Research Design
Addressing the research problem is an economic debate that can be disputed by different Kenyans and their government. Different views and opinions will result in view of preparing a resolution to the education and economic problem. There is no absolute answer to the research question. Because of this, there is a need to use exploration that can be observed under flexible research method. As the method is used to refine understanding of new or ill-defined phenomena (1999), it can guide the research question and resolution towards consensus. Observations from this method are made in context that makes the researcher, people and phenomena being studied and possible findings a part of an “open, interactive and fluid situation”. This condition is a large support in our use of grounded theory and maximizes potential learning.
The nature of grounded theory is to collect as many ideas as possible, analyze them to figure possible problems and conduct investigation for theory to emerge (1967). In this view, not only interview but also desk research is important as to suffice the need of grounded approach to test the emergence of the theory from additional data (1999). The researcher wanted to gain in-depth in sight about the research problem that this design becomes useful. When it comes to sample, a negative case () will be excluded rather it will be the task of the researcher to find samples suited to the needs of the research to construct a relevant theory.
Audiotape will be used in recording interviews while taking-down notes and highlighting will be used in doing desk research. Common mistakes from interviews are asking in a confirmatory way in which extreme ideas of the interviewee are not accounted for and failure to ask them to maximize findings. In this view, there is a need to formalize the interview atmosphere in such a manner of avoiding limiting the findings as well as to prevent adverse attitudes during interviews. The desk research will also serve to smooth the rough edges of the interviews. It will confirm, evaluate or dispute the data gathered during interviews which are incidentally affected by distortion of answers relevant to the research problems (1999).
To make the case palpable (), certain excerpts from the interviews will be shown. In this view, writing transcripts on the interview allows accurate and direct use of the material in the report. However, this advantage is limited by the inability of transcripts to show non-verbal actions of the interviewee that can affect its answers to certain questions. To avoid researcher bias during data collection and interviewing, the research will identify the researcher’s self-reflection and its implications in the research. As the study will be carried with certain goals at hand, largely on finding theories about the research problem, the researcher is the most crucial element of the sample. He has the control over interview and desk data.
When it comes to reliability, the study will adapt triangulation (interview and observation) technique to enhance its reliability ( 1999). Thus, reliability can be multiplied though mechanically recorded data during desk research. The researcher will also make sure that the steps undertaken in the interview and browsing proper will be included and made explicit for user’s reference. In terms of enhancing validity, the same technique is necessary. It can also be tested when future similar study is conducted and compared with the initial. Collaboration should also be prevented due to too much time spends with interviewees that may defeat validity. To prevent the mental modes of the researcher to distort reality, member checking can be used.
There will be three phases in collecting research data. The first phase involves interviewing of focus group comprising six Kenyan students with ages between 25-40 comprising of three (3) boys and three (3) girls from two different London universities. The second phase involves telephone interview with different representatives of different sectors in Kenya. It is helpful to get relevant information from the members of private/ public institutions, employers and government agencies including interview with few local students. In the third and last phase, internet browsing will be done to provide framework on relevant issues that may emerge during interview sessions. This data collection strategy is suited to perform data analysis later using grounded theory approach. The broad collection of issues from personal interview may face confirmation in the desk data especially when the later is a credible source.
Execution of the Research Design
By using flexible research method, the researcher opted to utilize ways to gather information in simple and efficient manner. The focus group is interviewed one-by-one during their vacant periods and their answers are recorded in tape. The process avoids departure from the real statements. The conversation is informal and the researcher keeps an atmosphere of carefree to prevent irritation and disinterest of the interviewees. This supported exploratory nature of the flexible research in which the mental state of the sample is withdrawn from illusions rather personal behavior and experience. However, there is a need for the researcher to consolidate some general answers. In addition, deduction is exercised due to irrelevant and too much elaboration on the part of some interviewees. The summarized statistics and excerpts are then shown to them and solicited their consent.
