Career Guidance and Counseling Services for Virtual and Open Learning and Its Impact on the Preservation of Post-Graduate Students in Kenyatta University, Kenya
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Date
2024-01
Authors
Ngaruiya, Lukas Gathui
Ogeta, Norbert
Muchanje, Peter Nyaga
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
EdinBurg
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to assess the impact of career guidance and counseling services
for VOL on the preservation of post-graduate students in Kenyatta University, Kenya. This
study used a descriptive survey approach that included quantitative and qualitative methods of
data collection and analysis. The study’s population comprised two groups. The first group
comprised all 8 director and assistant directors of student affairs in Kenyatta University VOL
Centres. The second group comprised all the 2156 finalist students enrolled for the VOL
programme who are the most familiar with the challenges experienced by VOL students and
from whom it was possible to obtain the record of students who may have dropped out. The
study used a census approach to sample all 8 director and assistant directors of student affairs,
while the Fisher's method was used to calculate the size of the postgraduate finalist sample.
Original data was used in the study. After editing the quantitative data, handling void responses,
coding, and categorizing the data, the information was imported into SPSS version 22 for
analysis. The study found that career counseling and guidance services for VOL improved
postgraduate student retention. This was demonstrated by a significant correlation r coefficient
of 0.758. Specifically, the study concluded that career guidance and counseling influenced the
retention of post-graduate students in Kenya’s public universities. The study also concluded
that student retention was influenced in the form of receiving encouragement to persist until
they graduate, being encouraged to stay until completion of the academic degree, and receiving
motivation to complete the course within the set period. According to the research's findings,
the Ministry of Education’s state Department of Higher Education should institutionalize
guidance and counseling as mandatory student support services in Virtual and Open Learning
(VOL). The research also suggests that the Kenyan government form strategic alliances with
social institutions that would allow public learning institutions to easily access career guidance
and counseling services as a student support service.
Description
Article
Keywords
Career Guidance and Counseling Services, preservation, virtual open learning, retention of learner
Citation
Gathui, N. L. ., Ogeta , N. ., & Muchanje, P. N. . (2024). Career Guidance and Counseling Services for Virtual and Open Learning and its Impact on the Preservation of Post-Graduate Students in Kenyatta University, Kenya. Journal of Education, 4(1), 23–36. Retrieved from https://edinburgjournals.org/journals/index.php/journal-of-education/article/view/2