Thesis Supervision and its Effects on Supervisee's Finance: A Case Study of Tertiary Institutions in Rivers State, Nigeria

The purpose of this study is to ascertain the impact of supervision on the finances of supervisees in tertiary institutions in Rivers State, Nigeria. Using a mixed-method approach, the researchers collected and analysed both quantitative and qualitative data and utilized a stratified random sampling technique and a sample population of 1560 postgraduate students and their supervisors. The results of the study suggest that there is a strong positive correlation between effective supervision of thesis and financial well-being of the supervisees. Also, there are different patterns of supervision that include scheduled regular meetings, personal supervision, and periodic assessments of the participants’ written documents. Financial difficulties which include lack of funds, expensive research materials, and high costs of travel to data collection sites were also documented. Further results indicated that timely thesis completion results in reduced financial burden and increased productivity on other research projects. The study recommends that effective thesis supervision should be instituted to improve both the financial and academic standing of research students. Considering the findings, the study suggested that colleges and universities in Rivers State should offer professional development and allocate funds for the supervision of postgraduate students, implement guidelines regarding the supervision of postgraduate students’ research, accept soft copy submissions to supervisors via email, and accept hard copies only after the final external defence of the thesis. Supervisors should also be required to provide financial support to research students for the purposes stated above.