Case study 5: Joe

Scenario

Joe has mental health difficulties and his confidence in his own abilities is very low. He gained a first in his degree. He has put off several deadlines for submitting his first chapter to you. His explanation to you is that he does not think he has fully understood the results of his experiments although discussion with him shows that he has.

Suggested actions

• Encourage Joe to put something, however brief, down on paper
• Highlight the researcher's understanding of the results, confirm the rightness of his interpretation so that he has the confidence to commit the findings to pape
• Review Joe's work plan with him. Stagger the writing up so that he gains in confidence and builds up the amount of writing he does
• If the issue is persistent, then advise him to look at student support services/counselling/learning support
• Ensure that all supervisors know what the teaching and learning issues are and that there is consistency across the team in handling the issues.