Research supervision should be treated with as much significance as teaching at undergraduate levels. Essentially, research supervisors are still dealing with students, about whom they have to be sensitive and aware, and the challenges they face in engaging with their doctoral study journey. As supervisors, it is essential that we apply a humanizing pedagogy in the supervision relationship to launch our students into becoming mature and capable researchers. The concept of a humanizing pedagogy

more »

... s vital. In adopting this approach, the supervisor needs to become sensitive to the students they are supervising, and guide them towards a familiarity with the language of research and practical understanding of the skills of research within their discipline. This is especially vital in the South African and developing country context, as the students who enroll in these universities are often constrained by a number of factors, including their disadvantaged past and their cultural and social barriers. This paper presents a reflective discussion on an attempt to apply a humanizing pedagogy in the supervision relationship. Emerging academics who relate to this paper can use this reflection as an example to frame their own practice in applying a humanizing pedagogy in supervision.