Can GenAI complement supervisor support in shaping postgraduates’ research experiences? A mixed-methods approach

The rise of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in postgraduate education has garnered increasing attention, yet it has also sparked debates regarding its capacity to complement human supervisors. Despite the ongoing discussion, the complex interplay of supervisor support and GenAI support on research experiences of postgraduate students remains under-explored. This study aimed to address the gap by employing an explanatory sequential mixed methods design, with the quantitative study conducted with a sample of 1,515 postgraduate students in China to examine the effects of supervisor support and GenAI support on their research experiences. The qualitative study involving interviews with 20 postgraduate students unraveled the nuanced mechanisms underlying the quantitative results. The findings revealed a complementary alliance between supervisor support and GenAI support in fostering postgraduate students’ positive research experiences, and the synergistic integration of supervisor-GenAI maximized their complementary strengths, enhancing the depth and quality of support while preserving the irreplaceable value of human interactions rather than diminishing the role of human supervisors. This study contributed to envisioning an educational environment where GenAI and supervisors coexist harmoniously to enrich postgraduate students’ research experiences.