Do virtual practices improve doctoral graduation rates? A study from public universities in Kenya

Herman King’oro Masafu; Lydia Wamocha; Geofrey Ababu Musera

doi:10.51867/ajernet.7.4.6

Authors

Herman King’oro Masafu Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya https://orcid.org/0009-0003-6376-0920
Lydia Wamocha Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1958-5569
Geofrey Ababu Musera Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8494-4778

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.7.4.6

Keywords:

Doctorial Students, Graduation Rates, School of Education, Virtual Learning

Abstract

Doctoral education plays a key role in advancing research, innovation, and academic development in Kenya. However, doctoral graduation rates remain low and uneven across public universities in Kenya due to challenges such as limited access to digital academic resources. This study therefore examined the effect of Virtual Practices on doctoral students’ graduation rates in the Schools of Education in public universities in Kenya. Specifically, the study assessed the effect of Virtual Learning, determined the effect of Virtual Supervision, and established the effect of Virtual Graduate Student Support Practices on doctoral graduation rates. The study was guided by the Community of Inquiry (CoI) Theory developed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer. The study adopted a convergent parallel mixed-methods research design, integrating both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The target population comprised doctoral students, Chairs of Departments (CODs), and Registrars from selected public universities in Kenya, comprising of 4,000 respondents. A sample of 400 respondents was selected using Krejcie and Morgan’ formulae. Data were collected using online questionnaires, interview guides, and document analysis of admission and graduation records. Validity was ensured through expert review and continuous consultation with supervisors, while reliability was established using the Cronbach’s Alpha to measure the internal consistency. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis of variance and Hierarchical Linear Modeling (HLM), while qualitative data were analyzed thematically. The findings showed that doctoral students rated Virtual Learning, on doctoral graduation rate was 14.20%, with considerable variation across universities. Virtual Learning significantly improved access to academic resources and flexibility. Virtual learning had significant positive effects on doctoral graduation rates. The study concludes that Virtual learning significantly improve doctoral graduation rates in public universities in Kenya by strengthening academic engagement, supervision effectiveness, and institutional support systems. It recommends strengthening digital infrastructure to promote timely doctoral completion, and hence timely doctoral graduation rates in public universities in Kenya.

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