The Qualities of a Good Supervisor from the Viewpoint of Postgraduate Students: a Qualitative Study

Curriculum in higher education is a broad academic experience for students. One of the most important areas of research in the field of higher education, especially in the field of higher education curricula, is supervision of graduate students. Writing a thesis by students constitutes an important part of curriculum in universities. However stands to reason that choosing a good qualified supervisor and getting to benefit from his/her instructions is more important than just writing a thesis. Therefore the aim of this study was to identify the qualities of a good supervisor as MA students pointed out. This study used a qualitative approach and the research method was phenomenological. The study population consisted of all postgraduate students of Kharazami University and the sample consisted of 37 postgraduate students who were chosen through purposeful sampling method. To analyze the data obtained from the study, content analysis and open, axial and selective coding methods were used. The results showed that a good supervisor has six basic characteristics: 1) behavioral indicators of supervisor, 2) the supervisory relationship of the supervisor and student, 3) interactive relationship of the supervisor and student, 4) professional ethics of supervisor, 5) behavioral characteristics and 6) area of expertise of supervisor. It is suggested that supervisors in conducting theses considering these qualities take an important step toward the future researches. Keywords: