Backhouse, Judy2016-06-062016-06-062010Backhouse, J. (2010). Patterns of practice in South African doctoral education: an empirical study. Acta Academica: Postgraduate supervision: research and practice: Supplementum 1, 1-22.0587-2405 (print)2415-0479 (online)http://hdl.handle.net/11660/2700English: In South Africa, doctoral education is usually organised in a traditional supervision model, but the practice of supervision differs across academic units and supervisors. In her comparison of PhD experiences in British universities, Chiang identified two research training structures, namely teamwork and individualist. These different structures affected the research environment, the relationships between supervisor and supervisee, and the experience of doctoral study. Can such differences be observed in South African universities? In a qualitative study of four academic units from different disciplines, four patterns of practice were detected in the ways in which doctoral supervision and research activities were organised. This article characterises these patterns of practice and discusses their impact on the doctoral experienceAfrikaans: In Suid-Afrika word doktorale studieleiding meestal volgens die tradisionele studieleidingmodel georganiseer, maar die toepassing daarvan verskil tussen akademiese eenhede en studieleiers. In haar vergelyking van PhD-ervaringe by Britse universiteite het Chiang spanwerk en individuele werk as twee verskillende navorsingsopleidingstrukture geïdentifiseer. Hierdie strukture het die navorsingsomgewing, verhoudings tussen studieleiers en kandidate, sowel as die doktorale studie-ervaring beïnvloed. Kan soortgelyke verskille by Suid-Afrikaanse universiteite waargeneem word? In ’n kwalitatiewe studie van vier akademiese eenhede in verskillende dissiplines is vier praktykspatrone geïdentifiseer waarvolgens doktorale studies en navorsingsaktiwiteite georganiseer word. In hierdie artikel word die verskillende praktykspatrone omskryf en hul invloed op die doktorale studie-ervaring bespreek.enSouth AfricaDoctoral educationPatterns of practice in South African doctoral education: an empirical studyArticleUniversity of the Free State