The attributes of supervisors within educational contexts play a critical role in shaping students’ cognitive development towards lifelong learning. Thus, the specific supervisory attributes that enable this process to remain under-explored. This study examines how postgraduate students perceive that their supervisors' attributes influence their intellectual growth, motivation, and scholarly development. It employs a qualitative approach, utilising a thematic research design. Nine Ghanaian doctoral students were selected from a public University in Ghana. It used semi-structured interviews to collect data. They were analysed through thematic analysis. This study revealed various supervisory attributes, including intellectual stimulation, emotional/motivational support, autonomy versus directive supervision, availability/responsiveness, modelling scholarly rigour, feedback quality, and interpersonal dynamics. The findings revealed that supervisory attributes form an invisible scaffold that critically shapes cognitive engagement and intellectual growth. The key catalysts include intellectual stimulation, emotional support, and a balance between autonomy and guidance. Overall, prescriptive supervision stifles students' curiosity. These novel findings underscore the importance of intellectual humility and collaborative, dynamic supervision in fostering deep engagement. This study offers actionable insights for developing adaptive mentoring practices that align with students' evolving needs, thereby contributing to effective supervisory training within global higher education.
Akoto-Baako et al. (2026) studied this question.