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A blessing in disguise: Beyond cross-cultural online
supervision
Citra Amelia , Alistair Welsh , Monika Winarnita and RamĆ³n LĆ³pez Castellano
School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, Geelong,
Australia
ABSTRACT
This article draws from a mixed-method study of 111 Indonesian
doctoral studentsā€™ experiences in Australia during the COVID-19
pandemic. Qualitative data from follow-up interviews conducted
throughout 2020 oļ¬€er insights into doctoral studentsā€™ enforced
online supervision experiences. Beyond the inevitable challenges,
in-depth interviews reveal that most participantsā€™ narratives involve
cross-cultural issues. We highlight one participantā€™s cross-cultural
experience of online supervision, which she called ā€˜a blessing in
disguiseā€™. This studentā€™s narrative epitomises the transformative
potential of repositioning oneself in relation to others and strate-
gies involving additional support to operate online. By employing
positioning theory, this study provides insights into eļ¬€ective prac-
tices for online supervision during a time of crisis.
KEYWORDS
Cross-cultural; online
supervision; positioning
theory; Indonesian doctoral
students; COVID-19;
narrative
Introduction
Online doctoral supervision was initially applied in distance/ oļ¬€-campus doctoral pro-
grammes (Evans, 2006). Advances in technology have enabled doctoral programmes to
be oļ¬€ered to students who cannot attend in person due to family or work responsibilities
(Akojie et al., 2019). Despite the advantages of online programmes, research has consis-
tently shown that online doctoral students face numerous challenges that cause student
attrition (Ames et al., 2018). Nasiri and Mafakheri (2015) identify several challenges that
doctoral students encountered during online supervision, such as time diļ¬€erence, lack of
understanding of personal knowledge, lack of communication, and diļ¬€erences in com-
puter literacy and accessibility.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, doctoral candidates who originally enrolled as
on-campus students were forced to adjust to online supervision. Despite the considerable
diļ¬ƒculties experienced during this time, we found that some students beneļ¬ted from the
shift to online supervision. To examine the positive eļ¬€ects more closely, we provide an in-
depth analysis of one international studentā€™s narrative (Tia), who was empowered by a
shift to online supervision. Tiaā€™s narrative was purposefully selected for this paper. In
doing so, we do not claim representativeness of her narrative; we use it to highlight an
individualā€™s situated experience.
CONTACT Citra Amelia ameliac@deakin.edu.au Deakin University, School of Humanities and Social Sciences,
Faculty of Arts and Education, Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus, Locked Bag 20000, Geelong VIC 3220, Australia
INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION AND TEACHING INTERNATIONAL
https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2021.1991832
Ā© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
There are inevitable challenges for international doctoral students who experience
online supervision. Some issues arise from diļ¬€erent cultural expectations leading to
confusion and misunderstandings (Wisker, 2008), inadequate English language proļ¬-
ciency resulting in miscommunication (Winchester-Seeto et al., 2014), and mismatched
expectations of what constitutes suitable feedback (Alebaikan et al., 2020). However,
much less is known about how international doctoral students experienced online super-
vision during the 2020 COVID-19 arrangements and how they constructed their identities
in cross-cultural contexts. In response to this gap in the literature, this article highlights
the story of Tia, an international doctoral student from Indonesia in Australia. She was
isolated from supervisors and peers and separated from her husband and child in
Indonesia during the pandemic. Her narrative points to the importance of supportive
relationships in doctoral supervision, particularly in times of crisis, and provides evidence
of the potential for online supervision to facilitate such relationships. To investigate this
important issue, we pose the following research questions:
(1) What is the possible impact of online doctoral supervision during the pandemic on
an individualā€™s identity and positioning in relation to others, within institutional
structures of the university and peer engagement?
(2) How can practices and strategies of online doctoral supervision be successfully
applied in a time of crisis?
Online doctoral supervision in Australia
Online doctoral supervision has long been conducted through email correspondence
with electronic drafts reviewed asynchronously (Augustsson & Jaldemark, 2014). It is
argued that asynchronous communication provides inadequate interaction and sup-
port for eļ¬€ective supervision, while synchronous communication through videocon-
ferencing is more eļ¬€ective for discussion and support (Kƶnings et al., 2016). Online
supervision has adopted new digital communication modes, particularly videoconfer-
encing through Blackboard Collaborate, Skype, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. These
platforms enable synchronous interaction, providing a more comprehensive super-
vision experience (Kƶnings et al., 2016). Since COVID-19, online synchronous super-
vision has quickly become the norm in Australia.
The doctoral programme in Australia is often entirely research-based (ACOLA, 2016). To
complete doctoral degrees, students in Australia generally only need to complete a thesis
to be examined by three external examiners, with no oral defence. In addition, the
Australian Council of Learned Academies or ACOLA (2016) expects doctoral students to
complete their studies within three years. These high expectations in the Australian
system make eļ¬€ective supervision a necessity. Acknowledging such challenges and
recognising that one supervisor may not meet the needs of individual doctoral students
during candidature (Green & Bowden, 2012). The Tertiary Education Quality and
Standards Agency (TEQSA) stipulate a set of measures within the Higher Education
Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2015 which requires a doctoral supervision
panel with a minimum of two supervisors (TEQSA, 2015
2 C. AMELIA ET AL.
In a COVID context, supervisory relationships have become more important because of
social isolation. It is assumed that technology can facilitate eļ¬€ective communication
between students and supervisors. This environment has generated new opportunities
for better understanding the possibilities of online supervision, particularly in a time of
crisis.
Applying positioning theory to doctoral supervision
To explore supervisory dynamics, we draw from positioning theory (R. HarrƩ & Van
Langenhove, 1999) to emphasise that a studentā€™s identity positions are shaped by
relational interactions with others. Positioning theory has been widely applied to
multidisciplinary research (Kayı-Aydar, 2019) to analyse social issues, which are not
bound by disciplinary divisions (Slocum-Bradley, 2009, p. 79). Positioning theoryā€™s
focus on ā€˜social context, identities, and social interactionā€™ (Kayı-Aydar, 2019, p. 43) is
well suited to identifying participantsā€™ interaction in bi/multilingual contexts and has
been applied to analysing international studentsā€™ experiences and identities (Collett,
2020).
Positioning theory treats an individualā€™s identity positions as socially constructed
or co-constructed in relation to others. Understanding identity as being socially
constructed means that relational perspectives dynamically shape identity positions.
