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Challenges of Distance Education Students in Ghana Received May 5, 2020; Accepted July 12, 2020

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Challenges of Distance Education Students in Ghana Received May 5, 2020; Accepted July 12, 2020 Open Education Studies, 2020; 2: 149–158 Research Article Jamilatu Sumaila, Vera Rosemary Ankoma-Sey, Daniel Asamoah, Frank Quansah* Conducting Research Work as a Requirement for University Undergraduate Studies: Challenges of Distance Education Students in Ghana https://doi.org/10.1515/edu-2020-0112 received May 5, 2020; accepted July 12, 2020. & Mishra, 2015). This implies that whenever there is an issue of concern in education, there is the need to Abstract: As a partial condition for the successful conduct a study to investigate the existence of the problem completion of school, and for certification reasons, and come out with solutions to the problem where undergraduate distance education students in Ghanaian necessary (Amedahe, 2002; Rajasekar, Philominathan, & universities are required to conduct research work. Chinnathambi, 2013). Educational research and research Due to the mode of teaching and learning activities, it in general, promote national development (Baafi- appears such students are at a disadvantage. In this Frimpong, Yarquah, & Milledzi, 2016). Take for example, study, we examined the challenges distance education when students are able to identify educational problems students encounter in conducting their research work and research into it, they are more likely to come out in two universities in Ghana. A cross-sectional survey with solutions which could bring about improvement was conducted using 866 distance education students in practice and developmental changes in educational sampled from the study centres across the country. policies. For this reason, Mafenya (2014) stresses that Results from a confirmatory factor analysis, using 5,000 a country cannot develop meaningfully without the bootstrap samples, revealed challenges from the students, application of scientific research findings. From the view supervisors and the institutions. Based on our results, we of Amedahe (2002), students are required to study and recommend that there should be structured policies by conduct research to discover strategies and guidelines university management and supervisors to relieve students to better understand educational issues, and to develop of the challenges they encounter when conducting their and/or modify the existing theory to improve educational research work. The study also encouraged students to practice. devote the needed time, commitment and motivation to Due to the relevance of educational research, and complete their research work on time. Suggestions for just like any other country, the Ghanaian educational further studies were made based on the findings. enterprise, especially at the tertiary level, places much premium on the conduct of educational research, making Keywords: Student-related challenges; supervisor- research to be inculcated in its curriculum (Mafenya, related challenges; institutional-related challenges; 2014; Neville, 2007). Globally, research work is mandatory distance learners. for the majority of undergraduate and postgraduate students who pursue educational programmes (Ankoma- Sey, Aheto, & Quansah, 2019). Students are to go through 1 Introduction a research experience whether individually or in groups. Following this, students who fail to meet this requirement In education, research is an enquiry into an identified would fail to graduate. Similarly, a larger proportion educational problem of relevance (Creswell, 2014; Pandey of distance education students offering undergraduate programmes in Ghana are also obliged to conduct research *Corresponding author: Frank Quansah, Department of work as a requirement for certification. Education and Psychology, University of Cape Coast, Ghana, Distance education, according to the Commonwealth E-mail: [email protected] Learning (2004), is a teaching and learning platform Vera Rosemary Ankoma-Sey, Jamilatu Sumaila, College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast, Ghana where course contents are dispatched to learners who are Daniel Asamoah, Department of Education and Psychology, detached, typically, by space and time. The fundamental University of Cape Coast, Ghana concept of distance education is the detachment of learners Open Access. © 2020 Jamilatu Sumaila et al., published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution alone 4.0 License. 150 Jamilatu Sumaila et al. and instructors by time and distance. In practice, the is assigned to them so they are able to graduate (Project nature of distance education tends to take a different view Work Unit, College of Distance Education- University of from one nation to another. In most advanced countries, Cape Coast, UCC, 2019). With this approach to research distance education is tagged as online interactions and supervision, it is expected that supervisors might have learning with no physical interactions between teachers some difficult times during the entire research process and students (Mafenya, 2014; Musingafi, Mapuranga, due to infrequent face-to-face contacts. Chiwanza, & Zebron, 2015; Nzama, 2013). It must be acknowledged that even in the regular In the Ghanaian space, however, distance education stream, most students have problems in successfully takes a different view; it does involve little online conducting and writing their research work, as earlier interaction and teaching with extensive face-to-face discussed. By extension, it can only be anticipated that contact on some defined times and days. The practice is the distance education students would also have some such that in-person classes (called face-to-face sessions) challenges, perhaps in different areas. In their study, Botha are held on weekends (i.e. Saturdays and Sundays) using (2016) revealed that one of the key reasons for delayed various classroom facilities in senior high schools, colleges graduation (or even drop out) among postgraduate and universities as satellite campuses (i.e. study centres). students in the University of Ghana was the distance Course content, called modules, are given in advance to the from campus and supervisors. Botha (2016) further students to study before meeting their tutors on weekends elaborated that most postgraduate students move away for the face-to-face sessions. These weekend face-to-face from campus during their second year and as result, they interactions are supervised by university staff deployed have less frequent contact hours with their supervisors across various study centres. Quizzes and examinations which in turn impedes the progress of the work. This is are also conducted on weekends where supervisors are not so different from what distance education students sent to the various study centres to monitor the teaching, experience when writing their project work. learning and assessment activities. In another study, Akparep et al. (2017) investigated In recent times, issues surrounding the length of time the ‘blame-game’ in the delayed completion of students’ used by university students in completing their research research work and the subsequent termination of work both at the postgraduate and undergraduate levels programmes by some students. A key finding of their have been a concern for stakeholders in education (Lessing research was that university students in Ghana, especially, & Schultze, 2012; Amehoe, 2014). For Botha (2016), the at the postgraduate level combine their studies with work. high proportions of students who, due to research work This was found to reduce the time they had to work on frustrations, terminate and drop out of their studies their research works resulting in deferred completion in most Ghanaian universities is worrying. Akparep, and certification by their institution. This element is also Jengre, and Amoah (2017) also added that a reasonably found among distance education students who also work large number of undergraduates conducting research as and study simultaneously. Most people engaged in full- a requirement for their studies are not able to graduate time employment prefer distance education irrespective on time such that some stay up to twice the number of of how busy they are (Ankoma-Sey, Quansah, & Aheto, years they should have stayed on the programme or even 2018). It is obvious that time would be a concern when they terminate their studies. are conducting their research work which is a mandatory In the traditional (regular) mode of university requirement. education, research work supervision is a good platform While the conduct of research/project work by for students to conduct their research under a close distance education students is quintessential, studies direction by an on-campus lecturer. It should be pointed have reported other challenges university students, in out that conducting research work as a distance education general, face. From the standpoint of Mapolisa and Mafa student takes a slightly different form. Students are (2016), these challenges emanate from the students assigned supervisors and are required to meet their themselves, their supervisors and the institutions within respective supervisors at the study centres (Ankoma-Sey which they find themselves. In particular, it has been et al., 2019). Ordinarily, meetings are scheduled by both reported by Pearce (2005) using samples from New York parties (students and supervisors) on weekends during that students are scared of carrying out research works face-to-face sessions. In some instances, supervisors do because they see it as high above them. Similarly, Bell their supervision through some online means like emails
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