INTRODUCING THE C.O.S.T.A POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH COACHING MODEL - A COMPLEMENTARY APPROACH TO SUPERVISION

Abstract

Postgraduate research is a massive stumbling block to students who have never had an opportunity of exposure to research methods. A recent study revealed challenges in postgraduate supervision—one of these challenges was students’ lack of exposure to research language (Costa, 2018). Qualitative research and its complexities, due to a variety of approaches including rigor determination, pose a plethora of challenges to novice researchers. This document presents the C.O.S.T.A model as a tool suitable for use by academics and students, with a panoramic view of steps to be taken; first to understand foundational concepts and the language of research, and second to make informed choices on the research methods and design strategy options available for the prospective researcher. Conclusions drawn on the reliability of the model are based on observation of a group of postgraduate students who were part of the first cohort at the Gl obal Centre for Academic Research in 2018, with some students testifying to have passed their research projects satisfactorily at their respective leading universities in South Africa.