Tran and Vu argue that this theory is a valuable framework for an in-depth examina-
tion of ā€˜studentsā€™ positions within institutional structures and related communities,
and how they perceive themselves to be positioned in speciļ¬c ways (desirable or
undesirable) by others in the discourse communityā€™ (Tran & Vu, 2016, p. 207). Our
study applies positioning theory to develop an in-depth understanding of an indivi-
dualā€™s self-positioning in online supervision. This contributes to better understanding
how the individual negotiates her position and identity in the context of cross-
cultural supervision during a crisis.
By analysing in-depth reļ¬‚ective narrative, we explore how Tia self-positioned in
relation to her supervisors and the identity positions she ascribed to them. Tiaā€™s
narrative reveals key cultural constructs that she applied in self-positioning and those
she attributed to others in the cross-cultural context as an Indonesian doctoral
student in Australia.
Van Langenhove and HarrƩ (1999) suggest a distinction between roles that are more
static and positions that are dynamic. Considering such a distinction in the context of
doctoral supervision, we view the role of supervisor to be shaped by a relatively static set
of institutional expectations and duties, whereas positions adopted might depend on
variable contexts and circumstances, including diļ¬€ering student needs and expectations.
We assume there is potential for interplay between this conceptualisation of role and
position, and for power dynamics to variably inļ¬‚uence identity positioning. This acknowl-
edges that the student-supervisor relationship is open to the eļ¬€ects of power dynamics
from institutional roles and expectations and has the potential for complex and nuanced
dynamics that change over time. This is a useful basis on which to view the doctoral
student-supervisor relationship.
INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION AND TEACHING INTERNATIONAL 3
Methodology
Research design: Mixed-methods explanatory sequential
In this study, an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach was employed through
an online survey questionnaire and follow-up in-depth interviews to explore the experi-
ences of Indonesian international doctoral students in Australia. Survey data provided a
general picture of key issues, while interview data provided in-depth responses.
Data in this paper is drawn from the ļ¬rst-named authorā€™s doctoral research that
explores factors aļ¬€ecting the doctoral completion of Indonesian students in Australia.
As an Indonesian doctoral student at an Australian university, she is an insider in this
research, enabling participants to speak frankly and openly during the interview. The
research design allowed participants to choose which language to use in in-depth semi-
structured online interviews. Data from interviews conducted in Indonesian tended to be
richer as participants shared detailed experiences and expressed speciļ¬c cultural nuances
that would have been more diļ¬ƒcult to convey in English. These data provide valuable
insights into cross-cultural encounters between doctoral students and supervisors. This
article necessarily focuses on one participantā€™s experiences to do justice to the nuanced
depth of cross-cultural encounters.
Data collection
Online survey
In the ļ¬rst phase of the study, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the
participants using an online survey questionnaire. By applying homogeneous sampling,
participants were selected from a particular group who shared similar experiences: an
Indonesian student undertaking a doctoral degree with a scholarship at an Australian
university. The survey participants were recruited through social media of Indonesian
communities in Australia, as approved by the Faculty of Arts and Education Human Ethics
Advisory Group (Project ID: HAE-19-246). Online surveys were completed by 111 partici-
pants across Australia.
Online interview
The second, qualitative phase, was conducted through in-depth semi-structured online
interviews. Nested sampling was applied in recruiting participants for online interviews.
Thus, the interview participants were recruited and selected from the online survey
participants as the ļ¬rst phase and voluntarily consented to participate in an interview.
As is common in qualitative research, this study uses a small sample size to collect in-
depth responses about a speciļ¬c issue. It is the depth of qualitative data, not the breadth
of the sample size, that helps address the research question (Patton, 2002). In qualitative
research, the purposeful selection of the sample is the best strategy to obtain ā€˜informa-
tion-richā€™ data that can provide in-depth insight into the topic of study (Freeman et al.,
2007). From 65 survey participants who agreed to be interviewed, 22 participants were
selected to represent a demographic balance of Indonesian doctoral students in Australia.
Selection ensured a balance of gender, ļ¬eld of study, year of study, and scholarship
provider.
4 C. AMELIA ET AL.
Interviews were conducted from July until October 2020 via Zoom due to COVID-19
restrictions. An inherent limitation of this study is that data collected during this speciļ¬c
historical moment (COVID-19 pandemic) is likely to yield diļ¬€erent ļ¬ndings from any future
studies on a similar topic. Yet, this ā€˜limitationā€™ also speaks to the signiļ¬cance of this study ā€“
being undertaken in unprecedented circumstances in a time of crisis.
During extended interviews, participants described their experiences as interna-
tional doctoral students in a narrative form. Given the interdisciplinary nature of this
study, the narrative is applied to understand the multidimensional meanings of
society, culture, and an individualā€™s life experiences (Elliott, 2005) in reļ¬‚ecting on
their doctoral supervision. As such, this paper presents the interview data in a
narrative format.
Data analysis
To protect the anonymity of participants, pseudonym names are used, and all
reasonable care is taken to avoid identiļ¬able details. Data from recorded interviews
were transcribed and coded by QSR NVivo, a software program, for the thematic
analysis of qualitative data (Braun & Clarke, 2006). First, we conducted an inductive
ā€˜bottom-upā€™ approach by searching for emergent themes in the transcripts by using
the query tool and coding the text. After that, we generated the themes by applying
the auto coded tool in NVivo. To ensure the credibility and validity of the ļ¬ndings,
we combined this phase with manual coding by using Microsoft Excel to sort and
organise excerpts into the relevant themes.
Since narrative insights can contextualise a ā€˜particular interpretation of lived experi-
encesā€™ (Lim et al., 2019, p. 12), we examined the participantsā€™ narratives of their experi-
ences of doctoral supervision in transitioning to online supervision. Although data were
considered from in-depth interviews with 22 doctoral students, we highlight one parti-
cular narrative to capture intimate details about how this participant reļ¬‚ected on the
meaning of her experiences.
We undertake an in-depth analysis of one particular participant, Tia, whose narrative of
her experiences inform a rich analysis of online supervision at this historical moment of
crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysing narratives provides chronological order to
correlate perceptions of past and present events and considers how such interactions
reļ¬‚ect participantsā€™ understandings of their future, including their sense of wellbeing
(Mahmoud & Tehseen, 2021). Focusing on one narrative provides an in-depth chronolo-
gical portrayal of how the participant reļ¬‚ected on her experience and revealed detailed
insights as the story unfolds.
Findings and discussion
To explore online supervision experiences in greater detail, an in-depth analysis of one
participantā€™s narrative becomes the articleā€™s main focus . Through a lens of positioning
theory, our analysis uncovers speciļ¬c supervisory practices that support academic pro-
gress during a crisis.
INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION AND TEACHING INTERNATIONAL 5
Online supervision: A blessing in disguise
Described as a ā€˜blessing in disguiseā€™, we discuss Tiaā€™s doctoral journey, as a female
international student from Indonesia in her second year of a doctoral programme at a
university in Melbourne. Her motivation for taking a PhD was for career advancement as a
lecturer in Indonesia. To pursue her doctoral degree, she decided to leave her daughter
and husband in Indonesia. Regardless of the diļ¬ƒculties experienced, she valued her
ā€˜positiveā€™ experience while studying in Melbourne. She identiļ¬ed as being of Javanese
ethnicity.
A ā€˜blessing in disguiseā€™ represents a religious and cultural discourse within Tiaā€™s
narrative, reļ¬‚ecting strategies she used to adapt to online supervision. Through her
narrative, she expressed her perspective through a ā€˜Javaneseā€™ cultural understanding ā€“
thereby reļ¬‚ecting her self-positioning in relation to others. Applying positioning theory to
this narrative, we ļ¬nd that the supervision relationships are a dynamic construct of
ā€˜positionā€™ rather than a static designation of a personā€™s ā€˜roleā€™. Tiaā€™s narrative is charac-
terised as a repositioning of the supervision relationship enacted by herself as a doctoral
student, the principal supervisor, and the associate supervisor. It was also shaped by peer
relationships in group online sessions.
Doctoral studentā€™s strategies and practices
Tia started her doctoral journey with one principal supervisor and one associate super-
visor in July 2019. In the early stages of candidature, Tia explained that her principal
supervisor set supervision rules to play the leading role in the supervision panel. She used
Javanese cultural terms manut and pasrah in responding to this rule:
. . . the term is if you are a Javanese is to be compliant (manut), just to accept (pasrah) [the
situation] with the supervisor. I believe in him. Before I began this PhD, I really believed that
the ļ¬rst person who would help me whenever something happens to me in this journey is my
supervisor. I really believed this.
Koentjaraningrat (1984) deļ¬nes manut as ā€˜complying or agreeing to the will of othersā€™
(As cited in Saddhono, 2013, p. 165). Traditional Javanese culture values the principles of
harmony and mutual respect. As a result, Javanese people tend to avoid disagreement in
social interaction. The term pasrah is deļ¬ned as the action ā€˜to devote ourselves to God,
leader, ruler, and his superiors about what they have received (fatalistic)ā€™ (Saddhono, 2013,
p. 161). These concepts indicate that Tia applied Javanese cultural values of a paternalistic
tradition of leadership to her social positioning of self and others in interaction with
supervisors.
By using these Javanese cultural terms, Tia positioned herself as inferior and her
principal supervisor as superior. Tan and Moghaddam (1995) argue that culture aļ¬€ects
social positioning. The above quote reļ¬‚ects Tiaā€™s acceptance and almost total trust in the
supervisor ā€“ this reļ¬‚ects a stance towards the supervisorā€™s role. Tiaā€™s narrative arguably
reļ¬‚ected an ā€˜accepting of authorityā€™ as a positioning strategy which refers to ā€˜the way
persons locate themselves and others within an essentially moral space by using several
categories and story-linesā€™ (HarrĆ© & Van Langenhove, 1991, p. 396). In this sense, we
understand the term ā€˜moral spaceā€™ to be general standards of behaviour and principles of
6 C. AMELIA ET AL.
right and wrong. Tia regarded her principal supervisor as having ā€˜moral authorityā€™ over
supervisory practices and accepted this rule without questioning the positioning. She
accepted this supervisory rule and trusted her principal supervisor to ā€˜leadā€™ her doctoral
project. She believed that her principal supervisor was the primary person to support her
through her doctoral journey.
This suggests that her strategy was to accept and adapt to the situation. She even felt
grateful to have a ā€˜dominantā€™ type of principal supervisor after hearing about the experi-
ences of other doctoral students who had diļ¬ƒculties in following two diļ¬€erent directions
when supervisors held ā€˜equalā€™ co-supervisory roles.
Tia also interpreted her relationship with her principal supervisor in terms of a child-
parent dynamic, as evident in this description:
I feel that his advice is the number one thing . . .
To use an analogy, it is like a parent and child.
This narrative indicates the supervision relationship between student and supervisor.
Tia presented her identity as having a Javanese cultural background and using culturally
speciļ¬c discourses to explain her position as a child who constantly needs advice from her
parents. In Javanese culture, the parent is perceived as a role model within the natal family
unit (Geertz, 1989). This narrative shows how Tia positioned herself as a child and her
principal supervisor as a father ļ¬gure.
Principal supervisorā€™s strategies and practices
Since the beginning of the pandemic, her principal supervisor had been stranded over-
seas and had diļ¬ƒculty with his internet connection. However, after her principal super-
visor returned to Australia, he could access the internet and scheduled supervision
meetings online through Zoom.
All praise (only) be upon God (Alhamdulillah) for online [supervision]. Even though it was not
regularly scheduled, we were able to communicate well.
This narrative refers to the supervision meeting frequency and feedback. Although her
supervision meetings were not as regular as before, she appreciated her new experience
of changing mode to online supervision, as reļ¬‚ected by the Islamic Arabic term
Alhamdulillah, as the expression of gratitude. This shows how Tia engaged in a deliberate
act of self-positioning to online supervision. This represents what HarrƩ and Van
Langenhove (1991, p. 401) refer to as ā€˜strategic positioningā€™ by Tia and her supervisors.
Besides videoconferencing via Zoom, she communicated with her supervisory panel
through weekly progress reports by email and phone communication if necessary. Her
principal and associate supervisors were open and responsive to any means of commu-
nication that would support Tia and provided feedback on her work. She found that
various modes of communication helped her maintain academic progress and relation-
ships with both supervisors.
INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION AND TEACHING INTERNATIONAL 7
Associate supervisorā€™s strategies and practices
Due to her principal supervisorā€™s clear expectations to be ā€˜leadingā€™ the supervision ā€“ as
stated clearly at the beginning of Tiaā€™s candidature ā€“ her associate supervisor tended to
have little involvement in supervision. However, since signiļ¬cant changes to academic
activities resulting from COVID-19, her associate supervisor started to oļ¬€er emotional
support via online contact using a combination of communication modes. For example,
when Tia felt depressed and had sleeping problems because she was worried about her
family in Indonesia, her associate supervisorā€™s support came as a ā€˜reliefā€™. As a result, Tia
started to develop what she described as a child-parent kind of dynamic in interaction
with her associate supervisor, as she described:
Well, this pandemic was a time that revealed my associate supervisor to be a woman with a
gentle demeanour, a counter-balance to my principal supervisor, who is an ā€˜explosiveā€™
(meledak-ledak) person, who is very open and so on. Well, this ā€˜womanā€™ (ibu) supervisor was
like a mother ļ¬gure to me. So, very motherly. More supportive of me psychologically.
