Effective Intercultural Supervision: Using Reflective Practice to Enhance Students’ and Supervisors’ Intercultural Competence

Abstract

For international doctoral students who choose to engage with those from other cultures, participation in this globalised higher education environment offers collaborative academic, educational, and social opportunities. However, international doctoral students also face dilemmas in that they need to make sense of the knowledge and expectations existing in the transnational space while negotiating the structures of academia. One challenge that emerges from the literature is the intercultural experiences between students and supervisors. In this chapter, we propose that the use of reflective practice can encourage both international doctoral students and their supervisors to work simultaneously and collaboratively to tackle challenges and issues from intercultural supervision experiences. We suggest that reciprocal efforts are valuable for establishing a positive and efficient intercultural supervision relationship.