EFFECT OF ACADEMIC STAFF RETENTION ON QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN FAITH BASED PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA

Abstract

The demand for higher education has led the Kenyan government to encourage and grant charters to several private universities. These universities absorb qualified students who even after being admitted by the Joint Admission Board of public universities opt to study at the private universities. Therefore in recent years, there has been an increase of students’ enrollment in private universities. In effect, there has been a great need to recruit and retain quality academic staff. Studies reveal that it has been difficult to retain academic staff especially in faith based private universities in specialized areas and required experience. This lack of retention is likely to affect quality of education in these universities. Thus, there was need to establish the effect of academic staff retention on the quality of education in these institutions. The study was based on expectancy theory and job satisfaction theory. The study utilized a descriptive survey research design. Purposive technique was used to arrive at the study population of 625. From this population, data was gathered from a sample of 336 respondents. The respondents were sampled using purposive, stratified, and simple random techniques. The researcher obtained both primary and secondary data. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to obtain the primary data from the respondents. The researcher assessed the reliability and validity of data collection instruments with experts and through piloting which involved test re-tests method. Secondary data was obtained through literature review and document analysis. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze data. Data was presented using tables, cross-tabulations, frequencies and percentages. Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze data with the aid of SPSS version 19 programme. The findings revealed that there is a significant statistical effect of academic staff retention on quality of education in faith based private universities in Kenya. It was further discovered that most faith based private universities have not put in place academic staff retention policies. The study recommends a number of strategies that could be put in place to address academic staff retention. It was concluded that academic staff retention has a significant effect on quality of education without which quality would be compromised. The study recommends that faith based private universities should formulate and implement retention policies and allocate adequate resources to curb high academic staff turnover.