Predictors of completion time of doctoral programmes in public universities in Southwestern Nigeria

Amos Olorunwa Agbojo; Olayemi Jumoke Abiodun-Oyebanji

doi:10.51867/ajernet.7.3.138

Authors

Amos Olorunwa Agbojo Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3247-2320
Olayemi Jumoke Abiodun-Oyebanji University of Ibadan, Nigeria https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2551-6703

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.7.3.138

Keywords:

Completion Time, Doctoral Programme, Student Factors, Supervision, School Factors

Abstract

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is the most essential degree for a career in academia because it guarantees professional recognition and professionalism. The timely completion of a PhD programme is a crucial metric used by many institutions to assess programme completion. Numerous Ph.D. candidates in Nigerian institutions were unable to complete their programmes within the allotted five years, according to studies. Consequently, this study examined variables that affect completion times of doctoral programmes (CTDP) at public universities in southwest Nigeria (PUSWN). The Expectancy Theory served as the anchor, while explanatory survey approach was adopted. Out of 7,300 PhD students, a sample of 528 participants from four universities: University of Ibadan, University of Lagos, Olabisi Onabanjo University, and Ekiti State University, was chosen using the multi-stage sampling measures. Data were gathered using two questionnaires called the "Completion of Doctoral Programme Questionnaire" (CDPQ) and the "Predictors of Completion of Ph.D. Questionnaire" (PCPQ). Two null hypotheses were set up and tested through multiple regression at the 0.05 significance level. Results revealed that learner, supervisory, and institutional factors (IFs) combined explained 13% of the variance in CTDP among PUSWN. The model was significant (F(3, 461)=25.973, Adj. R²=0.13). Student-related characteristics were predictive of the length of the Ph.D. programme (β=0.275, t=2.425, p<0.05). In addition, IFs outperformed supervision factors as predictors (β=0.277, t=2.892, p<0.05). The study's conclusions led to the recommendation that institutional and student aspects be given priority in order to guarantee the timely completion of Ph.D. programmes at PUSWN.

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https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1257