Examining the Influence of Academic Supervisors on Postgraduate Students' Self-Regulated Academic Writing Processes

This study aimed to assess the proposed hypothetical model positing that academic supervisors influence postgraduate students' self-regulated academic writing processes by impacting their mastery goal orientation, value attribution, and self-efficacy related to academic writing. In response to the absence of the measurement tools for evaluating self-regulated academic writing and related variables for postgraduate students, this study was executed in two distinct phases. In Study 1, relevant scales were developed, and validity and reliability assessments were conducted. Study 2 was dedicated to the model testing. Data were collected from postgraduate students enrolled in thesis-based master's and doctoral programs at the Institutes of Education and Social Sciences across various universities in Türkiye. The construct validity of the scales was evaluated using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The study sample comprised 193 participants for Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and a separate group of 252 participants for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Model testing was performed using data from 252 participants, employing Structural Equation Modelling. The findings substantiate the proposed hypothetical model. The findings indicate that supervisors exert an influence on the planning, performance, and reflection phases of self-regulated academic writing by affecting students’ mastery goal orientation, value attribution, and to a lesser extent self-efficacy, with the most significant effect observed in the reflection phase.