She described her principal supervisor as being ā€˜explosiveā€™ or meledak-ledak. In
contrast, Tia regarded her associate supervisor as very motherly, warm and caring. Tia
applied this gendered cultural construct to her associate supervisor, noting it as
important emotional support. Tia suggested that the associate supervisor could feel
empathy for her situation as a mother and a wife. She suggested that Tia return to
Indonesia to reunite with her family. Although Tia did not previously see the
ā€˜dominantā€™ and ā€˜explosiveā€™ character of her principal supervisor as problematic, she
beneļ¬ted from her associate supervisorā€™s more supportive nature during a challen-
ging time.
This narrative showed how Tia had ā€˜deliberately positionedā€™ her associate super-
visor as someone who could understand her situation. In essence, her associate
supervisor redeļ¬ned her position into being a supervisor who provided emotional
support and changed her supervisory practices by building an empathetic relation-
ship based on a similar ā€˜genderedā€™ role as a mother and wife. She took up a much-
needed more signiļ¬cant role (than previously) that the principal supervisor could not
fulļ¬l at a time of crisis. By redeļ¬ning her position vis-a-vis the student and the
principal supervisor, the associate supervisor changed the dynamic in the established
relationships to enable Tia to continue her doctoral candidature and ļ¬nd solutions to
problems encountered.
Peer support strategies and practices
Tia also beneļ¬ted from a diļ¬€erent strategy established by the principal supervisor of peer
support through online group supervision meetings with all of his doctoral students by
using Microsoft Teams. She valued her new group online supervision experience as a
ā€˜blessing in disguiseā€™ or hikma ā€“ an Arabic term (Khalifa, 2000) commonly used and
borrowed in Indonesian as hikmah to mean receiving wisdom (through interaction with
others), prosperity or a gift (new friends) and thus being blessed. She described her
experience.
.
8 C. AMELIA ET AL.
What is interesting about Microsoft Teams, speciļ¬cally during the pandemic, is that I feel that
perhaps it is a hikmah, a blessing in disguise. Because all of us were working under this
professorā€™s supervision, throughout our time on campus before this pandemic, we rarely
connected with one another.
This narrative indicates a ā€˜moral and personal positioningā€™ shift (HarrĆ© & Van
Langenhove, 1991, p. 397) as these groups of students had been personally positioned
according to the ā€˜moralā€™ order (authority) of the principal supervisor to practice social
interaction through online group supervision meetings.
Finally, Tia found that this new online communication technology was ā€˜a blessing in
disguiseā€™ in challenging times because she rarely had an opportunity to engage with other
students under the same supervisor before the pandemic. After returning to Indonesia,
she became more grateful that she had ā€˜online supervisionā€™ because she could continue to
build connections and new relationships through this online platform, working with peers
and gaining hikmah (wisdom, a gift of friendship and being blessed). This platform thus
allowed her to grow with her peers ā€“ both professionally and personally. In eļ¬€ect, the
principal supervisor using the strategy of online group supervision, repositioned his
relationship with Tia to no longer be her sole main support, thus harnessing peer support
as an eļ¬€ective practice to adapt to isolation due to the pandemic.
Conclusion
Especially for students such as Tia, who was socially isolated living in Australia and
separated from her family in Indonesia, her reļ¬‚ections of online interaction with super-
visors and peers show how valuable online engagement has been when meeting in
person was not possible. Tiaā€™s narrative demonstrates the importance of relationships
and support provided through online engagement during periods of social isolation
resulting from COVID-19.
While the ļ¬ndings presented here may not be generalisable, the analysis of Tiaā€™s
narrative provides valuable insights into the importance of international studentsā€™ experi-
ences and awareness of their religious and cultural discourses to avoid miscommunica-
tion during supervision. This study highlights the need for supportive relationships in the
doctoral supervisory context and shows the potential for online supervision to facilitate
those needs. It shows how practices and strategies can be adapted to enable positive
outcomes in doctoral studentsā€™ progress and supervisor-student relationships. The super-
visorsā€™ repositioning was a shift towards fulļ¬ling the need for more emotional support for
doctoral students in a time of crisis. In addition, it highlights the need for self-reļ¬‚ection in
these relationships.
Researching an Australian ā€“ Indonesian cross-cultural context thus contributes to a
better understanding of diļ¬€erent power dynamics to recognise the importance of
changes that may be needed within supervisory practices and panels. It would be
beneļ¬cial for supervisors to consider adopting more ļ¬‚exible positions in their interactions
with doctoral students rather than maintaining static roles, often established by institu-
tions. This research also highlights the importance of peer support for doctoral students
and points to peer support as oļ¬€ering potential that universities should seek to further
develop.
INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION AND TEACHING INTERNATIONAL 9
To conclude, this study reveals a unique and situated experience of an international
doctoral student in a time of crisis. Importantly, its ļ¬ndings have enduring relevance for
enhancing the quality of doctoral education post-COVID-19. By exploring an individualā€™s
online doctoral supervision experience, this study oļ¬€ers valuable insights into pedagogi-
cal approaches for eļ¬€ective supervision practices in a time of crisis. Building on this study,
a fruitful direction for further research would be to look beyond the cross-cultural
dynamics of ļ¬xed positionalities in doctoral student-supervisor relations and consider
the transformative potential of intercultural relations in this context, examining the
possibility for increased responsiveness and ļ¬‚exibility in more dynamic intercultural
positioning.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the editors and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful
suggestions to improve the article. The authors also would like to thank Eileen Hanrahan
(Language Learning Adviser at Deakin University) for the feedback and all the research participants
who volunteered to share their insights for this project.
Disclosure statement
No potential conļ¬‚ict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Funding
This work was supported by Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP) for Citra Amelia's doctoral
scholarship and the Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University for the ļ¬eldwork assistance.
Notes on contributors
Citra Amelia is a doctoral candidate in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin
University in Australia. Her doctoral research is focused on the factors aļ¬€ecting PhD completion
progress.
Alistair Welsh is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin
University in Australia. His interdisciplinary interests relate to socio-linguistic research into identity,
culture and discourse.
