how emotions challenge and condition supervision, and how the micro-processes of supervision and the wider university systems are tightly connected. A paradox is illuminated where emotional aspects are both recognized as an important feature of supervision and as a threat, which could affect it in the context of regulation and increasing demands on efficiency. Practical implications – The findings suggest that...

The impact of cross-disciplinary culture on student-supervisor perceptions

Global increases in the numbers of postgraduate students, their growing cultural diversity, and an emphasis on skill development and time to completion are accompanied by an increase in the numbers of supervisors and a professionalization of the training and development processes for both postgraduates and supervisors. Much research on supervision considers variations in practice from the perspective of the traditional functional, dyadic relationship. Other work considers power relations, research communities, and cultural diversity. This research focuses on ‘fields of tensions in discipline culture, identified by supervisors and facilitators on a supervisor development program on which both authors have taught. The research makes use of data from participant assessment responses, or course papers, and focused interviews with participants. ‘Fields of tension emerge in the design, actioning, and completion of the research project and in the shape and expression of the thesis, which we argue are inflected by the different disciplinary cultures in which supervisors and students locate research. Disciplinary differences and ‘fields of tension also emerge in the perceptions of differences in supervision, expectations of roles, relationships, and balances of power in the supervisor-student relationship. This paper examines the cultural differences in academic disciplines and how this is reflected in the supervisory process. We suggest that open sharing and discussion of such disciplinary differences and ‘fields of tension in supervisor development programs can enable vital, valuable, metacognitive awareness of supervision and research practices for supervisors and their students.

THE ROLE OF DOCTORAL EDUCATION IN EARLY CAREER ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT

CITATION: Frick, L. et al. 2016. The Role of Doctoral Education in Early Career Academic Development, in M. Fourie-Malherbe, R. Albertyn, C. Aitchison & E. Bitzer. (eds.). Postgraduate Supervision: Future Foci for the Knowledge Society. Stellenbosch: SUN PRESS. 203-219. doi:10.18820/9781928357223/12.