With regards to telephone conversation to Kenya-based samples, the researcher was not able to talk with high ranking officials of the Ministry of Education as well as Commission on Higher Education due to their busy schedule. Even if the researcher wanted to get data from office personnel who answered the phone, they are not able to give any due to confidentiality and subjective inconsistencies. In this respect, the researcher sought the heads of certain departments like research and budgets just to figure out the latest issues in the offices and their general views about higher education in local and foreign settings. The answers are very general and little information is gathered. Although the researcher is a little bit disappointed, he is confident that the desk research will complement such inadequacy. Information from short conversation are written down and summarized for the presentation.
The same problem occurred when contacting employers in Kenya. Managers are too busy and some are out of town/ country. Due to this, the researcher is again confronted to divert its attention to the association of manufacturers. The office provided one representative to guide the researcher in the researcher as well as the bridge of the latter to available firms under the category of manufacturing and food sectors. The representative is the one who interviews those employers and so the researcher is confronted with secondary data. Further, the response of primary students are also consolidated and summarized by school heads making its secondary data. Although this aspect of research can connote communication ambiguities that can undermine data reliability, the researcher supplemented this lacking with journal articles from the internet particularly studies being done in the country in recent years.
In the confirmation stage, desk research and browsing guided the raw and questionable data towards an acceptable level. The researcher figured the websites of government related to education as well as other websites of institutions of higher learning which concreted data presented by institution representatives. Aside from confirmatory nature of the third phase, the researcher also benefited from additional facts regarding the culture, economy, labor and other supplementary information with Kenya-dedicated web links. Electronic journals also helped to determine past research relevant to the current study. This last stage of the data gathering both have polishing and disrupting effects on the interview data under phases 1 and 2. Conflicts are resolved by applying analysis and using the learning of the researcher posted on the interpretations, conclusions and generalization part.
Results and Data Gathered (From the Interview)
Numbers and Statistics
1. Percentage of employers interviewed on whether they consider those educated in the West are good employees
Kenyan-educated
UK-educated
Manufacturing
40%
60%
Food industry
50%
50%
2. Both industries said that they prefer recruiting overseas students who have done science (70%) subjects than art ones (30%).
3. Factors that motivate Kenyan students to study in the UK (Multiple responses)
Male
Female
Employment purposes
3
2
Better facilities
3
3
Adventure and Independence from home
2
1
Experience Western lifestyle
1
1
4. Kenyan students who want to study abroad (samples are those who are bound to graduate from primary education)
High School
University
Male
1%
92%
Female
0.5%
86%
Total
2
4
Qualitative and Excerpts
Results and Data Gathered (From Desk Research/ Browsing)
Kenya Education
Kenya Economy
1. Horticulture and food products are the main EU exports (2006)
2. The majority of Kenyans are engaged in subsistence farming. Manufacturing includes plastics, textiles, refined petroleum but this is hampered by hydroelectric shortages and inefficiency/ corruption in the public sector. It attracts tourist due to wildlife and coastal beaches (I2006)
3. The manufacturing sector is dominated by multinational corporations (2006)
4. Kenya is one of the most diversified manufacturing sectors in Africa (Afri2006).
5. Observed in Food Security Report for 2004 up to 2005, the food sector of the Kenya is heavily dependent on rainy season for good harvest (2005)
Kenya Labor Sector
1. The chances of foreigners finding paid employment is low (2006).
2. According to the findings of (2004), employment in agricultural and informal sector is associated with high probability of being poor. Poverty is being coped not escaped by families. Skilled public workers have lower incidence of poverty due to free housing and medical attention than counterparts in private sector. There is a strong negative correlation between education and poverty. It is concluded that low-wage employment in informal and agricultural sectors should be supported by public policy because it alleviates poverty suffering ( 2006).
3. According to high officials of ILO (2002), employment-creation and “meeting at the right place and time” of employers and employees are the two most serious challenges for the country. This is aggravated by expanding labor force and slow economic growth (2002)
4. In the website of the Ministry of Labor, the department explicitly campaigns to stop child labor in the country saying, “Education not labor for our children” (2006).