Monika Winarnita is a Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University in
Australia. Her research interest includes understanding the experiences of Indonesians in Australia,
particularly through an ethnographic approach.
RamĆ³n LĆ³pez Castellano is a Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin
University in Australia. His research interests include a wide range of topics related to cultures,
society and identity.
ORCID
Citra Amelia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1571-3367
Alistair Welsh http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4238-1636
Monika Winarnita http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5481-063X
10 C. AMELIA ET AL.
RamĆ³n LĆ³pez Castellano http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5996-3325
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A Blessing In Disguise Beyond Cross-Cultural Online Supervision

  • 1. A blessing in disguise: Beyond cross-cultural online supervision Citra Amelia , Alistair Welsh , Monika Winarnita and RamĆ³n LĆ³pez Castellano School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia ABSTRACT This article draws from a mixed-method study of 111 Indonesian doctoral studentsā€™ experiences in Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative data from follow-up interviews conducted throughout 2020 oļ¬€er insights into doctoral studentsā€™ enforced online supervision experiences. Beyond the inevitable challenges, in-depth interviews reveal that most participantsā€™ narratives involve cross-cultural issues. We highlight one participantā€™s cross-cultural experience of online supervision, which she called ā€˜a blessing in disguiseā€™. This studentā€™s narrative epitomises the transformative potential of repositioning oneself in relation to others and strate- gies involving additional support to operate online. By employing positioning theory, this study provides insights into eļ¬€ective prac- tices for online supervision during a time of crisis. KEYWORDS Cross-cultural; online supervision; positioning theory; Indonesian doctoral students; COVID-19; narrative Introduction Online doctoral supervision was initially applied in distance/ oļ¬€-campus doctoral pro- grammes (Evans, 2006). Advances in technology have enabled doctoral programmes to be oļ¬€ered to students who cannot attend in person due to family or work responsibilities (Akojie et al., 2019). Despite the advantages of online programmes, research has consis- tently shown that online doctoral students face numerous challenges that cause student attrition (Ames et al., 2018). Nasiri and Mafakheri (2015) identify several challenges that doctoral students encountered during online supervision, such as time diļ¬€erence, lack of understanding of personal knowledge, lack of communication, and diļ¬€erences in com- puter literacy and accessibility. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, doctoral candidates who originally enrolled as on-campus students were forced to adjust to online supervision. Despite the considerable diļ¬ƒculties experienced during this time, we found that some students beneļ¬ted from the shift to online supervision. To examine the positive eļ¬€ects more closely, we provide an in- depth analysis of one international studentā€™s narrative (Tia), who was empowered by a shift to online supervision. Tiaā€™s narrative was purposefully selected for this paper. In doing so, we do not claim representativeness of her narrative; we use it to highlight an individualā€™s situated experience. CONTACT Citra Amelia ameliac@deakin.edu.au Deakin University, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Education, Geelong Waurn Ponds Campus, Locked Bag 20000, Geelong VIC 3220, Australia INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION AND TEACHING INTERNATIONAL https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2021.1991832 Ā© 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group
  • 2. There are inevitable challenges for international doctoral students who experience online supervision. Some issues arise from diļ¬€erent cultural expectations leading to confusion and misunderstandings (Wisker, 2008), inadequate English language proļ¬- ciency resulting in miscommunication (Winchester-Seeto et al., 2014), and mismatched expectations of what constitutes suitable feedback (Alebaikan et al., 2020). However, much less is known about how international doctoral students experienced online super- vision during the 2020 COVID-19 arrangements and how they constructed their identities in cross-cultural contexts. In response to this gap in the literature, this article highlights the story of Tia, an international doctoral student from Indonesia in Australia. She was isolated from supervisors and peers and separated from her husband and child in Indonesia during the pandemic. Her narrative points to the importance of supportive relationships in doctoral supervision, particularly in times of crisis, and provides evidence of the potential for online supervision to facilitate such relationships. To investigate this important issue, we pose the following research questions: (1) What is the possible impact of online doctoral supervision during the pandemic on an individualā€™s identity and positioning in relation to others, within institutional structures of the university and peer engagement? (2) How can practices and strategies of online doctoral supervision be successfully applied in a time of crisis? Online doctoral supervision in Australia Online doctoral supervision has long been conducted through email correspondence with electronic drafts reviewed asynchronously (Augustsson & Jaldemark, 2014). It is argued that asynchronous communication provides inadequate interaction and sup- port for eļ¬€ective supervision, while synchronous communication through videocon- ferencing is more eļ¬€ective for discussion and support (Kƶnings et al., 2016). Online supervision has adopted new digital communication modes, particularly videoconfer- encing through Blackboard Collaborate, Skype, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom. These platforms enable synchronous interaction, providing a more comprehensive super- vision experience (Kƶnings et al., 2016). Since COVID-19, online synchronous super- vision has quickly become the norm in Australia. The doctoral programme in Australia is often entirely research-based (ACOLA, 2016). To complete doctoral degrees, students in Australia generally only need to complete a thesis to be examined by three external examiners, with no oral defence. In addition, the Australian Council of Learned Academies or ACOLA (2016) expects doctoral students to complete their studies within three years. These high expectations in the Australian system make eļ¬€ective supervision a necessity. Acknowledging such challenges and recognising that one supervisor may not meet the needs of individual doctoral students during candidature (Green & Bowden, 2012). The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) stipulate a set of measures within the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2015 which requires a doctoral supervision panel with a minimum of two supervisors (TEQSA, 2015 2 C. AMELIA ET AL.
