4 - Comparing Pedagogy in Kenya’s Public Universities: The Roles of University Managers
Corresponding Author(s) : Susan M. Kilonzo
Journal of Higher Education in Africa,
Vol. 19 No. 1 (2021): Journal of Higher Education in Africa
Abstract
Past studies have shown that the increased enrolment of students in public universities has not been matched with supporting human and technical resources. This has affected the quality of teaching and learning. This article examines pedagogical approaches in the context of mass expansion of tertiary education in selected public universities in Kenya. Further, the authors explore how managers within these institutions support academic staff in pedagogical innovations. The results from a survey of selected public universities showed that certain teaching and learning pedagogies have been favoured and used in these institutions to accommodate the increasing number of students. Further, although the study shows that there is an effort on the side of university lecturers and managers to use and/or support pedagogies that favour the large number of students, there are bottlenecks that are currently beyond their control. These include inadequate funding, staffing, and physical facilities, among others. Subsequently, there are calls for the Ministry of Education and Commission for University Education to work hand in hand with universities if significant quality education is to be realised in Kenya’s public universities.
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- Akuno, E., Ondieki, D., Barasa, P., Otieno, S., Wamuyu, C. and Amateshe, M., 2017, Higher Education Leadership and Governance in the Development of the Creative and Cultural Industries in Kenya, Dakar: CODESRIA.
- Alabi, G. and Alabi, J., 2014, ‘Understanding the factors that influence leadership effectiveness of deans in Ghana’, JHEA/RESA Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 111–32.
- Avolio B. and Bass, B., 1993, Improving Organizational Effectiveness Through Trans- formational Leadership, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Bass, B. and Bass, R., 2008, The Bass Handbook of Leadership, London: Free Press.
- Bass, B. and Riggio, R., 2006, Transformational Leadership, London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
- Bass, B.M., 1990, ‘From transactional to transformational leadership: learning to share the vision’, Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 18, pp. 9–32.
- Bass, B.M., 1985, Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations, London: Collier Macmillan.
- Bruner, J., 1996, The Culture of Education, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
- Burns, J., 1978, Leadership, New York, NY: Harper and Row.
- Constance, E. and Pletsch-Betancourt, M., 2009, ‘Emerging transformation in higher education: concepts-projects-networks’, Paper presented at DAAD UNISTATT Forum, Kassel University.
- Gware, E. and Gwati, L., 2018, ‘The role of international and regional quality as- surance bodies’, Higher Education Research, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 15–22.
- Githaiga, J. and Tuitong, D., 2009. ‘Quality assurance in higher education: collabora- tion or competition among institutions?’ Paper presented at DAAD UNISTATT Forum, Kassel University.
- Gudo, C., Olel, M. and Oanda, I., 2011, ‘University expansion on Kenya and is- sues of quality education: Challenges and opportunities’, International Journal of Business and Social Science, Vol. 2, No. 20, pp. 203–14.
- Hénard, F. and Mitterle, A., 2006, Governance and Quality Guidelines in Higher Education: A Review of Governance Arrangements and Quality Assurance Guide- lines, Paris: OECD.
- Hénard, F. and Roseveare, D., 2012, ‘Fostering quality teaching in higher education: policies and practices’, Institutional Management in Higher Education, OECD.
- Hodgkinson, C., 1991, Educational leadership: The Moral Art, New York, NY: SUNY Press.
- Kagondu, R. and Marwa, S., 2017, ‘Quality issues in Kenya’s higher education institutions’, JHEA/RESA, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 23–42.
- Khan, Z., Bhat S. and Hussanie, I., 2017, ‘Understanding leadership theories: a review of researcher’, Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, Vol. 7, No. 5, pp. 249–64.
- KNBS. 2018. Economic Survey 2018. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Kothari, C.R., 2004, Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques, New Delhi: New Age International Limited.
- Kumar, R., 2011, Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners, New Delhi: Sage Publishers.
- MacNeill N. et al. 2003. Beyond Instructional Leadership: Towards PedagogicLead- ership. Paper submitted for presentation at the 2003 Annual conference for the Australian Association for Research in Education: Auckland. Accessed on https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.215.957&rep=rep1&type=pdf, on 13th April 2019.
- Marron, M. and Cunniff, D., 2014, ‘What is an innovative educational leader?’ Contemporary Issues in Education Research, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 145–50.
- Materu P., 2007, ‘Higher education quality assurance in sub-Saharan Africa: status, chal- lenges, opportunities, and promising practices’, World Bank Working Paper No. 124.
- Mbirithi, D., 2013, ‘Management challenges facing Kenya’s public universities and impli- cations for the quality of education’, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Kenyatta University.
- Mgaiwa, S. and Ishengoma, J., 2017, ‘Institutional constraints affecting quality assurance processes in Tanzania’s private universities’, JHEA/RESA, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 57–67.
- Ministry of Education, 2018, National Education Sector Strategic Plan for the Period 2018–2022. Nairobi: Government of Kenya.
- MOEST (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology), 2012, Towards a Globally Competitive Quality Education for Sustainable Development, Nairobi: Government Printers.
- Mortimore, P., 1999, Understanding Pedagogy and its Impact on Learning, London: Paul Chapman.
- Mukhwana, E., Oure, S., Kiptoo, S., Kande, A., Njue, R., Too, J. and Some, D.K., 2016, State of University Education in Kenya, Discussion paper No. 4, Nairobi: Commission for University Education.
- Mulinge, M., Arasa, J. and Wawire V., 2017, The Status of Student Involvement in University Governance in Kenya: The Case of Public and Private Universities, Dakar: CODESRIA.
- Muriisa, R., 2014, ‘Rethinking the role of universities in Africa: leadership as a missing link in explaining University performance in Uganda’, JHEA/RESA Vol. 12, No 1, pp. 69–92.
- Nabwire, K., 2016, ‘Innovative pedagogies in institutions of higher learning: building a better future’, European Journal of Education Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 189–206.
- Odhiambo, G., 2011, ‘Higher education quality in Kenya: a critical reflection of key challenges’, Quality in Higher Education, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 299–315.
- Owuor, N., 2012, ‘Higher education in Kenya: the rising tension between quantity and quality in the post massification period’, Higher Education Studies, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 189–206.
- Oliviera-Formoshino, J. and Formoshino, J., 2012, Pedagogy in Participation: Child- hood Association Educational Perspective, Porto: Porto Editora.
- Otara, A., 2014. ‘The academic dean and the challenges of meeting changing expec- tations in a competitive higher education environment in Africa’, JHEA/RESA, Vol. 12, No. 1, 2014, pp. 133–50.
- Petrucka, P., 2017, ‘Building the vision: higher education and quality assurance in East Africa’, Editorial, JHEA/RESA, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 1–4.
- Sall, E. and Oanda, I., 2014. ‘Revitalizing higher education for Africa’s future’, JHEA/ RESA, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 95–107.
- Santhiram, R., ed., 2016. Emerging Trends in Higher Education Pedagogy, Penang: Wou Press.
- Schalkwyk, D. and Steenkamp, R., 2016, ‘The exploration of service quality leader- ship for private higher education institutions in South Africa’, JHEA/RESA, Vol. 14, No. 2, 2016, pp. 85–105.
- Scott, C.L., 2015, ‘The futures of learning 3: what kind of pedagogies for the 21st Century?’ Education Research and Foresight, Working Paper 15.
- Sifuna, D., 1998. ‘The governance of Kenyan public universities’, Research in Post- Compulsory Education, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 175–212.
- Simala, K. 2014. ‘Deanship, leadership dilemmas and management challenges facing the social sciences in public university education in Kenya’, JHEA/RESA, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 1–26.
- Simon, B., 2015, ‘Qualities of effective leadership in HEIs’, Open Journal of Leader- ship, Vol. 4, pp. 54–66.
- Smit, P., 2006. ‘Leadership in South African higher education: a multifaceted conceptualisation’, PhD Thesis, Institute of Education, University of London.
- Starratt, R., 2004, Ethical Leadership, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Vygotsky, L., 1997, Educational Psychology, St. Lucie, FL: St. Lucie Press.
- Walder, A., 2014, ‘The conception of pedagogical innovation in higher education’, Educational Journal, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 195–202.
- Wangenge-Ouma, G., 2008, ‘Higher education marketisation and its discontents: the case of quality in Kenya’, Higher Education, Vol. 56, No. 4, pp. 457–71.
