Factors that Promote Successful Supervision of Doctoral Statistics Students in Kenya: A Literature Review
Abstract
This study delves into the reasons behind Kenya's insufficient production of PhD graduates in statistics to meet its demands and what needs to be done to promote higher completion rates. The paper reviewed current literature guided by four specific inquiries: (i) What factors associated with students influence the successful completion of PhD studies in Statistics? (ii) How do issues pertaining to statistics lecturers impact the supervision and mentoring of PhD students? (iii) How does the university environment affect the performance of PhD students in statistics? (iv) What global and Kenyan models have been employed for the training and supervision of PhD students? The study's conceptual framework encompasses four fundamental factors related to these research questions. Two factors fall under the category of human characteristics, while the remaining two relate to course delivery. These domains collectively shape the quality of supervision offered to statistics PhD students. The findings reveal that students often lack a strong foundation in the theory of research methods and statistics. Furthermore, financial constraints frequently hinder their progress and graduation. Additionally, there is a shortage of qualified statistics lecturers, and those available often lack robust supervision skills. Universities in Kenya face resource shortages, including insufficient access to computers and software, which impacts the research environment. The current Humboldtian model of supervision practised in Kenya is criticized, partly due to its limited flexibility to respond to rapidly changing curricula. In conclusion, the evidence available advocates a holistic approach to enhance the capacity-building process and mentoring of doctoral students in statistics in Kenyan universities.
Downloads
References
African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS). (2022). PhD program summary. Retrieved January 13, 2024, from https://research.nexteinstein.org/wp- content/uploads/2022/11/PhDProgramSummary_eng.pdf
AMREF. (2024). Training of Facilitators. https://amref.ac.ke/courses/training-of-facilitators-tof/
Beitelmal, W. H., Littlejohn, R., Okonkwo, P. C., Hassan, I. U., Barhoumi, E. M., Khozaei, F., Hassan, A. M., & Alkaaf, K. A. (2022). Threshold Concepts Theory in Higher Education—Introductory Statistics Courses as an Example. Education Sciences, 12, 748. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12110748
Botha, J. (2018). The nature, purpose, standard and format of the doctoral degree. Course material of Module 2 of the DIES/CREST Training Course for Supervisors of Doctoral Candidates at African Universities. Stellenbosch University.
Botha, J., & Mouton, J. (2018). The execution phase: Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) and ethics, literature review, project management and examination. Course material of Module 6 of the DIES/CREST Training Course for Supervisors of Doctoral Candidates at African Universities. Stellenbosch University.
Bulmer, M., O’Brien, M., & Price, S. (2007). Troublesome concepts in statistics: A student perspective on what they are and how to learn them. UniServe Science Teaching and Learning Research Proceedings, pp. 9-15.
de Lange, N., Pillay, G., & Chikoko, V. (2011). Doctoral learning: A case for a cohort model of supervision and support. South African Journal of Education, 31, 15-30. https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v31n1a413
EUCLID. (n.d.). EUCLID (Euclid University) official website. Retrieved [Month Day, Year], from https://www.euclid.int.
Egan, R., Stockley, D., Brouwer, B., Tripp, D., & Stechyson, N. (2009). Relationships between area of academic concentration, supervisory style, student needs and best practices. Studies in Higher Education, 34(3), 337–345. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802597143
European Commission. (2023). Call for Proposals 2024 - EAC/A07/2023 – Erasmus+ Programme. Official Journal of the European Union, C/2023/1262. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:C_202301262. Accessed January 13, 2024
European Commission. (2011). Principles for Innovative Doctoral Training. https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/sites/default/files/policy_library/principles_for_innovative_doctoral_training.pdf
European University Association. (2010). Salzburg II: Recommendations European Universities’ Achievements Since 2005 in Implementing The Salzburg Principles. https://eua.eu/downloads/publications/salzburg%20ii%20recommendations%202010.pdf
Gatfield, T. (2005). An Investigation into PhD Supervisory Management Styles: Development of a dynamic conceptual model and its managerial implications. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 27(3), 311–325.
Ghosh, J. K. (1994). Mahalanobis and the Art and Science of Statistics: The Early Days. Indian Journal of History of Science, 29(1), 90.
Hassad, R. A. (2010). Toward improving the quality of doctoral education: A focus on statistics, research methods, and dissertation supervision. In C. Reading (Ed.), Data and context in statistics education: Towards an evidence-based society. Proceedings of the Eighth International Conference on Teaching Statistics (ICOTS8, July, 2010), Ljubljana, Slovenia. