Journey of Self-determination: Succeeding Through Mobile Phones

Mobile phone use by small businesses and informal traders in Africa has been celebrated as both transformational and revolutionary. However this revolution is slowly extending to other sectors most notably the open distance learning (ODL) which is not tailored for face to face communication. As such mobile phones generate new viable and innovative ways for postgraduate student supervision. However, the use of mobile phones is not without its challenges testing the supervisor and supervisee’s knowledge, skill, attitude and in general the operative culture of supervision in higher education. The aim of this study was to unveil the challenges faced by postgraduate students and the novelty brought about by use of mobile phones in supervision. The study was conducted as a case study which profiled a doctoral student living in a remote area susceptible to frequent electricity cuts in Southern Africa. The Interaction Equivalency Theorem (IET) served as a base for the study. The device used by this student was just a basic mobile phone which facilitated just voice calls and short message (SMS) exchange only. Data was collected through the student’s personal accounts and interviews with triangulation achieved through the reports of the supervisor. The findings of the study showed that student focus and self- determination in combination with mobile phone use can breed success to remote postgraduate supervision.

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