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Decolonisation, Higher education, Novice Supervisor, Postgraduate, Practical Theology and Sociology
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Edward Muthivhi M and Mphephu P. Experiences of Novice Supervisors in South Africa: A Decolonial Practical Theological and Sociological Scoping Review Protocol [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]. F1000Research 2026, 15:1131 (https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.185596.1)
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Study Protocol
Experiences of Novice Supervisors in South Africa: A Decolonial Practical Theological and Sociological Scoping Review Protocol
[version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
PUBLISHED 11 Jul 2026
OPEN PEER REVIEW
REVIEWER STATUS
This article is included in the Research on Research, Policy & Culture gateway.
Abstract
Corresponding author:
Mashudu Edward Muthivhi
Competing interests:
No competing interests were disclosed.
Grant information:
The author(s) declared that no grants were involved in supporting this work.
Copyright:
© 2026 Edward Muthivhi M and Mphephu P.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
How to cite: Edward Muthivhi M and Mphephu P. Experiences of Novice Supervisors in South Africa: A Decolonial Practical Theological and Sociological Scoping Review Protocol [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]. F1000Research 2026, 15:1131 (https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.185596.1)
First published: 11 Jul 2026, 15:1131 (https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.185596.1)
Latest published: 11 Jul 2026, 15:1131 (https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.185596.1)
Introduction
While institutions increasingly rely on postgraduate supervision as an indicator of research output, how new supervisors experience this function has been relatively under theorised in South African higher education literature to date.1,2 Current research in this area focuses more on student supervision outcomes than on the experiences of novice faculty members who supervise students. This leaves a void in our theoretical and empirical understanding of how novice academicians develop an identity as supervisors, fulfil institutional expectations and address epistemic pressure presented by the decolonial transformation agenda.
The rationale behind the South African higher education system continues to be centred on the National Development Plan (NDP), which, in a move to address the social injustices that existed prior to the democratic dispensation of post 1994, seeks to afford opportunities for equity and access.3 South Africa adopted a significant shift from the traditional approach to higher education in Africa to be globally competitive.4 This paper examines the critical function of novice supervisors and their experiences on the academic journey in South Africa. Navigating the complexity of academia may be incredibly challenging in South Africa, where inequities and structural obstacles frequently define the research landscape. Adequate supervision extends beyond academic ability.5 As the higher education landscape evolves, it is essential to understand the significant role novice supervisors play in fostering a supportive learning environment. By recognising the problems neophyte researchers confront, a positive contribution to a better future for the continent may be made through academic excellence and innovation. Great strides have been made in transforming the higher education sector, and more still has to be done regarding completion rates for postgraduate students.6 Transformation initiatives have sought to address historical disparities and provide formerly underprivileged populations with greater access to higher education.7,8 This growth has resulted in a diverse student body with its own requirements and difficulties.
Although postgraduate supervision in South Africa has attracted increased interest, with a focus on these areas in postgraduate education overall, little attention has been paid to the experiences of novice postgraduate supervisors working in South African universities amid ongoing transformation and decolonisation of education and the increased demand for research output. This protocol outlines procedures for conducting a scoping review to systematically map the literature on novice postgraduate supervisors in South Africa, drawing on the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and perspectives from decolonial, sociological, and practical theology.9,10,11 The review will focus on addressing the following components related to novice postgraduate supervisors:
1) challenges of supervision;
2) institutionally based support mechanisms for novice supervisors;
3) the formation processes associated with the development of a professional identity; and
4) any gaps in current research regarding novice supervisors of postgraduate students.
In addition to identifying and mapping the above areas of interest, it is anticipated that outcomes will contribute to the development of contextually appropriate frameworks for supervising novices in postgraduate supervision and will inform policy and capacity building initiatives at the level of South African Universities and Colleges of Higher Education.
Aim
To systematically map and synthesise the existing literature on the experiences of postgraduate novice supervisors in South Africa, identifying challenges and gaps in current research to inform support strategies and professional development initiatives.
Specific objectives:
1. To identify the current state of research on postgraduate novice supervisors in South Africa.
2. To examine the challenges faced by postgraduate novice supervisors in the South African academic context.
3. To map the extent, nature, distribution, and characteristics of existing evidence concerning novice postgraduate supervisors in South Africa and identify knowledge gaps requiring further investigation.
4. To inform the development of evidence-based support strategies and professional development initiatives to enhance the capabilities and wellbeing of postgraduate novice supervisors in South Africa.
Scoping review questions
This scoping review intends to systematically review the literature on the experiences of novice postgraduate supervisors in South Africa, underpinned by the PCC framework.
The main question
This scoping review’s main review question is;
How are novice postgraduate supervisors’ experiences, challenges, professional identity formation processes, and decolonial supervisory practices represented within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in South Africa?
This question aims to map and synthesise the academic literature related to the lived experiences of novice postgraduate supervisors, their professional identity development, their supervisory skills, the support they receive from institutions and the implications of decolonisation on postgraduate supervision in South Africa. This question was formulated based on the PCC component (Population Concept and Context), which is one of the recommended scoping review frameworks (see Table 1).
Table 1. PCC framework.
Sub-questions
â–ª What support systems exist in the academic, social and educational settings for novice postgraduate supervisors to assist them through their transition into the role of supervisor?
â–ª How do theoretical perspectives of decolonisation, sociology, and practical theology inform the current research literature on postgraduate supervision?
â–ª What are the knowledge gaps within the current body of research on novice postgraduate supervisors within South Africa?
â–ª What measures have been recommended in literature for enhancing supervisory capacity, professional development, and student success?
