High student enrolment and its implication on teaching and learning in selected public universities in Kenya

Abstract

This paper is based on a study which highlighted on the impacts of high student enrollment levels to existing instructional resources in selected public universities in Kenya The study analyzed the impact of high students’ enrolment levels on instructional resources in selected Public Universities in Kenya. The objective of the study was to determine the impact of high students’ enrollment on teaching and learning facilities in selected public universities in Kenya. The study was guided by the general system theory. The study employed a mixed research design. A pragmatic philosophical paradigm was adopted in the study. Probability sampling method was adopted which included a simple random and stratified random sampling procedures. The targeted population was 390 from six selected public universities in Kenya. This consisted of 240 lecturers, six deans of schools of education, 48 examination officers and 24 heads of departments in the School of Education. The data collection instruments used were closed and open ended questionnaires, interviews and observation. Data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of the study found out that student enrollment and instructional resources correlated negatively. The increasing population had affected the quality of teaching, instructional methods and the administration of examination in the six public universities in Kenya. It identified inadequacy, inaccessibility and scarcity to existing teaching and learning resources. The study further revealed that even though some public universities had adequately implemented educational policies, laboratories, lecture halls, library facilities and the quality of teaching was still compromised. The potential beneficiaries of the discussions in this paper would be the deans of schools, heads of departments, examination officers and lecturers in the schools of education in the provision of better management skills on student enrollment level effects on the existing teaching and learning of resources.