Professional development opportunities as a driver to academic staff job satisfaction in selected public and private universities in Kenya

Abstract

This study was focused on distinguishing the operations in public and private universities and recommending possible policy intervention to improve the academic staff levels of job satisfaction and performance. Guided by the pragmatism research paradigm and the Herzberg two-factor theory, the study employed a concurrent mixed research method design. The target population for this study was the members of the academic staff in a selected private and public university. Participants were purposively identified and selected; therefore, the sample size for public university was 115 participants, while that of private university was 60. Data was collected through questionnaires and interviews, evaluated, and analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively, giving an in-depth examination into the subject matter. The study found out that there is that lack of clarity, unequal access, and limited institutional support for training and research for members of the academic staff in public universities compared to private universities, which hindered staff academic growth. The study therefore concludes and recommends that universities should develop policies that mandate regular academic staff training, further allocate budget lines for academic staff professional advancement, and recognize academic staff developmental achievements in promotion criteria. For ethical consideration, the selected public university is referred to as University Alpha, while the private university is University Beta.