Tacit norms in the selection of supervisors revisited: a phenomenological study

This study explored tacit norms involved in the selection of supervisors by graduate students of curriculum studies. As a qualitative study، this phenomenological research used semi-structured interviews for data collection. Six graduate students were approached who were to select their supervisors. Norms involved in the selection of supervisors were classified into six categories: behavior، academic position، non-academic features، credible support، and limitations. Results indicated that students acquire these norms through observation of performance of supervisors in teaching and dissertation committees as well as informal networks including senior students.