QUALITY ASSURANCE IN PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF GHANA By Linda Tsevi A Dissertation Submitted to the University at Albany, State University of New York in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Education Department of Educational Administration and Policy Studies 2015 ProQuest Number: 3720240 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ProQuest 3720240 Published by ProQuest LLC (2015). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 QUALITY ASSURANCE IN PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF GHANA By Linda Tsevi COPYRIGHT 2015 Abstract This study explores private higher education and implementation of quality assurance procedures in Ghana, a country in West Africa. While focusing on the three main isomorphic classifications (coercive, mimetic and normative) of DiMaggio and Powell’s (1983) institutional theory, this study examines how regulatory measures are not only designed to enhance the quality of private higher education institutions, but also how they impact the efforts employed by private providers towards meeting quality assurance standards in the environment in which they are located. Using a qualitative methodology, participants from five private university colleges and two private chartered institutions are selected as constituting the sample for this study. In addition, quality assurance documents from the website of the Ghana’s National Accreditation Board (NAB) as well as documents from the websites of seven private higher education institutions are coded using NVivo 10 to determine the kind of efforts made by institutions to convey the message of legitimacy across to students and other clientele. Other participants are officials from the NAB, higher education specialists and retired faculty of public higher education institutions in Ghana. In general, the outcome of open-ended interviews with selected participants as well as documents analyzed found evidence of efforts private institutions are making towards meeting their quality assurance requirements through mimetic, coercive and normative isomorphism. These are indicated through institutional affiliations, conformity to mentoring (supervising) institution’s programs, quality assurance requirements and measures established in conformity to the NAB requirements. Higher education specialists advocate that a specific policy aimed at addressing shortage of faculty members in Sub-Saharan Africa should be formulated to take on a more regional dimension. The Ghanaian private higher education landscape has a number of issues including shortage of academic and non-academic staff, dependence on adjunct faculty, and non- iii compliance to time frame given for program and institutional accreditation. These issues will require a holistic approach involving the NAB and the PHEIs in order to find long lasting solutions. As a result of the continual growth of private higher education providers in Ghana, it is imperative that the NAB make the quality assurance process very welcoming to genuine actors. iv Acknowledgments This dissertation has been achievable with the guidance of my dissertation chair and committee members. I wish to express my sincere appreciation to Dr. Kevin Kinser, my dissertation chair under whose guidance, I was able to fine tune my dissertation topic. He was always available to guide me in my writing as well provide critical guides and feedback that shaped my dissertation and enabled me to grow as a writer. I am also thankful to my committee members, Professor Daniel Levy, and Dr. Alan Wagner for their critical comments and constructive feedback that gave me the needed impetus to become a better analytical writer and also provided clarity to my dissertation. I would also like to express my utmost gratitude to my mother who has been my inspiration and motivator. As a teacher she understood the value of education and has always supported it. Appreciation also goes to my sisters, Susan, Bertha and Yvonne, and their families for all their encouragement and support. My children, Richard and Thyra, were my constant source of motivation, and they understood the fact that I had to be in school. Richard particularly doubled as my IT person who was available to assist anytime I had an IT issue. I am also grateful to my husband, Stephen, for his love. Further, I would like to thank my friends for their support and words of motivation, especially Alex, Akua, Eugenia, Esther, Jill, Laquana and Paulina. Finally, I am very thankful to God for His provision and guidance throughout the writing of my dissertation and its completion. v Table of Contents Chapter 1 – Introduction 1 Introduction 1 Context 1 Quality assurance in Sub-Saharan Africa 7 Challenges 10 Legitimacy in the context of quality assurance 11 Ghana as case study 14 Background to private higher education in Ghana 14 Policy reformulation in Ghana 18 Ghana National Accreditation Board 19 Ghana’s higher education categories 21 Research questions 26 Summary 27 Chapter 2 – Literature Review 29 Quality assurance in private higher education 30 Quality assurance mechanisms 32 Institutional theory 33 Conceptual model 40 Themes in isomorphism 43 Regulatory and normative issues 43 Isomorphic trends 45 Application of institutional theory 48 Summary 49 Chapter 3 – Methodology 50 Overview 50 Study’s design 51 Research sample / Selection of interview subjects 53 Selection of PHEIs 54 Selection of Documents 58 Selection of PHE quality assurance specialists/scholars 59 Data collection 60 Data analysis 61 Interview analysis 61 Document analysis 63 Limitations 64 Informed consent, confidentiality and anonymity 67 Triangulation, validity and reliability in data analysis 67 Summary 68 vi Chapter 4: Part I – Findings and analysis 69 Introduction 69 Higher education specialists and retired faculty/rector 70 Satisfaction with Ghana’s quality assurance system 70 Program quality and nature 73 Influence on programs 76 Quality of graduates 77 Strengthening the quality assurance process 79 Challenges 81 Summary 83 NAB Officials 85 Accreditation timeframe 85 Affiliation 87 Establishment of internal quality assurance departments 88 Penalties 90 Measures 91 Review of chartered private institutions 93 Challenges 94 Summary 97 Chapter 5: Part II – Findings and analysis – continuation 98 Analysis and findings from two private chartered universities and five private university colleges / Document analysis 98 Coercive isomorphism 98 Establishment of measures 99 Influence of quality assurance requirements 102 Institutional affiliations 103 Conformity to Mentoring (Supervising) Institution’s Programs 106 Challenges to Coercive Isomorphism 107 Mimetic and Normative Isomorphism 110 Similarity of programs on offer 111 Reduction in examination malpractices 112 Job market influence 113 Identification of new programs 115 Summary 116 Document analysis 117 Ashesi University College 118 Ghana Technology University College 120 Regent University College of Science and Technology 121 Pentecost University College 123 Methodist University College 124 Valley View University (Private Chartered University) 125 Trinity Theological Seminary 127 vii Analysis of National Accreditation Board Documents 128 Charter Application 129 NAB’s Roadmap to Accreditation 130 Institutional Analysis 132 Summary 133 Chapter 6 – Interpretation of findings, future considerations and conclusion 134 Introduction 134 Significance of Study 135 Overview of Major Findings 137 Interpretation of Major Findings 138 Introduction 138 Quality Assurance and National Accreditation Board Requirements 139 Quality of Graduates/Programs and Quality Assurance 141 Quality Assurance and Staffing 145 NAB Accreditation Time Frame and Issues 146 Interpretation of Unexpected Findings 148 Discussion as it Relates to Conceptual Model 151 Future Research Considerations 153 Conclusion 154 Bibliography 156 Appendices 171 viii List of Figures Figure 1 35 Depiction of DiMaggio and Powell’s (1983) Institutional Theory Figure 2 42 Conceptual model about institutional theory demonstrating its application to private higher education institutions in Ghana Figure 3 119 Ashesi University College – Indicating Dominant Themes in Documents Figure 4 121 Ghana Technology University College – Indicating Dominant Themes in Documents Figure 5 122 Regent University College – Indicating Dominant Themes in Documents Figure 6 124 Pentecost University College – Indicating Dominant Themes in Documents Figure 7 125 Methodist University College – Indicating Dominant Themes in Documents Figure 8 126 Valley View University – Indicating Dominant Themes Figure 9 127 Trinity Theological Seminary – Indicating Dominant Themes Figure 10 130 Charter Application Figure 11 131 NAB’s Roadmap to Accreditation ix List of Tables Table 1 23 Number of Accredited Higher Education Institutions in Ghana Table 2 24 Regional Distribution of Ghana’s Private University Colleges and Private Chartered Universities Offering Degrees Table 3 57 Purposive sampling of Private Higher Education Institutions