Roles and Interaction of Supervisors and Students in Collective Academic Supervision: A Qualitative Study in China

Abstract Collective academic supervision ( cas ) is a form of student-supervisor interaction for academic learning. This paper is a qualitative case study using observation and interviews to explore the roles and interactions of supervisors and students in three cas groups in a university. Symbolic interaction theory was employed for data analysis, also taking into account the influence of the higher education context on the roles and interactions of participants. The research found that supervisors and students create various symbols through the discussion in cas . The symbols in question have exerted a substantial influence on the reciprocal relationship between supervisors and students, functioning as symbolic representations of the profound effects on students’ intellectual development and emotional energy.