- Waugh, W., 1998, ‘Conflicting values and cultures: the managerial threat to university governance’, Policy Studies Review, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 61–73.
- Webster, R.S., 2009, ‘Why educators should bring an end to pedagogy’, Australian Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 34, pp. 42–53.
- Zhana, T., 2016, ‘Developing pedagogies as a means for improving quality: learning and teaching as a European priority’, 11th European Quality Assurance Forum, Ljubljana.
References
Akuno, E., Ondieki, D., Barasa, P., Otieno, S., Wamuyu, C. and Amateshe, M., 2017, Higher Education Leadership and Governance in the Development of the Creative and Cultural Industries in Kenya, Dakar: CODESRIA.
Alabi, G. and Alabi, J., 2014, ‘Understanding the factors that influence leadership effectiveness of deans in Ghana’, JHEA/RESA Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 111–32.
Avolio B. and Bass, B., 1993, Improving Organizational Effectiveness Through Trans- formational Leadership, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Bass, B. and Bass, R., 2008, The Bass Handbook of Leadership, London: Free Press.
Bass, B. and Riggio, R., 2006, Transformational Leadership, London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Bass, B.M., 1990, ‘From transactional to transformational leadership: learning to share the vision’, Organizational Dynamics, Vol. 18, pp. 9–32.
Bass, B.M., 1985, Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations, London: Collier Macmillan.
Bruner, J., 1996, The Culture of Education, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Burns, J., 1978, Leadership, New York, NY: Harper and Row.
Constance, E. and Pletsch-Betancourt, M., 2009, ‘Emerging transformation in higher education: concepts-projects-networks’, Paper presented at DAAD UNISTATT Forum, Kassel University.
Gware, E. and Gwati, L., 2018, ‘The role of international and regional quality as- surance bodies’, Higher Education Research, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 15–22.
Githaiga, J. and Tuitong, D., 2009. ‘Quality assurance in higher education: collabora- tion or competition among institutions?’ Paper presented at DAAD UNISTATT Forum, Kassel University.
Gudo, C., Olel, M. and Oanda, I., 2011, ‘University expansion on Kenya and is- sues of quality education: Challenges and opportunities’, International Journal of Business and Social Science, Vol. 2, No. 20, pp. 203–14.
Hénard, F. and Mitterle, A., 2006, Governance and Quality Guidelines in Higher Education: A Review of Governance Arrangements and Quality Assurance Guide- lines, Paris: OECD.
Hénard, F. and Roseveare, D., 2012, ‘Fostering quality teaching in higher education: policies and practices’, Institutional Management in Higher Education, OECD.
Hodgkinson, C., 1991, Educational leadership: The Moral Art, New York, NY: SUNY Press.
Kagondu, R. and Marwa, S., 2017, ‘Quality issues in Kenya’s higher education institutions’, JHEA/RESA, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 23–42.
Khan, Z., Bhat S. and Hussanie, I., 2017, ‘Understanding leadership theories: a review of researcher’, Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, Vol. 7, No. 5, pp. 249–64.
KNBS. 2018. Economic Survey 2018. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Nairobi, Kenya.
Kothari, C.R., 2004, Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques, New Delhi: New Age International Limited.
Kumar, R., 2011, Research Methodology: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners, New Delhi: Sage Publishers.
MacNeill N. et al. 2003. Beyond Instructional Leadership: Towards PedagogicLead- ership. Paper submitted for presentation at the 2003 Annual conference for the Australian Association for Research in Education: Auckland. Accessed on https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.215.957&rep=rep1&type=pdf, on 13th April 2019.
Marron, M. and Cunniff, D., 2014, ‘What is an innovative educational leader?’ Contemporary Issues in Education Research, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 145–50.
Materu P., 2007, ‘Higher education quality assurance in sub-Saharan Africa: status, chal- lenges, opportunities, and promising practices’, World Bank Working Paper No. 124.
Mbirithi, D., 2013, ‘Management challenges facing Kenya’s public universities and impli- cations for the quality of education’, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Kenyatta University.
Mgaiwa, S. and Ishengoma, J., 2017, ‘Institutional constraints affecting quality assurance processes in Tanzania’s private universities’, JHEA/RESA, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 57–67.
