Brighton
Chiseva
Professor Wiseman Magwa and his wife Professor
Simuforosa Magwa have co-authored another book on research supervision which is
a must-read textbook on research supervision for students in Higher Education Institutions.
The book is tittled Supervision of Dissertations, Theses and
Projects: A Guide for Students and their Supervisors (ISBN 979-1-77925-630-0) and was
published and printed in Zimbabwe by Dream Discovery Publishers, Gweru.
It becomes the third book to be
co-authored by the two prolific Professors who teach research methods to both
undergraduate and postgraduate research students.
In 2015, they co-published a research
textbook titled, A Guide to Conducting
Research: A Student Handbook (ISBN 978-1-68181-087-4) which was printed in
the United States of America by Strategic Book Publishing and Rights Company,
New York.
This was followed by another joint
effort in 2017 titled, Writing a Research
Proposal: A Step by Step Student Guide (ISBN 987-0-86922-898-2) that was
printed in Zimbabwe by Mambo Press, Gweru.
Speaking to TellZim News, Professor
Wiseman Magwa said in their several years of supervising research students,
they observed that projects, dissertations and theses were a challenging task
for both students and their supervisors.
“Many supervisors argue that they are
good researchers but have not received
training in research supervision thus they often lack best practices in managing
the research process. As a result, many students struggle to complete their projects,
dissertations or theses because of the unproductive relationship between the supervisor
and the student,” said Magwa.
He
said the relationship between supervisor and student can only thrive if
both parties know their roles and responsibilities right from the onset, which
they have to religiously fulfil throughout the research journey.
“The supervisor and the student should
know their roles for them to produce a good product and this is why we decided
to produce this important book to help them both,” said Magwa.
The guide provides basic information
for supervisors of diploma, undergraduate, honours, masters and doctoral
students.
It addresses the gap in the knowledge
base relating to the supervision of research students by university and college
staff.
It is structured to provide information
that supervisors may find useful at various stages of the research process.
Guidelines contained in this book serve
to offer guidance to both research supervisors and students who are engaged in
completing research projects at different levels of study and provides guidance
and practical advice to research students to assist them in maximising their
potential.
It also provides guidance and practical
advice to support supervisors in undertaking their crucial roles.
The resource book also aims to fill up
the knowledge gap in research supervision by providing a set of best practices
for the supervisor that may help to structure and focus the collaboration
between student and supervisor so that the project, thesis or dissertation runs
smoothly.
With this guiding manual, the authors hope
to initiate discussions and debate on good practices for supervising research
projects, dissertations and theses. This is a handbook that is expected to
assist supervisors of research students to develop quality researches.
Magwa said the book was there to
complement other reseach texts that are there and should not be seen as
prescriptive.
“The roles and responsibilities of
supervisors and students the handbook should not be seen as prescriptive but
indicative and does not intend to replace the research regulations set out in
specific university or college regulations.
Wiseman Magwa is a Full Professor and a
holder of a Doctoral Degree in Language Education with the University of South
Africa (UNISA). He worked as a High School teacher before joining Teacher
Education in 1987 where he rose from Lecturer, Senior Lecturer up to Principal
Lecturer grade.
He then joined University Education and
taught as a Senior Lecturer, Associate Professor and Full Professor for many
years. Professor Magwa was appointed
Vice-Chancellor of the Reformed Church University (Zimbabwe) from
2011–2017. He retired as Vice-Chancellor
and was then appointed Executive Director of the Midlands State University
Language Institute from 2018 to date.
He has published extensively in the
area of language, literature, culture and education with more than 100 academic
articles, 29 books and several book chapters.
His wife Simuforosa Magwa is a Full
Professor in the School of Education and Culture at Great Zimbabwe University.
She is a holder of a Doctoral degree in
Educational Psychology with the University of South Africa (UNISA).
She worked as a school teacher for many
years before joining Higher Education as a Lecturer and rose to become Senior
Lecturer and Full Professor in the Faculty of Education at the Zimbabwe Open
University and Great Zimbabwe University respectively.
She has published extensively in the
area of Education with several journal articles, books and book chapters to her
credit.
The impressive profiles of the two
authors reflect a high level of scholarship consciously focused on a
step-by-step journey towards a successful research destination.
