Relationship between Personal Support and Performance of Students Enrolled in Distance Learning in Selected Public Universities in Kenya and Senegal

Leya Amonde Ouko-Ouambo; Anne Achieng Aseey; Johnbosco Mutuku Kisimbii

doi:10.51867/ajernet.6.1.25

Authors

Leya Amonde Ouko-Ouambo PhD Student, Faculty of Education, University of Nairobi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8223-9132
Prof. Anne Achieng Aseey Associate Professor and Chairperson of Educational and Distance Studies, University of Nairobi https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6102-0513
Dr. Johnbosco Mutuku Kisimbii Senior Lecturer at the University of Nairobi, Faculty of Business & Management Sciences

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51867/ajernet.6.1.25

Keywords:

Academic Guidance, Counselling, Distance Learning, Mentorship, Personal Support, Student Performance

Abstract

Distance learning has emerged as a pivotal mode of education post-COVID-19, addressing challenges such as geographical and infrastructural limitations. This study evaluates the influence of personal support on the academic performance of students enrolled in distance learning at the University of Nairobi (UoN) in Kenya and the University of Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) in Senegal. The study was grounded in Moore's Transactional Distance Theory, which defines transactional distance as the gap between two parties in a learning relationship. The study used a descriptive research design and a sample of 240 students drawn from a target population of 12,022 students. The researcher used purposive sampling to select the two universities for the study. In addition, the researcher used proportionate sampling to select students from each faculty, and simple random sampling technique to select students from each faculty. The researcher used standardized questionnaires to collect data from the participants. The questionnaires were administered with the help of research assistants. The researcher applied both descriptive and inferential statistics in data analysis. The researcher also used regression analysis, goodness-of-fit evaluation, and correlation analysis. The data analysis outcomes were presented using tables and graphs. The research identified a significant positive correlation between personal support and learner performance, with UoN exhibiting an R-squared value of 62% and UCAD 52%. Regression analysis revealed that a unit increase in personal support led to a 0.78 performance improvement at UoN and 0.72 at UCAD. The study underscores the importance of robust personal support systems, including mentorship, counselling, and academic guidance, in enhancing the effectiveness of distance learning. It was established that there exist a positive and significant relationship between personal support and learner performance. Recommendations include strengthening institutional frameworks and exploring longitudinal impacts of support mechanisms.

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Author Biographies

Leya Amonde Ouko-Ouambo, PhD Student, Faculty of Education, University of Nairobi

Ms. Leya Ouko-Ouambo is currently serving as a Protection Officer with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Nigeria operation since June 2024. She is working on asylum systems and enhancement of durable solutions towards self-reliance and access to basic services for forcibly displaced populations in Nigeria. She also works with government partners and diverse stakeholders to collaborate on UNHCR’s protection work in support of millions of refugees, asylum-seekers, those who have been forcibly displaced within their own country and stateless persons. Her leadership skills are exemplary, in 2022, she was nominated the Vice Chair of the Distance Education Working Group (DEWG) under the Inter-agency Network for Education in Emergencies (INEE). She has over 20 years of experience as an International Civil Servant, having held various positions in different capacities on Human Rights and Social Protection, Gender Based Violence, Education, and in Refugee operations among others.

Ms. Leya holds a graduate diploma in Mental Health from the University of South Dakota in United States of America, a master’s degree in Literature and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and French from the University of Nairobi in Kenya. Currently, she is pursuing bachelor’s degree in Law at the University of Copperbelt in Zambia and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) studies in University of Nairobi in Kenya.

She joined UNHCR in 2016 as an Associate Protection Officer/GBV in Dakar Senegal. She later served as the Associate Community Based Protection Officer in the Senegal country office until 2019 before being nominated as the Tertiary Education Officer for the West and Central Africa Regional Bureau. She has worked with UNHCR for the past eight years in various capacities at its Regional Bureau in West and Central Africa based in Dakar, Senegal, Multi country office and several field operations in sub-Saharan Africa, West and Central Africa. She then moved to the Senegal Multi Country Office as the Education Officer until December 2020. From January 2021 to May 2024, she was the GBV officer in Zambia responsible for prevention and response to Gender Based Violence, Gender issues, Women Empowerment, and coordination of support to persons with specific needs including those living with disabilities, minority groups and children at risk of exploitation.