Ministry of Education, 2018, National Education Sector Strategic Plan for the Period 2018–2022. Nairobi: Government of Kenya.
MOEST (Ministry of Education, Science and Technology), 2012, Towards a Globally Competitive Quality Education for Sustainable Development, Nairobi: Government Printers.
Mortimore, P., 1999, Understanding Pedagogy and its Impact on Learning, London: Paul Chapman.
Mukhwana, E., Oure, S., Kiptoo, S., Kande, A., Njue, R., Too, J. and Some, D.K., 2016, State of University Education in Kenya, Discussion paper No. 4, Nairobi: Commission for University Education.
Mulinge, M., Arasa, J. and Wawire V., 2017, The Status of Student Involvement in University Governance in Kenya: The Case of Public and Private Universities, Dakar: CODESRIA.
Muriisa, R., 2014, ‘Rethinking the role of universities in Africa: leadership as a missing link in explaining University performance in Uganda’, JHEA/RESA Vol. 12, No 1, pp. 69–92.
Nabwire, K., 2016, ‘Innovative pedagogies in institutions of higher learning: building a better future’, European Journal of Education Studies, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 189–206.
Odhiambo, G., 2011, ‘Higher education quality in Kenya: a critical reflection of key challenges’, Quality in Higher Education, Vol. 17, No. 3, pp. 299–315.
Owuor, N., 2012, ‘Higher education in Kenya: the rising tension between quantity and quality in the post massification period’, Higher Education Studies, Vol. 2, No. 4, pp. 189–206.
Oliviera-Formoshino, J. and Formoshino, J., 2012, Pedagogy in Participation: Child- hood Association Educational Perspective, Porto: Porto Editora.
Otara, A., 2014. ‘The academic dean and the challenges of meeting changing expec- tations in a competitive higher education environment in Africa’, JHEA/RESA, Vol. 12, No. 1, 2014, pp. 133–50.
Petrucka, P., 2017, ‘Building the vision: higher education and quality assurance in East Africa’, Editorial, JHEA/RESA, Vol. 15, No. 1, pp. 1–4.
Sall, E. and Oanda, I., 2014. ‘Revitalizing higher education for Africa’s future’, JHEA/ RESA, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 95–107.
Santhiram, R., ed., 2016. Emerging Trends in Higher Education Pedagogy, Penang: Wou Press.
Schalkwyk, D. and Steenkamp, R., 2016, ‘The exploration of service quality leader- ship for private higher education institutions in South Africa’, JHEA/RESA, Vol. 14, No. 2, 2016, pp. 85–105.
Scott, C.L., 2015, ‘The futures of learning 3: what kind of pedagogies for the 21st Century?’ Education Research and Foresight, Working Paper 15.
Sifuna, D., 1998. ‘The governance of Kenyan public universities’, Research in Post- Compulsory Education, Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 175–212.
Simala, K. 2014. ‘Deanship, leadership dilemmas and management challenges facing the social sciences in public university education in Kenya’, JHEA/RESA, Vol. 12, No. 1, pp. 1–26.
Simon, B., 2015, ‘Qualities of effective leadership in HEIs’, Open Journal of Leader- ship, Vol. 4, pp. 54–66.
Smit, P., 2006. ‘Leadership in South African higher education: a multifaceted conceptualisation’, PhD Thesis, Institute of Education, University of London.
Starratt, R., 2004, Ethical Leadership, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Vygotsky, L., 1997, Educational Psychology, St. Lucie, FL: St. Lucie Press.
Walder, A., 2014, ‘The conception of pedagogical innovation in higher education’, Educational Journal, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 195–202.
Wangenge-Ouma, G., 2008, ‘Higher education marketisation and its discontents: the case of quality in Kenya’, Higher Education, Vol. 56, No. 4, pp. 457–71.
Waugh, W., 1998, ‘Conflicting values and cultures: the managerial threat to university governance’, Policy Studies Review, Vol. 15, No. 4, pp. 61–73.
Webster, R.S., 2009, ‘Why educators should bring an end to pedagogy’, Australian Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 34, pp. 42–53.
Zhana, T., 2016, ‘Developing pedagogies as a means for improving quality: learning and teaching as a European priority’, 11th European Quality Assurance Forum, Ljubljana.