  • 3. In a COVID context, supervisory relationships have become more important because of social isolation. It is assumed that technology can facilitate eļ¬€ective communication between students and supervisors. This environment has generated new opportunities for better understanding the possibilities of online supervision, particularly in a time of crisis. Applying positioning theory to doctoral supervision To explore supervisory dynamics, we draw from positioning theory (R. HarrĆ© & Van Langenhove, 1999) to emphasise that a studentā€™s identity positions are shaped by relational interactions with others. Positioning theory has been widely applied to multidisciplinary research (Kayı-Aydar, 2019) to analyse social issues, which are not bound by disciplinary divisions (Slocum-Bradley, 2009, p. 79). Positioning theoryā€™s focus on ā€˜social context, identities, and social interactionā€™ (Kayı-Aydar, 2019, p. 43) is well suited to identifying participantsā€™ interaction in bi/multilingual contexts and has been applied to analysing international studentsā€™ experiences and identities (Collett, 2020). Positioning theory treats an individualā€™s identity positions as socially constructed or co-constructed in relation to others. Understanding identity as being socially constructed means that relational perspectives dynamically shape identity positions. Tran and Vu argue that this theory is a valuable framework for an in-depth examina- tion of ā€˜studentsā€™ positions within institutional structures and related communities, and how they perceive themselves to be positioned in speciļ¬c ways (desirable or undesirable) by others in the discourse communityā€™ (Tran & Vu, 2016, p. 207). Our study applies positioning theory to develop an in-depth understanding of an indivi- dualā€™s self-positioning in online supervision. This contributes to better understanding how the individual negotiates her position and identity in the context of cross- cultural supervision during a crisis. By analysing in-depth reļ¬‚ective narrative, we explore how Tia self-positioned in relation to her supervisors and the identity positions she ascribed to them. Tiaā€™s narrative reveals key cultural constructs that she applied in self-positioning and those she attributed to others in the cross-cultural context as an Indonesian doctoral student in Australia. Van Langenhove and HarrĆ© (1999) suggest a distinction between roles that are more static and positions that are dynamic. Considering such a distinction in the context of doctoral supervision, we view the role of supervisor to be shaped by a relatively static set of institutional expectations and duties, whereas positions adopted might depend on variable contexts and circumstances, including diļ¬€ering student needs and expectations. We assume there is potential for interplay between this conceptualisation of role and position, and for power dynamics to variably inļ¬‚uence identity positioning. This acknowl- edges that the student-supervisor relationship is open to the eļ¬€ects of power dynamics from institutional roles and expectations and has the potential for complex and nuanced dynamics that change over time. This is a useful basis on which to view the doctoral student-supervisor relationship. INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION AND TEACHING INTERNATIONAL 3
  • 4. Methodology Research design: Mixed-methods explanatory sequential In this study, an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach was employed through an online survey questionnaire and follow-up in-depth interviews to explore the experi- ences of Indonesian international doctoral students in Australia. Survey data provided a general picture of key issues, while interview data provided in-depth responses. Data in this paper is drawn from the ļ¬rst-named authorā€™s doctoral research that explores factors aļ¬€ecting the doctoral completion of Indonesian students in Australia. As an Indonesian doctoral student at an Australian university, she is an insider in this research, enabling participants to speak frankly and openly during the interview. The research design allowed participants to choose which language to use in in-depth semi- structured online interviews. Data from interviews conducted in Indonesian tended to be richer as participants shared detailed experiences and expressed speciļ¬c cultural nuances that would have been more diļ¬ƒcult to convey in English. These data provide valuable insights into cross-cultural encounters between doctoral students and supervisors. This article necessarily focuses on one participantā€™s experiences to do justice to the nuanced depth of cross-cultural encounters. Data collection Online survey In the ļ¬rst phase of the study, quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the participants using an online survey questionnaire. By applying homogeneous sampling, participants were selected from a particular group who shared similar experiences: an Indonesian student undertaking a doctoral degree with a scholarship at an Australian university. The survey participants were recruited through social media of Indonesian communities in Australia, as approved by the Faculty of Arts and Education Human Ethics Advisory Group (Project ID: HAE-19-246). Online surveys were completed by 111 partici- pants across Australia. Online interview The second, qualitative phase, was conducted through in-depth semi-structured online interviews. Nested sampling was applied in recruiting participants for online interviews. Thus, the interview participants were recruited and selected from the online survey participants as the ļ¬rst phase and voluntarily consented to participate in an interview. As is common in qualitative research, this study uses a small sample size to collect in- depth responses about a speciļ¬c issue. It is the depth of qualitative data, not the breadth of the sample size, that helps address the research question (Patton, 2002). In qualitative research, the purposeful selection of the sample is the best strategy to obtain ā€˜informa- tion-richā€™ data that can provide in-depth insight into the topic of study (Freeman et al., 2007). From 65 survey participants who agreed to be interviewed, 22 participants were selected to represent a demographic balance of Indonesian doctoral students in Australia. Selection ensured a balance of gender, ļ¬eld of study, year of study, and scholarship provider. 4 C. AMELIA ET AL.
  • 5. Interviews were conducted from July until October 2020 via Zoom due to COVID-19 restrictions. An inherent limitation of this study is that data collected during this speciļ¬c historical moment (COVID-19 pandemic) is likely to yield diļ¬€erent ļ¬ndings from any future studies on a similar topic. Yet, this ā€˜limitationā€™ also speaks to the signiļ¬cance of this study ā€“ being undertaken in unprecedented circumstances in a time of crisis. During extended interviews, participants described their experiences as interna- tional doctoral students in a narrative form. Given the interdisciplinary nature of this study, the narrative is applied to understand the multidimensional meanings of society, culture, and an individualā€™s life experiences (Elliott, 2005) in reļ¬‚ecting on their doctoral supervision. As such, this paper presents the interview data in a narrative format. Data analysis To protect the anonymity of participants, pseudonym names are used, and all reasonable care is taken to avoid identiļ¬able details. Data from recorded interviews were transcribed and coded by QSR NVivo, a software program, for the thematic analysis of qualitative data (Braun & Clarke, 2006). First, we conducted an inductive ā€˜bottom-upā€™ approach by searching for emergent themes in the transcripts by using the query tool and coding the text. After that, we generated the themes by applying the auto coded tool in NVivo. To ensure the credibility and validity of the ļ¬ndings, we combined this phase with manual coding by using Microsoft Excel to sort and organise excerpts into the relevant themes. Since narrative insights can contextualise a ā€˜particular interpretation of lived experi- encesā€™ (Lim et al., 2019, p. 12), we examined the participantsā€™ narratives of their experi- ences of doctoral supervision in transitioning to online supervision. Although data were considered from in-depth interviews with 22 doctoral students, we highlight one parti- cular narrative to capture intimate details about how this participant reļ¬‚ected on the meaning of her experiences. We undertake an in-depth analysis of one particular participant, Tia, whose narrative of her experiences inform a rich analysis of online supervision at this historical moment of crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic. Analysing narratives provides chronological order to correlate perceptions of past and present events and considers how such interactions reļ¬‚ect participantsā€™ understandings of their future, including their sense of wellbeing (Mahmoud & Tehseen, 2021). Focusing on one narrative provides an in-depth chronolo- gical portrayal of how the participant reļ¬‚ected on her experience and revealed detailed insights as the story unfolds. Findings and discussion To explore online supervision experiences in greater detail, an in-depth analysis of one participantā€™s narrative becomes the articleā€™s main focus . Through a lens of positioning theory, our analysis uncovers speciļ¬c supervisory practices that support academic pro- gress during a crisis. INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION AND TEACHING INTERNATIONAL 5
