Relationship between the availability of instructional resources and student retention in part-time teacher education programs in universities: The case of Kabarak University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to establish the relationship between the availability of instructional resources and student retention in part-time teacher education programs at Kabarak University in Nakuru. The government of Kenya has made several attempts to address part-time programs through its regulator, the Commission for University Education (CUE). Despite these attempts, student retention in part-time teacher education programs is still low. This study used a close-ended questionnaire, a focus group discussion and an interview schedule as the instruments of data collection. The study adopted a case study design. The main sampling techniques that were used in this study were census and purposive sampling techniques. Purposive sampling was used in the selection of the part-time program, which is the main interest of the researcher, part-time teacher-education programs, as well as the university under study. The target population was a total of 261 students enrolled in the Part-time Teacher Education Program with a sample size of 155 students. The findings revealed that there is a statistically significant negative relationship between the availability of instructional resources and student retention (r=-0.531*; p<0.05). The study concludes that the problem of low student retention in universities is exemplified by the limited availability of instructional resources in institutions, which could have a significant impact on student retention. The study recommended that universities should focus more on availing the necessary instructional resources for successful retention rates of students in their enrolled programs. This approach would lead to increased student retention at the university.