Unveiling Dynamics of Student Engagement in Thesis Supervision

Student engagement with supervisory feedback plays a crucial role in higher education, but the process often presents complexities that are not fully understood. Despite the importance and inherent challenges, student engagement remains underexplored and lacks research at the undergraduate level. Therefore, this research aimed to thoroughly examine how undergraduate students engaged with supervisory feedback during the thesis writing process. It included five students who had completed their undergraduate thesis in the English Education Department at an Indonesian college. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, think-aloud protocols, and text analysis. The results showed that all students exhibited high affective, cognitive, and behavioral engagement levels with many positive emotions, such as satisfaction and motivation. Furthermore, this research contributed to the existing body of knowledge by underscoring the critical role of affective engagement in fostering cognitive and behavioral outcomes. It also outlined the need for adaptive supervisory models, emotional intelligence training, and the creation of supportive environments. These insights held relevance for academics, university faculty, educational administrators, and students included in the thesis supervision process. Due to the limited number of participants, the research required cautious interpretation, and generalizations should be carefully asserted. Consequently, the analysis suggested the adoption of adaptive supervisory models, the incorporation of emotional intelligence training, and the establishment of supportive environments. Further research with a larger sample size and broader scope was also suggested to validate and expand the results.