  • 6. Online supervision: A blessing in disguise Described as a ā€˜blessing in disguiseā€™, we discuss Tiaā€™s doctoral journey, as a female international student from Indonesia in her second year of a doctoral programme at a university in Melbourne. Her motivation for taking a PhD was for career advancement as a lecturer in Indonesia. To pursue her doctoral degree, she decided to leave her daughter and husband in Indonesia. Regardless of the diļ¬ƒculties experienced, she valued her ā€˜positiveā€™ experience while studying in Melbourne. She identiļ¬ed as being of Javanese ethnicity. A ā€˜blessing in disguiseā€™ represents a religious and cultural discourse within Tiaā€™s narrative, reļ¬‚ecting strategies she used to adapt to online supervision. Through her narrative, she expressed her perspective through a ā€˜Javaneseā€™ cultural understanding ā€“ thereby reļ¬‚ecting her self-positioning in relation to others. Applying positioning theory to this narrative, we ļ¬nd that the supervision relationships are a dynamic construct of ā€˜positionā€™ rather than a static designation of a personā€™s ā€˜roleā€™. Tiaā€™s narrative is charac- terised as a repositioning of the supervision relationship enacted by herself as a doctoral student, the principal supervisor, and the associate supervisor. It was also shaped by peer relationships in group online sessions. Doctoral studentā€™s strategies and practices Tia started her doctoral journey with one principal supervisor and one associate super- visor in July 2019. In the early stages of candidature, Tia explained that her principal supervisor set supervision rules to play the leading role in the supervision panel. She used Javanese cultural terms manut and pasrah in responding to this rule: . . . the term is if you are a Javanese is to be compliant (manut), just to accept (pasrah) [the situation] with the supervisor. I believe in him. Before I began this PhD, I really believed that the ļ¬rst person who would help me whenever something happens to me in this journey is my supervisor. I really believed this. Koentjaraningrat (1984) deļ¬nes manut as ā€˜complying or agreeing to the will of othersā€™ (As cited in Saddhono, 2013, p. 165). Traditional Javanese culture values the principles of harmony and mutual respect. As a result, Javanese people tend to avoid disagreement in social interaction. The term pasrah is deļ¬ned as the action ā€˜to devote ourselves to God, leader, ruler, and his superiors about what they have received (fatalistic)ā€™ (Saddhono, 2013, p. 161). These concepts indicate that Tia applied Javanese cultural values of a paternalistic tradition of leadership to her social positioning of self and others in interaction with supervisors. By using these Javanese cultural terms, Tia positioned herself as inferior and her principal supervisor as superior. Tan and Moghaddam (1995) argue that culture aļ¬€ects social positioning. The above quote reļ¬‚ects Tiaā€™s acceptance and almost total trust in the supervisor ā€“ this reļ¬‚ects a stance towards the supervisorā€™s role. Tiaā€™s narrative arguably reļ¬‚ected an ā€˜accepting of authorityā€™ as a positioning strategy which refers to ā€˜the way persons locate themselves and others within an essentially moral space by using several categories and story-linesā€™ (HarrĆ© & Van Langenhove, 1991, p. 396). In this sense, we understand the term ā€˜moral spaceā€™ to be general standards of behaviour and principles of 6 C. AMELIA ET AL.
  • 7. right and wrong. Tia regarded her principal supervisor as having ā€˜moral authorityā€™ over supervisory practices and accepted this rule without questioning the positioning. She accepted this supervisory rule and trusted her principal supervisor to ā€˜leadā€™ her doctoral project. She believed that her principal supervisor was the primary person to support her through her doctoral journey. This suggests that her strategy was to accept and adapt to the situation. She even felt grateful to have a ā€˜dominantā€™ type of principal supervisor after hearing about the experi- ences of other doctoral students who had diļ¬ƒculties in following two diļ¬€erent directions when supervisors held ā€˜equalā€™ co-supervisory roles. Tia also interpreted her relationship with her principal supervisor in terms of a child- parent dynamic, as evident in this description: I feel that his advice is the number one thing . . . To use an analogy, it is like a parent and child. This narrative indicates the supervision relationship between student and supervisor. Tia presented her identity as having a Javanese cultural background and using culturally speciļ¬c discourses to explain her position as a child who constantly needs advice from her parents. In Javanese culture, the parent is perceived as a role model within the natal family unit (Geertz, 1989). This narrative shows how Tia positioned herself as a child and her principal supervisor as a father ļ¬gure. Principal supervisorā€™s strategies and practices Since the beginning of the pandemic, her principal supervisor had been stranded over- seas and had diļ¬ƒculty with his internet connection. However, after her principal super- visor returned to Australia, he could access the internet and scheduled supervision meetings online through Zoom. All praise (only) be upon God (Alhamdulillah) for online [supervision]. Even though it was not regularly scheduled, we were able to communicate well. This narrative refers to the supervision meeting frequency and feedback. Although her supervision meetings were not as regular as before, she appreciated her new experience of changing mode to online supervision, as reļ¬‚ected by the Islamic Arabic term Alhamdulillah, as the expression of gratitude. This shows how Tia engaged in a deliberate act of self-positioning to online supervision. This represents what HarrĆ© and Van Langenhove (1991, p. 401) refer to as ā€˜strategic positioningā€™ by Tia and her supervisors. Besides videoconferencing via Zoom, she communicated with her supervisory panel through weekly progress reports by email and phone communication if necessary. Her principal and associate supervisors were open and responsive to any means of commu- nication that would support Tia and provided feedback on her work. She found that various modes of communication helped her maintain academic progress and relation- ships with both supervisors. INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION AND TEACHING INTERNATIONAL 7
