ABSTRACT. Paulo Freire dismissed “banking education,” suggesting instead, “problem posing education.” Problem posing education uses student daily life and context as a valid text for a dialogical education. Such an education de-emphasizes the teacher as expert who has private ownership of knowledge to be transferred to passive consumers. Instead, teacher and student problematize the task or topic at hand to elicit alternative points of view and to focus on students reconstituting their world through their critical reflection. This article critically considers Paulo Freire’s notion of dialogical pedagogy in relation to postgraduate research supervision, which is envisaged here as a partnership in education based on dialogue. Freire’s notion of dialogical pedagogy while dependent on dialogue, is, however, not equivalent to dialogue and the question underpinning this article is addressed with that critical distinction in mind. A typical research supervision agreement is considered for its potential to open space for developing dialogical pedagogy in research supervision. The supervision process is in a dialectical relationship with this pedagogy, and has the potential to strengthen dialogical pedagogy. Nevertheless, there remain significant challenges to dialogical pedagogy in research supervision, not least from the pressures exerted by neoliberal ideology. Despite the challenges, the joy of a shared and liberating human journey justify the commitment. pp. 102–115

Keywords: dialogical pedagogy; research degree supervision; Freire