SUPERVISORY FEEDBACK PRACTICES AND ACADEMIC LITERACIES DEVELOPMENT IN PAKISTANI POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH SUPERVISION

Abstract

In Pakistan, supervisory feedback for postgraduate studies is of critical importance particularly because the classroom environment is within an English as a Second Language (ESL) context. This means that scholars must adapt to a learning environment where the main medium of instruction is not their native language all the while developing disciplinary knowledge, proficiency, and research competence in their subject matter. Irrespective of this significance, supervisory feedback practices themselves remain mainly unexamined in Pakistan. This study investigates the nature, delivery, and tangible impact of supervisory feedback amongst Master's and MPhil scholars and supervisors in Pakistan. This research also particularly examines the contribution supervisory feedback practices make to development of academic literacy.  83 research supervisors and 220 postgraduate research scholars from both private and public universities in Pakistan were questioned via a cross-sectional survey in order to collect data. Two structured surveys covered supervisory practices, how feedback is delivered, how the communication for feedback takes place, how the scholars then engage with it, and how supervisors and scholars see the role of feedback in research work. Academic Literacies Theory, Sociocultural Theory, Dialogism, and Scaffolding were applied for interpretation of data that were analysed using statistics.  Supervisory feedback is mostly developmental and multimodal as it is not limited to language correction but also encompasses concerns regarding conceptual understanding, organisation, methodology, and the discipline itself. The feedback is delivered in multiple forms: in person, via written or digital commentary, and through online interactions and online platforms. Regular interaction is deemed important by both supervisors and scholars as it allows effective feedback. The findings also point out to how supervisory feedback strengthens academic literacies development by enhancing disciplinary socialisation, research competency, and academic writing, all of which contribute significantly towards fostering academic independence. This study posits that supervisory feedback is simply not a corrective procedure but a dialogic and scaffolded process that is essential to participation of postgraduate students in academia. The findings have implications for supervisory practice, research training, and academic writing support within Pakistani higher education and comparative ESL contexts.