The Impact of COVID-19 on Completion of PhD Programmes in Public and Private Universities: Experiences of Supervisors and Graduate Students in Kenya

Abstract

This research aimed to establish the psychosocial, social and economic impact of COVID-19 on the supervision and writing of dissertations in Kenyan universities. The study adopted a mixed-method design incorporating quantitative as well as qualitative approaches. A total of 40 questionnaires were distributed, 30 to doctoral students and 10 to doctoral supervisors from both public and private universities. The questionnaires included both structured questions as well as unstructured questions. The questionnaire was used to ascertain the influence of the pandemic on many sectors, including education, more specifically, the doctoral dissertation writing and supervision process. This study was guided by the following research questions: What are the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on dissertation writing and supervision in completing a PhD in both public and private universities in Kenya? What are the social impacts of COVID-19 on dissertation writing and supervision in completing a PhD in both public and private universities in Kenya? What are the economic impacts of COVID-19 on dissertation writing and supervision in completing a PhD in both public and private universities in Kenya? The study found that the pandemic affected students’ completion rates as it affected both the students, supervisors and the universities. While this crisis had profoundly disruptive educational implications, it did not begin with predetermined outcomes. The nature of communities’ and nations’ collective and systemic responses to these disruptions determined the extent to which people were affected by them.