Starting Points and Theoretical Perspectives

In this chapter, we present the background and foundation of the book. We begin by introducing the main theoretical perspectives, which we discuss in relation to previous research in the field. A central starting point is the view that degree project supervision is not only an individual but also a social and collegial practice. That is, the individual supervisors’ practice constantly exists and develops in social interaction with others. We go on to introduce other key theoretical concepts and perspectives in the book: academic literacies, scaffolding and emotion theory. In the second part of the chapter, we present the research material on which the book is based, which consists of focus group interviews with supervisors in two countries (Sweden and Russia) and documented supervision interaction in the form of recorded supervision sessions, email conversations and drafts, as well as relevant higher education governing documents. We discuss how this material can be used to capture multiple levels of complexity in the supervision process.