Doctoral supervision

Booklet "Conditions for the success of doctoral supervision" (download below)

This booklet summaries some key points about doctoral supervision, drawn from literature and from two doctoral theses conducted at the University of Fribourg. It also offers practical recommendations for supervisors and doctoral students.

The first part highlights the individual characteristics and contextual factors involved in doctoral students' learning and professional development (p. 5-8). It then explains some of the processes that make up the doctoral experience, which involves progressing by managing instability and having a sufficient base of resources. This base is, for the most part, constituted by satisfying three fundamental basic psychological needs that are interdependent and present in each individual: autonomy, competence and affiliation (p. 8-11).

Based on these theoretical foundations, the booklet provides concrete recommendations (p. 12-18) to enable doctoral students and their supervisors to implement, individually and jointly, the measures that will facilitate the progress of doctoral students while preserving their physical and psychological well‐being. From the perspective of shared responsibility between doctoral students and supervisors, various aspects need to be considered, such as clarifying expectations and needs, communication and feedback, networking and integration into the scientific community, as well as the professional development of each side.

Finally, the booklet contains additional resources for further reflection (p. 19-22).