  • 8. Associate supervisorā€™s strategies and practices Due to her principal supervisorā€™s clear expectations to be ā€˜leadingā€™ the supervision ā€“ as stated clearly at the beginning of Tiaā€™s candidature ā€“ her associate supervisor tended to have little involvement in supervision. However, since signiļ¬cant changes to academic activities resulting from COVID-19, her associate supervisor started to oļ¬€er emotional support via online contact using a combination of communication modes. For example, when Tia felt depressed and had sleeping problems because she was worried about her family in Indonesia, her associate supervisorā€™s support came as a ā€˜reliefā€™. As a result, Tia started to develop what she described as a child-parent kind of dynamic in interaction with her associate supervisor, as she described: Well, this pandemic was a time that revealed my associate supervisor to be a woman with a gentle demeanour, a counter-balance to my principal supervisor, who is an ā€˜explosiveā€™ (meledak-ledak) person, who is very open and so on. Well, this ā€˜womanā€™ (ibu) supervisor was like a mother ļ¬gure to me. So, very motherly. More supportive of me psychologically. She described her principal supervisor as being ā€˜explosiveā€™ or meledak-ledak. In contrast, Tia regarded her associate supervisor as very motherly, warm and caring. Tia applied this gendered cultural construct to her associate supervisor, noting it as important emotional support. Tia suggested that the associate supervisor could feel empathy for her situation as a mother and a wife. She suggested that Tia return to Indonesia to reunite with her family. Although Tia did not previously see the ā€˜dominantā€™ and ā€˜explosiveā€™ character of her principal supervisor as problematic, she beneļ¬ted from her associate supervisorā€™s more supportive nature during a challen- ging time. This narrative showed how Tia had ā€˜deliberately positionedā€™ her associate super- visor as someone who could understand her situation. In essence, her associate supervisor redeļ¬ned her position into being a supervisor who provided emotional support and changed her supervisory practices by building an empathetic relation- ship based on a similar ā€˜genderedā€™ role as a mother and wife. She took up a much- needed more signiļ¬cant role (than previously) that the principal supervisor could not fulļ¬l at a time of crisis. By redeļ¬ning her position vis-a-vis the student and the principal supervisor, the associate supervisor changed the dynamic in the established relationships to enable Tia to continue her doctoral candidature and ļ¬nd solutions to problems encountered. Peer support strategies and practices Tia also beneļ¬ted from a diļ¬€erent strategy established by the principal supervisor of peer support through online group supervision meetings with all of his doctoral students by using Microsoft Teams. She valued her new group online supervision experience as a ā€˜blessing in disguiseā€™ or hikma ā€“ an Arabic term (Khalifa, 2000) commonly used and borrowed in Indonesian as hikmah to mean receiving wisdom (through interaction with others), prosperity or a gift (new friends) and thus being blessed. She described her experience. . 8 C. AMELIA ET AL.
  • 9. What is interesting about Microsoft Teams, speciļ¬cally during the pandemic, is that I feel that perhaps it is a hikmah, a blessing in disguise. Because all of us were working under this professorā€™s supervision, throughout our time on campus before this pandemic, we rarely connected with one another. This narrative indicates a ā€˜moral and personal positioningā€™ shift (HarrĆ© & Van Langenhove, 1991, p. 397) as these groups of students had been personally positioned according to the ā€˜moralā€™ order (authority) of the principal supervisor to practice social interaction through online group supervision meetings. Finally, Tia found that this new online communication technology was ā€˜a blessing in disguiseā€™ in challenging times because she rarely had an opportunity to engage with other students under the same supervisor before the pandemic. After returning to Indonesia, she became more grateful that she had ā€˜online supervisionā€™ because she could continue to build connections and new relationships through this online platform, working with peers and gaining hikmah (wisdom, a gift of friendship and being blessed). This platform thus allowed her to grow with her peers ā€“ both professionally and personally. In eļ¬€ect, the principal supervisor using the strategy of online group supervision, repositioned his relationship with Tia to no longer be her sole main support, thus harnessing peer support as an eļ¬€ective practice to adapt to isolation due to the pandemic. Conclusion Especially for students such as Tia, who was socially isolated living in Australia and separated from her family in Indonesia, her reļ¬‚ections of online interaction with super- visors and peers show how valuable online engagement has been when meeting in person was not possible. Tiaā€™s narrative demonstrates the importance of relationships and support provided through online engagement during periods of social isolation resulting from COVID-19. While the ļ¬ndings presented here may not be generalisable, the analysis of Tiaā€™s narrative provides valuable insights into the importance of international studentsā€™ experi- ences and awareness of their religious and cultural discourses to avoid miscommunica- tion during supervision. This study highlights the need for supportive relationships in the doctoral supervisory context and shows the potential for online supervision to facilitate those needs. It shows how practices and strategies can be adapted to enable positive outcomes in doctoral studentsā€™ progress and supervisor-student relationships. The super- visorsā€™ repositioning was a shift towards fulļ¬ling the need for more emotional support for doctoral students in a time of crisis. In addition, it highlights the need for self-reļ¬‚ection in these relationships. Researching an Australian ā€“ Indonesian cross-cultural context thus contributes to a better understanding of diļ¬€erent power dynamics to recognise the importance of changes that may be needed within supervisory practices and panels. It would be beneļ¬cial for supervisors to consider adopting more ļ¬‚exible positions in their interactions with doctoral students rather than maintaining static roles, often established by institu- tions. This research also highlights the importance of peer support for doctoral students and points to peer support as oļ¬€ering potential that universities should seek to further develop. INNOVATIONS IN EDUCATION AND TEACHING INTERNATIONAL 9
  • 10. To conclude, this study reveals a unique and situated experience of an international doctoral student in a time of crisis. Importantly, its ļ¬ndings have enduring relevance for enhancing the quality of doctoral education post-COVID-19. By exploring an individualā€™s online doctoral supervision experience, this study oļ¬€ers valuable insights into pedagogi- cal approaches for eļ¬€ective supervision practices in a time of crisis. Building on this study, a fruitful direction for further research would be to look beyond the cross-cultural dynamics of ļ¬xed positionalities in doctoral student-supervisor relations and consider the transformative potential of intercultural relations in this context, examining the possibility for increased responsiveness and ļ¬‚exibility in more dynamic intercultural positioning. Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank the editors and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions to improve the article. The authors also would like to thank Eileen Hanrahan (Language Learning Adviser at Deakin University) for the feedback and all the research participants who volunteered to share their insights for this project. Disclosure statement No potential conļ¬‚ict of interest was reported by the author(s). Funding This work was supported by Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP) for Citra Amelia's doctoral scholarship and the Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University for the ļ¬eldwork assistance. Notes on contributors Citra Amelia is a doctoral candidate in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University in Australia. Her doctoral research is focused on the factors aļ¬€ecting PhD completion progress. Alistair Welsh is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University in Australia. His interdisciplinary interests relate to socio-linguistic research into identity, culture and discourse. Monika Winarnita is a Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University in Australia. Her research interest includes understanding the experiences of Indonesians in Australia, particularly through an ethnographic approach. RamĆ³n LĆ³pez Castellano is a Lecturer in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Deakin University in Australia. His research interests include a wide range of topics related to cultures, society and identity. ORCID Citra Amelia http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1571-3367 Alistair Welsh http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4238-1636 Monika Winarnita http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5481-063X 10 C. AMELIA ET AL.
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