Prior to joining UNHCR, Ms. Leya worked as a Psychosocial Field Coordinator for the US based International NGO HIAS in Eastern Chad from 2008 to 2016.
Prof. Anne Achieng Aseey, Associate Professor and Chairperson of Educational and Distance Studies, University of Nairobi
Associate Professor and Chairperson of Educational and Distance Studies, University of Nairobi, P. O. Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya Email: aaseey@uonbi.ac.ke,https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6102-0513

She is a member of the Kenya Digital Education Technical Working Committee (Ministry of Education).She is an expert in Open, Distance and Digital Education. Her other research interests are adult learning and youth empowerment, gender and development, crime, migration and victim assistance.

Anne is an author of four books and has published several papers in in referred journals.An Alumni of the University of Nairobi Kenya, Rights Livelihood College, University of Bonn, Germany, Centre for Sustainable Development, Rehovoat, Israel and Doba Business School, Slovenia. She holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Forensic Psychology & Victimology, ,Postdoctoral International Certificate on Leveraging Local Assets for Community economic Development( Center for Sustainable Development, Rehovoat, Israel), Postdoctoral International Certificate on cross cultural communication-Doba Business School, Slovenia , PhD in Education (Distance education– Technology and ICT Education),Master of Education in Educational Administration and Planning and Bachelor of Education Arts(all from the University of Nairobi, Kenya).

Award winner
- Winner Global Goals Jam Canada Fall 2023(September 22023).SDG Innovation Lab/Centre of Innovation and Entrepreneurship /UNDP/Centennial College, Canada.
- Number one winning Chairman of Department (2019-2020), University of Nairobi Ranking
- Vice Chancellors Award of Excellence for exemplary performance in the year 2020/2021 Staff Performance Appraisal
She serves in the distance and open learning programmes at the Faculty of Education, University of Nairobi for the past over 20 years. Her role being preparing, designing curriculum /courses, implementing and testing new educational models and integration of digital learning modes and concepts.

She has also been spearheading the issue of adult and youth education and the vulnerable in the community through research, conferences, training and publications. She has led the Global classrooms one semester programme for University of Nairobi and University of Toronto ,Canada progrmme which has seen 3 cohorts of student’s successfully finish their online semester course managed through Canvas.

She has successfully coordinated seven Forensic Victimology, crime and Victim support conferences and workshops at the University of Nairobi, Kenya during the Annual University of Nairobi Research week (2018-20224) and one at Covenant University Nigeria in 2018.Research Interest: design thinking and Innovation, ICT integration in Education, youth and Adult learning, women and gender, victimology and victim support, community development and Knowledge management.
Dr. Johnbosco Mutuku Kisimbii, Senior Lecturer at the University of Nairobi, Faculty of Business & Management Sciences

Dr. Johnbosco Mutuku Kisimbii is a distinguished academic and senior lecturer at the University of Nairobi, specifically within the Faculty of Business & Management Sciences. He has a strong background in economics, finance, statistics, project management, and distance education. Dr. Kisimbii, together with the students he has supervised and published with has contributed significantly to research, with numerous publications focusing on various aspects of project management, stakeholder participation, and the performance of donor-funded projects. His work often emphasizes the importance of monitoring and evaluation systems in enhancing project outcomes. In addition to his academic pursuits, Dr. Kisimbii is actively involved in the practical application of his research, particularly in the context of developing nations. His studies on the factors influencing the growth of agency banking and the performance of women entrepreneurial ventures in Kenya highlight his commitment to addressing real-world challenges. As a multi-disciplinary researcher, Dr. Kisimbii has also made significant contributions to the field of distance education, particularly through his research and academic work. His doctoral thesis, titled "Learner Support Services, Learner Characteristics, Hidden Costs, and Retention of Distance Learners: The Case of Bachelor of Education Programmes of the University of Nairobi, Kenya," explores critical factors affecting the retention and success of distance learners. His research provides valuable insights into how support services and learner characteristics influence the outcomes of distance education programs. Dr. Kisimbii has published several papers on distance education, focusing on various aspects such as learner support, retention strategies, and the impact of hidden costs on distance learners. For example, in one of his publications on technological support services, he has examined the role of technological support services in retaining distance learners. His research highlights the importance of providing adequate technological resources and support to ensure that distance learners can successfully complete their studies. Overall, Dr. Kisimbii's work provides valuable insights into improving project management and distance education, making them more accessible and effective.

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