Kenya Culture
1. There are 40 different ethnic groups in Kenya. Kikuyu are traditionally farmers. Maasai sees stealing as accepted value and they also believed that education is not as important as learning how to be a herdsman for economic survival. They also refused cash economy rather barter. Samburu are close families of Maasai but are naturally nomadic, pastoral and live with milk. Turkana are known for wearing body ornaments and jewelries to increase their charm and place distinction to young warriors. English is taught in schools while Kiswahili is the conversational language. Large portions of the population are Christians and the minority is the Muslims and other ancestral tribal beliefs. Most arts and crafts are for the tourist market (2006).
2. Ethnic identity is more important than national identity. Kenya family members give up individual rights for the sake of following the group/ tribe. There are usually 4-6 children in the family while the man can have two or more wives. Older boys have their own houses while girls are the busiest family member. Employment is sought in the cities; however, successful employees are confronted with poor water systems and poorly built shelters (2006).
Supplementary Information
1. Social influence gives way to social learning as in the case of using contraceptives. Family is the most important social network that influences Kenyan behavior (2005).
Interpretations and Conclusions
· When applied in Kenya, the foreign education of a Kenyan can provide employment benefits when his learning is related to science and will apply in manufacturing industries to excel in engineering and information technology. This benefit is more relevant to male than female graduates.
· Better education in the UK is intensified not only by the country’s developed economy but also the lack of government money to fund higher learning improvements.
· Kenyan girls have lesser motivation to study abroad institutional bias as well as vulnerable disposition and busy roles in families.
· The establishment of international schools and flourishing tourism industry in Kenya exposes young Kenyans to foreign values that can stimulate interest to study abroad.
· The number of local universities, available courses and enrolment vacancies are the primary decision criteria of students to embark in a foreign study while cultural and social issues are secondary.
· Intelligent and serious students have more chance to study abroad although this can be distorted when they are equipped with adequate financial capabilities.
· Kenyan students would like to act as national heroes when they come back home.
· Government strategies are not well-funded.
· Government, employers and institutions are aware of the adverse effects of education migration particularly brain drain.
· Most of the known universities are religion-based which developed a holistic learner. This undermines specialization issue that is needed in science-based courses.
· Universities are geographically concentrated in Nairobi (the capital of Kenya) which reduces accessibility feature. However, the nomadic nature of some tribes can fit the condition although the ability to pay the education and willingness to be educated are questionable.
· The chance of a local student to study in local universities slim because foreign students are added in the pool of “competitive enrolment” which is aggravated by Nairobi declaring its foreign student friendliness.
· The government has focused too much on primary/ compulsory education to the aggravation of higher education
· Since subsistence farming is vulnerable to non-human events including technology deficiencies, there is a need to develop relevant courses that heavily educates agricultural farmers.
· The mind-set of Kenyan people on poverty acceptance, tribal clustering and absence of nationality ultimately defeats any national programs towards higher education improvement. Thus, family should be mobilized to affect the future behavior and attitude of their younger members.
Generalizations
Without strong and visionary governance, Kenyan higher education will continuously be a puppet of social principles and religious doctrines. When people will not be able to learn how to obtain and appreciate quality of life in a higher context due to the undermining of higher education learning, the social dogma about poverty and tribes will also not be able to reverse. The vicious cycle will continue to make most Kenyans subsistence farmers, nomads and deprived of the pleasures and meaning of life most of other countries have attained. In the contrary, the deficiency of higher education locally can be sought in foreign countries like UK. This would not only provide aspiring Kenyan students the opportunity to experience positive learning-based features but also the prospect to get out from the vicious cycle that pull their educational aspirations day-by-day. However, as most Kenyan students studying abroad are males, the social dictum of male dominance and independence increases the probability that brain drain would ensue not merely in the periods within foreign education but would extend up to employment and productive years.
Due to this, the research problem “How can higher education be tailored to meet the economic needs of Kenya better?” can be resolved by developing and funding a strategy that can disrupt in partial manner the vicious cycle where the poor status of universities, prohibiting disclosures of social principles/ religious doctrines to higher education, increasing foreigner relations and weak/ corrupt government could be dealt. This vicious cycle adversely affects people’s aspiration to maximize their economic significance and contribution particularly the potential of students. Although simultaneous improvement of these areas can maximize results in the short-run, directly addressing the problems of the universities (may they be international, private or public) in Kenya would provide a long-term effect in its economic needs.
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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