Kim Beasy

A peer called supervisor

“A lot that goes on in that external environment of the self as the candidate that impacts upon someone’s ability to have a positive experience. A candidate may not feel valued by their supervisors, or that they’re a part of a research culture. If you’re not a part of some kind of community, then it’s very difficult to see the worth in your own work when nobody else does. There’s this to-ing and fro-ing between having that positive affirmation. Yes, this work is valued and affirmed by others. At the same time, by getting that feedback, you can then see the value yourself. So, we need, as institutions and lecturers and staff, to take responsibility for the way that we treat those who are conducting research. We need to value their contributions and to recognize that they are on a journey. And these can be very demanding journeys to try and support somebody on for supervisors as well. But researchers need to feel that they are personally valued and professionally making a contribution of value. And I don’t think we always do both or even only one of those things actually terribly well.” (Kim Beasy)

Be kind to yourself

“A person undertaking research needs to cradle themselves in things that make them feel good. They need to be able to step away and recognize that leaving their project for a couple of days actually does make the world a better place. I think it takes quite a while for that to sink in. I think I’m still learning to do that. Research can be an isolating journey, especially to novice researchers. It takes a helpful social context, a friendly environment that nudges student researchers to recognize that taking breaks is indispensable. That this text might take three hours to write at night and will take 30 minutes to write after a good night’s sleep on the next morning. The institutions at which we learn and teach should take a more proactive role in fostering these environments that instruct students to be mindful and smart about how they invest their energy and solve challenges. Otherwise, research can turn out to be just not very healthy. Students should not be facing the possibly most challenging project of their academic careers and face down every individual problem, challenge, and nuisance in perfect isolation. That’s not what we have educational institutions for.” (Kim Beasy)

Core motivator, key critic

“I would come back to social supports. Social supports, and also whatever it is that research students need to do to make themselves feel good and cutting themselves a break. A thesis means months worth of work—but actually this is a part of the process. And interestingly, you’re not expected to get it right. In fact, that’s what the journey is about. It’s about getting it wrong, learning from your mistakes, and being able to go on from there. So again, that’s a growth mindset. But actually the mindset itself is a way of processing and getting through that experience or whatever negative experience that happens to be; hence why I think it’s so important for an environment to foster that and build that person up to be able to have and take the perspective that actually it’s okay for them to make mistakes. They are expected to do that. This is a journey in which mistakes make the greatest learning.” (Kim Beasy)

Maturing your mind

“One aspect of a thesis is to inspire somebody to want to continue on a research journey, or to at the very least understand the significance of research and the time and energy that goes into it. Also, let’s not forget the significance of those epiphanies that happen within research, allowing the student both to discover the experience for themselves but also to have some empathy and appreciation for those epiphanies of others. So, inspiration is something that can be achieved by a thesis. Unfortunately, we know that that isn’t always the case. Quite the opposite, in fact. Writing a thesis can feel as if you’re a slave to the thesis and a slave to the ideas of others. This ideal achievement that some theses manage to realize can be lost. At the very least, the thesis should serve as some kind of ticket to somewhere else. But it remains true that a thesis can be a beacon of inspiration around the beautiful world of research. Here, it is important not to forget that it is an amazing privilege to actually have the opportunity to engage in deep thinking and research, whatever the discipline.” (Kim Beasy)

Necessity of ownership

“I think we have to acknowledge that supervisors are often the only touchpoint for somebody doing a thesis at that institution. That means that whatever that person is saying is magnified 10 times, and it just becomes so much more significant in the student’s world. The power but also the importance of this person in the context is really significant. On the flip-side, supervisors are having to take on more and more research students. Mentoring half a dozen students is simply a gigantic workload. It’s just a lot of reading and countless meetings and a lot of time that you have to spend on top of all the other commitments that you have. So, the traditional student–supervisor model seems broken. Universities are no longer navel-gazing institutions. And yet, we’re still using the same models of research practice that we were using 50 years ago. Something needs to give. Providing that student with more mechanisms of support than what is currently available would be valuable. We know this from social work: the more social supports people have, the more likely they are to be resilient and get through any kind of mental health issues that they have. So, you know, there’s a whole body of research that kind of supports this notion from another angle, which we really should be tapping into in a research space.” (Kim Beasy)

Strange birds

“While I am a strong proponent of structural change for the better in universities, I want to emphasize the power and agency that students themselves can have within the system. This begins with recognizing the agency that you have to create change for yourself. And I think if we put students in a position of disempowerment and oppression through an academic system, that’s not a very productive or a good feeling. Then they are just trapped and there is not much they can do. While I think the university structure needs to change, agency is equally important, and the student voice in advocating that change and leading some of it is not only important but is also one of the most effective ways to create change within institutions. We know that academic senates and academic committees and, you know, institutional managers tend not to listen to academic staff. But if the customers—that is, the students—have something to say and can rally around a particular issue with enough voice and enough impetus, then it is possible to create change that way. And I think in terms of how do you not get chewed up at the other end? It’s about advocating for your rights and, where there is an issue, trying to ensure students don’t feel powerless about whatever is happening.” (Kim Beasy)