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How Does Supervision Shape Student Thesis Outcomes? Expanding the Theory and Measurement of Supervision and Its Impact.

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Title: How Does Supervision Shape Student Thesis Outcomes? Expanding the Theory and Measurement of Supervision and Its Impact.
Authors: Mårtensson, Moa1, Söderström, Johanna1 johannna.soderstrom@statsvet.uu.se
Source: Journal of Political Science Education. Jan-Mar2026, Vol. 22 Issue 1, p1-18. 18p.
Subject Terms: *Academic dissertations, *Higher education, *Bachelor's degree, *Qualitative research, Supervision
Abstract: For many students, writing a thesis is the final and pivotal step in their university education and their success matters for students themselves, but also universities and society overall. Despite involving large numbers of students, supervision at the undergraduate level is an understudied field of research in comparison to doctoral supervision. This article aims to advance the pedagogical literature on supervision, where the vast majority of prior contributions are qualitative case studies. We investigate what kind of supervision generates the best outcomes for undergraduate students writing their theses. Using a survey on thesis supervision answered by 251 bachelor and master level students, we assess how five dimensions of supervision (support, control, content, process and format) are related to four key outcomes (thesis quality, completion on time, deep learning and scientific curiosity). Our findings show that different types of supervision promote different outcomes. For instance, supervision focused on control is associated with higher thesis quality and more scientific curiosity, whereas supervision focused on support is associated with completion on time, but also with less scientific curiosity. Taken together, the article demonstrates the importance of a holistic approach to thesis supervision, and provides both theoretical and empirical additions of value to existing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Journal of Political Science Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Education Research Complete
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  Data: How Does Supervision Shape Student Thesis Outcomes? Expanding the Theory and Measurement of Supervision and Its Impact.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Journal+of+Political+Science+Education%22">Journal of Political Science Education</searchLink>. Jan-Mar2026, Vol. 22 Issue 1, p1-18. 18p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Academic+dissertations%22">Academic dissertations</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Higher+education%22">Higher education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Bachelor's+degree%22">Bachelor's degree</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Qualitative+research%22">Qualitative research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Supervision%22">Supervision</searchLink>
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  Data: For many students, writing a thesis is the final and pivotal step in their university education and their success matters for students themselves, but also universities and society overall. Despite involving large numbers of students, supervision at the undergraduate level is an understudied field of research in comparison to doctoral supervision. This article aims to advance the pedagogical literature on supervision, where the vast majority of prior contributions are qualitative case studies. We investigate what kind of supervision generates the best outcomes for undergraduate students writing their theses. Using a survey on thesis supervision answered by 251 bachelor and master level students, we assess how five dimensions of supervision (support, control, content, process and format) are related to four key outcomes (thesis quality, completion on time, deep learning and scientific curiosity). Our findings show that different types of supervision promote different outcomes. For instance, supervision focused on control is associated with higher thesis quality and more scientific curiosity, whereas supervision focused on support is associated with completion on time, but also with less scientific curiosity. Taken together, the article demonstrates the importance of a holistic approach to thesis supervision, and provides both theoretical and empirical additions of value to existing research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Journal of Political Science Education is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1080/15512169.2024.2446940
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              Text: Jan-Mar2026
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