Kenyan Doctoral Students’ Success: Roles of Motivation and Self-Efficacy

Abstract

Doctor of philosophy (PhD) degree holders are highly regarded in Kenya, especially in academia, and the Kenyan economy needs them to undertake administrative, research and innovation roles in academia and industry. However, attaining this qualification is arduous and Kenyan PhD programmes are characterised by low enrolment numbers, long degree completion times and low graduation rates. In other countries, PhD students' success has been linked to motivation and self-efficacy. This cross-sectional study explores the extents to which motivation and self-efficacy relate to PhD student success in Kenya and to which this relationship differs across background and programme characteristics. Using multiple linear regression, the authors analyse data from an online questionnaire administered to 628 PhD students enrolled between 2010 and 2018. The findings indicate that extrinsic motivation does not predict PhD students' pace. Intrinsic motivation positively predicts students' pace in the Medical Sciences programme cluster and for those aged 51 years or older. Self-efficacy negatively predicts students' pace in the Medical Sciences programme cluster.

Examining Educational Leadership Doctoral Students’ Self-Efficacy as Related to Their Role as a Scholarly Practitioner Researcher

“…On the contrary, McBrayer et al (2018) found high self-efficacy scores among doctoral students, but did not find a correlation between self-efficacy and time to degree completion warranting further research. Thus, it is important to note, current research has shown a potential explanation of high self-efficacy scores may be indicative of overconfidence as leaders by nature may exhibit confidence in their capabilities due to their chosen leadership field (Matheka et al, 2020). Additionally, researchers have cautioned there are existing problems with differentiating the effects of self-efficacy and other constructs, such as self-concept, expectancy value, student demographics, as well as measures of personal, psychosocial, and institutional factors (Gardner, 2010).…”

In Between Centre and Periphery: Kenya as a Key Scientific Nation in East Africa?

“…In 2015, Kenya’s public universities produced 390 PhD graduates an increase from 205 in 2012 (Commission for University Education, 2016). Several reasons have been claimed to explain these PhD low graduate rates, including challenges of student’s life and work balance, funding constraints, lack of research facilities and equipment, and shortages of qualified supervisors (Barasa & Omulanda, 2018, Matheka et al, 2020).…”

A framework for doctoral education in developing students’ mental well-being by integrating the demand and resources of the program: An integrative review

“…Unlike other personal resources, the intrinsic motivation is a significant internal resource of doctoral students that has been witnessed in literature. Intrinsic motivation is the internal desire to study, that is critical in achieving program completion (Dericks et al, 2019;Matheka et al, 2020). Intrinsic motivation of the doctoral student is often associated with their positive personal experience and its influence on improving their performance and academic engagement (Litalien & Guay, 2015).…”

“…Intrinsic motivation limits the influence of hindrance demands on the strain and, in turn, improves the mental health of the doctoral student (McCauley & Hinojosa, 2020). Intrinsically motivated doctoral students undertake doctoral education due to their inherent interest in acquiring knowledge in their domain area and are capable of withstanding hindrance demands (Matheka et al, 2020). Intrinsic motivation with contextual resources supports doctoral learning outcomes and reduces the effect of burnout (van den Broeck et al, 2011).…”

“…The resources from institutions, supervisors, family, and peers are likely to moderate doctoral students' stress and are considered contextual resources (Cornwall et al, 2019;Lynch et al, 2018). At the same time, studies investigated the explicit requirement of intrinsic motivation rather than any other personal resources (Matheka et al, 2020;Ryan et al, 2021;Sverdlik & Hall, 2019). However, the moderating role of contextual and personal resources in the presence of high demands has not been applied to doctoral education in JD-R model.…”