LECTURER-RELATED FACTORS IN THE TIMELY COMPLETION OF UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE IN PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN WESTERN KENYA

Patrick Kibet Riwong’ole¹ *, Robert Kati², Sarah Naliaka Likoko³
¹ PhD Student, Kibabii University, Kenya
² Associate Professor, Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, Kibabii University, Kenya
³ Senior Lecturer, Department of Educational Planning and Management, Kibabii University, Kenya.

Abstract
Delayed graduation and rising attrition rates among undergraduate students present persistent challenges for higher education systems globally, and particularly within massified public universities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Grounded in Tinto’s Theory of Student Departure and Bean and Metzner’s Student Attrition Model, this study examined the relationship between lecturer-related factors specifically teaching quality, lecturer-student relationships, feedback practices, and assessment schedules and the timely completion of undergraduate degrees in public universities in the Western region of Kenya. Adopting a pragmatic research philosophy and an ex post facto (causal-comparative) mixed-methods design, quantitative data were collected from n = 705 participants, comprising recent graduates (n = 341) and final-year undergraduate students (n = 364), while qualitative insights were sourced from four academic deans who participated exclusively in qualitative interviews. Survey instruments demonstrated robust construct validity, with the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure ranging from 0.72 to 0.87, and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity yielding significant results (p < .001). Simple linear regression analysis revealed that lecturer-related factors explained 73.4% of the variance in timely program completion (β = .863, 95% CI [.808, .918], p < .001), displaying a large effect size (f² = 2.76), while the scale demonstrated high internal consistency (α = .87). Descriptive statistics revealed a strongly positive perception of institutional support mechanisms, with an aggregate mean score of 3.81 (SD = 1.06) for recent graduates and up to 4.38 (SD = 0.78) for final-year students. Specifically, 86.8% of graduates confirmed that structured pedagogical standards were associated with timely degree attainment, while 90.1% highlighted predictable assessment schedules as vital for maintaining academic momentum. Qualitative thematic triangulation corroborated these patterns, identifying lecturer accessibility, proactive mentorship, and constructive feedback as key institutional enablers for reducing course repetition. The study concludes that lecturer-related practices are critical institutional determinants of timely degree completion and recommends strengthening faculty development, mentorship systems, and staffing levels to enhance student progression.
Keywords: Higher Education; Timely Graduation; Lecturer-Student Relationships; Teaching Quality; Kenya.

Article Type: Open Access

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