Browsing by Author "Etomaru, Irene"

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    Assessing the Effect of Rewards on Academic Staff Performance in Uganda's Public Universities
    (East African Journal of Education Studies, 2024) Injikuru, Justine; Etomaru, Irene; Onen, David
    The persistent decline in academic staff performance at Uganda's public universities prompted this study to investigate the effect of rewards on their performance. Using an exploratory sequential research design, data were collected from 350 academic staff through self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics and linear regression, alongside interviews with 13 academic staff, which were analyzed using content analysis. The findings reveal that while rewards are a statistically significant predictor of performance, their influence is modest, accounting for 7.6% of the variation in teaching performance, 12.5% in research performance, and 9.6% in community service performance. These results suggest that while rewards positively impact academic performance, their limited predictive power indicates that other factors play a more significant role. The qualitative findings supported the quantitative data, highlighting the importance of additional influences such as professional development, workplace environment, and institutional support. As a result, it is recommended that public universities not only strengthen reward systems but also adopt a comprehensive approach that addresses these other factors. This holistic strategy will help create a more conducive academic environment and ultimately enhance the overall performance of academic staff
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    Institutional Mechanisms for Enhancing Production of Doctoral Research Outputs at Makerere University
    (East African Journal of Education Studies, 2024) Deboru, Florence; Etomaru, Irene
    In the contemporary knowledge society, research production is being re-purposed in terms of not just its academic value, but also its wider societal value. As such, doctoral research ought to be produced in the context of application. Therefore, universities have a responsibility to enhance the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs. This necessitates institutional mechanisms for enhancing the production of doctoral research outputs for uptake and use beyond academia. We examined the institutional mechanisms for enhancing production of doctoral research outputs at Makerere University using the research knowledge infrastructure (RKI) framework as the analytical lens. This was in light of the dismal uptake and use of research produced at Makerere University by students and staff. We used qualitative single case study research design. We collected data through interviewing and review of documents. We interviewed 10 doctoral program coordinators, three managers of research and graduate training and 13 PhD students we selected purposively. We reviewed seven institutional documents pertaining graduate training at Makerere University: two plans, three policies, one framework and one guideline. We used thematic data analysis to make sense of the data. The findings revealed that due to policy-practice gaps and funding constraints, mechanisms to enhance doctoral research production to facilitate uptake and use of doctoral research outputs beyond the academia were not adequately integrated into doctoral research training. This was shown by the lack of mechanisms to enhance doctoral research commissioning and execution, and gaps in priority setting. Opportunities for productive interactions between doctoral researchers and potential users were missed. As such, doctoral research outputs largely remained within the scholarly community. We recommend that the university should establish interface structures and co-creation spaces to leverage doctoral research commissioning, execution and priority setting to facilitate the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs beyond the scientific community.
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    Institutional Mechanisms for Enhancing the Evaluation of Doctoral Research Outputs at Makerere University for Uptake and Use
    (East African Journal of Education Studies, 2024) Deboru, Florence; Etomaru, Irene
    Increasing emphasis is currently put on doctoral education as a source of capacity for innovation and socio-economic development worldwide. The purpose of doctoral research has been re-expressed and expanded in terms of not just its academic value, but its wider societal value. As such universities have an obligation to enhance the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs in other sectors. We examined the institutional mechanisms for enhancing the evaluation of doctoral research at Makerere University using the research knowledge infrastructure (RKI) framework as the analytical lens. We sought to answer the broad question: Do the institutional mechanisms for evaluating doctoral research at Makerere University facilitate the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs in other sectors? Subscribing to constructivist philosophy and interpretivist worldview, we used the qualitative single case study research design. We collected data through interviewing and review of documents. We interviewed 10 doctoral program coordinators, three research and graduate training managers and 13 PhD students we purposively. We reviewed seven institutional documents pertaining to graduate training at Makerere University: two plans, three policies, one framework and one guideline. We used thematic data analysis to make sense of the data. The findings revealed that institutional mechanisms to enhance the evaluation of doctoral research in terms of its potential for uptake and use were not well developed and integrated as part of doctoral research evaluation. We conclude that doctoral research evaluation at Makerere University was narrow and purely academic, limited to measures of scholarly rigour only. This limits the possibility for uptake and use of doctoral research outputs in other sectors. We recommend that the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training (DRGT) should develop expanded and comprehensive measures and indicators for evaluating doctoral research to enhance the uptake and use of doctoral research outputs beyond academia.
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    Job Security as a Determinant of Academic Staff Performance: Evidence from Public Universities in Uganda
    (East African Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 2024) Injikuru, Justine; Onen, David; Etomaru, Irene
    In today’s competitive higher education landscape, improving academic staff performance is essential for institutional success. This study investigated the relationship between employee job security and academic staff performance in three key areas: teaching, research, and community engagement at four public universities in Uganda. To understand how job security influences these domains, a cross-sectional survey design was utilised, with a sample of 350 participants selected through stratified random sampling. Data were collected using structured, close-ended questionnaires and analysed with IBM SPSS, employing both descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings indicated that job security has a statistically significant positive effect on academic staff performance across all three areas, with teaching (R = 0.260, R² = 0.067), research (R = 0.312, R² = 0.097), and community engagement (R = 0.278, R² = 0.077) demonstrating modest correlations. As a result, the study rejected the null hypotheses, confirming that improved job security can enhance academic staff performance in these critical domains. However, the modest effect size suggests that job security alone may not lead to substantial performance improvements. Therefore, it is recommended that universities prioritise enhancing job security through clear policies and institutional support measures, including competitive remuneration, comprehensive health insurance, and opportunities for career advancement, while also implementing innovative strategies to foster a stable and supportive working environment that boosts productivity and overall outcomes
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    Models for Assessing Higher Education Quality: The Most Suitable for Developing Countries - A Literature Review
    (East African Journal of Education Studies, 2023) Abukar, Mukhtar Omar; Onen, David; Etomaru, Irene
    This literature review addresses the absence of consolidated documentation on quality assessment models in higher education, aiming to provide a unified and accessible resource. It responds to three key research questions: detailing the originators, purposes, features, and distinctions of identified models, conducting comparative analyses to discern differences and similarities, and determining the most suitable model for measuring higher education quality in developing countries. The study illuminates the intricate landscape of quality assessment models, revealing shared emphases on service quality, survey instrument utilisation, a multidimensional approach, and commitment to continuous improvement. A notable student-centric approach permeates various models. The study found the HEQAM model by Noaman et al. most suitable for developing countries due to its streamlined and adaptable nature, focusing on administrative, physical, and support systems. The study emphasises the urgent need for a consolidated overview of these models, underscoring their collective contribution to student-centred frameworks. It recommends the HEQAM model for adoption in resource-constrained environments. It suggests further research to explore its implementation in diverse contexts. This review contributes valuable insights, fostering informed decision-making and excellence in educational institutions