Abstract

This article centres upon experiences of supervising practitioner-researchers engaged in
the first year of a Customised Master of Philosophy (MPhil) programme of study. This pathway
resides within a larger collaboration between the University of Sunderland’s Centre for Excellence
in Teacher Training (SUNCETT) and the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) delivering a
National Practitioner Research Programme (PRP) in England. It takes as its starting point how
non-traditional research students from the further adult and vocational education (FAVE) sector
experience entry into the programme and their subsequent development of scholarship and research
skills as they pursue their studies at research degree level in higher education (HE). Using six guiding
principles underpinning the PRP as a framework for analysis, illustrative stories of the experiences of
supervisors and research students provide insights into ways in which supervision is enacted. Some
key characteristics of supervision practice are described. These often bring to light differences between
supervision on the Customised MPhil with that of conventional MPhil programmes. The most
striking finding supports how the development of collaborative and cooperative practice helps to shift
the customary dynamic of research degree study away from isolation towards a shared experience as
members of an inclusive and active research community