Institutional Practices Influencing Trends in Enrolment and Completion Rates in Doctorate Degree Programmes from Selected Public Universities in Kenya

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dc.contributor.advisorNyambura Salomeen_US
dc.contributor.advisorPeter M. Gatharaen_US
dc.contributor.authorMotanya, Jared Ochwangi
dc.date.accessioned2023-01-30T13:29:33Z
dc.date.available2023-01-30T13:29:33Z
dc.date.issued2022
dc.descriptionA Thesis Submitted in Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Sociology of Education and Policy Studies) in the School of Education of Kenyatta University, September, 2022en_US
dc.description.abstractDoctorates boost scientific innovations and productivity of a country leading to growth and expansion of the economy. However, studies on doctorate education indicate that most students in Kenyan public universities take long to complete their doctorate programmes. Moreover, enrolment data from selected Kenyan public universities show that fewer students enroll for doctorate programmes in comparison with those who register for Master and Bachelors’ programmes. The purpose of this study was to establish the reasons for low enrolment rates and long completion time by the doctorate students in selected Kenyan public universities. The study was guided by the following objectives: first, to analyse the trends in doctorate degree programmes enrolment and completion rates from selected public universities in Kenya for the last fifteen years; second, to establish how institutional doctorate degree programmes procedures influence enrolment and completion in selected Kenyan public universities; third, to establish how institutional doctorate supervision practices influence completion in doctorate programmes from selected Kenyan public universities and; fourth, to explore how institutional resources influence doctorate degree enrolment and completion rates in selected public Kenyan universities. The Social Support Theory and the Involvement Theory were utilised to explore the phenomenon of low enrolment and completion rates of doctorates from selected Kenyan public universities. The study employed the mixed methods research design. Data was collected from four purposively sampled universities using questionnaires, analysis of documents and interview schedules. Qualitative data was coded and then thematically analysed guided by the study objectives while quantitative data was analysed using percentages and graphs. The study revealed that between 2003 and 2017, there was low doctorate programmes enrolment and completion rates at the selected public Universities in Kenya. This was demonstrated from trends in the numbers of those who enrolled and those who graduated. The trends revealed that more males than females enrolled and completed their studies with the highest being between 2008 and 2013. Additionally, the study found out that institutional doctorate programme procedures, doctorate programme supervision practices and institutional doctorate programme resources directly impact on doctorate enrolment and graduation from the selected public universities in Kenya. Universities admission procedures into doctorate programmes were also found to take long. Furthermore, doctorate supervision had challenges universities had insufficient number of qualified academic staff. The study concludes that low enrolment rate and long duration in doctorate study completion are caused by inappropriate systemic practices, inadequate academic and administrative staff, and insufficient physical and technological infrastructure. The research recommends: institutional doctorate programme procedures’ policies to be standardized across universities; the Ministry of Education through the State Department of University Education to have a robust funding programme for the doctorate programmes and; formulation of doctorate supervision guidelines to make it mandatory for the supervisors to jointly meet on a regular basis with the doctorate candidate for harmonized guidance. The findings of this research will be resourceful to university policy makers, administrators and lecturers to improve on institutional policy framework which could be used to enhance doctorate degree enrolment and completion in Kenyan public universities.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipKenyatta Universityen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/handle/123456789/24552
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherKenyatta Universityen_US
dc.subjectInstitutional Practicesen_US
dc.subjectTrends in Enrolmenten_US
dc.subjectCompletion Ratesen_US
dc.subjectDoctorate Degree Programmesen_US
dc.subjectPublic Universitiesen_US
dc.subjectKenyaen_US
dc.titleInstitutional Practices Influencing Trends in Enrolment and Completion Rates in Doctorate Degree Programmes from Selected Public Universities in Kenyaen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
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