Making Good Progress in Postgraduate Study : What is Your Role?

Numerous research have pointed out that there are high proportions of postgraduate student who fail to complete their studies within the time given. Many factors can contribute to that and these include the support of the supervisor and department/school, as well as the fact that the student should properly know their own responsibilities. This is due to the acquisition of skills by postgraduate students should be effected as professional learning conducted under their own management. This research has successfully explored the experience and practices which is relevant to research students' roles in one public university in Malaysia. This research was done by qualitative approach. Six postgraduate students from various fields of study and year were in-depth interviewed. Their supervisors had also been interviewed in order to understand their perspectives towards research students' roles. The findings of this study provide information about the main students' responsibilities and effective practices from the students' and supervisors' perspective. The study also provides a model for supervisor and student meetings that could establish a good relationship and offer benefits for the student