Research design and methods
Study design
This scoping review will follow the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodological framework for scoping reviews, informed by Arksey and O’Malley’s foundational framework and enhanced by Levac et al.’s methodological refinements.12,13 This approach enables systematic mapping of heterogeneous evidence and clarification of key concepts related to novice postgraduate supervision.
Search strategy
A limited preliminary search of selected databases will take place first, in order to establish which keywords, concepts and index terms relate to novice supervisors at the postgraduate level. Subsequently, a full search of the following databases will then be done.
• Scopus
• ERIC
• EBSCOhost
• Sabinet
• Proquest Dissertations & Theses
• Google Scholar
• JSTOR
The search strategy will combine Boolean operators, truncations, and keywords such as:
• ‘Novice supervisor’
• ‘New supervisor’
• ‘Early career academic’
• ‘Postgraduate supervision’
• ‘PhD supervision’
• ‘Masters supervision’
• ‘Supervisor identity’
• ‘Academic development’
• ‘Supervisor experiences’
• ‘Higher education’
• ‘South Africa’
• ‘Decolonisation’
• ‘Decoloniality’
Selection of sources
Inclusion Criteria
• Focus on novice, early-career, or inexperienced postgraduate supervisors
• Master’s and/or doctoral supervision contexts
• South African Higher education institutions only
• Empirical studies, theoretical papers, or systematic/scoping reviews
• Relevant grey literature
• Studies published between 1994 and 2026
Exclusion Criteria
Selection of sources
Exporting the records identified for this review into a reference management program (such as Mendeley or EndNote) and removing duplicates will occur before screening the records.
A two-stage review process will be used for screening the records:
1. Review of Titles and Abstracts
The two authors will use the inclusion criteria to review all titles and abstracts. Studies that do not meet the inclusion criteria will be excluded.
2. Review of Full Article
The authors will obtain full articles of studies that meet the inclusion criteria from the Title and Abstract review in order to evaluate their eligibility. The reasons for exclusion at the full article review will also be documented and reported. Disagreements between the two authors will be resolved by consensus. If they cannot reach an agreement after discussion, a third reviewer will be appointed and then serve as an adjudicator. The screening process will be displayed using a PRISMA-ScR flow chart.
Data extraction
Data extraction will be organised using a form to be developed and piloted on a limited number of studies that have been included in the review, and then further adjusted to achieve the utmost consistency in the exercise of data extraction. These are the types of data that the researchers intend to extract:
• Bibliographic information of the project, publication year, author (s) and their university or department
• Title of paper and type of publication
• Research question, goal, and rationale behind the study
• Theory or hypothesis adopted by the study
• Research approach and study design
• Research setting with type of institution, discipline, and the locale
• Attributes of the research sample (supervisors being novices)
• Main results that reflect supervisors’ experiences
• Perceived barriers and facilitators to supervision
• Types of institutional support (both formal and informal)
• Expressions of perspectives arising from decolonial, sociological, or practical theological streams
Timeline
To ensure methodological rigor throughout the study and its timely completion, the scoping review will follow a structured programme over six months. During the first month, the work will entail refining the research question, confirming the PCC framework, and developing and piloting the search strategy. Database searching, study retrieval, and title/abstract screening will take place over the following month.
Full-text screening, data extraction, and data charting will be completed during the subsequent three months, followed by thematic analysis and synthesis of findings. Drafting the manuscript will occur during this time. The final month will be used for revision, formatting, and preparation for submission.
Expected results
The review is anticipated to provide:
• An exhaustive inventory of the existing literature addressing novice postgraduate supervisors in South Africa.
• A comprehensive overview of the key challenges faced by novice supervisors, including workload, institutional limitations, dynamics of power, abilities of supervisors, and construction of identity.
• Identifying supports provided by institutions, such as mentorship programs and professional development activities, that lead to successful supervision.
• Insights into how practical theological, sociological, and decolonial perspectives have been employed within the literature to conceptualise postgraduate supervision.
• Identification of gaps in the literature and areas that are not well-developed that require future empirical study.
• Recommendations for policy, institutional support frameworks, supervisor training programs, and capacity building efforts based on the evidence found in this literature review.
Ethical considerations
The scoping review will not include primary research involving human subjects. Hence, formal research ethics approval is not required. Rather, publicly available scholarly and institutional sources will be used to conduct this review. The conduct of this review will demonstrate responsible research conduct through academic integrity, open and transparent processes, and adherence to the University’s principles. Accurate citation of sources and no plagiarism will be maintained throughout all stages of this scoping review.
Conclusion
Novice postgraduate supervisors are confronted with a growing burden as postgraduate research productivity becomes increasingly prominent at South African higher education institutions. Novice supervisors are key players in the production of knowledge, the development of research capacity, and the success of postgraduate students. Novice supervisors face an extraordinary array of complex institutional, relational, pedagogical, and epistemological issues related to their role. The significance of these issues is compounded by calls for transformation, decolonisation and social justice within South African higher education.
Using practical theology and sociology as lenses through which to view novice supervisor issues in South Africa, this scoping review will systematically identify and compile the current body of knowledge on novice supervision, including current issues and supports, and areas that have not been researched in this context. The findings of this scoping review may contribute to the development of contextually responsive supervisory frameworks and inform ongoing debates on capacity development, institutional support, and decolonial approaches to postgraduate supervision in South African higher education.
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how to cite this article
Edward Muthivhi M and Mphephu P. Experiences of Novice Supervisors in South Africa: A Decolonial Practical Theological and Sociological Scoping Review Protocol [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]. F1000Research 2026, 15:1131 (https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.185596.1)
NOTE: If applicable, it is important to ensure the information in square brackets after the title is included in all citations of this article.
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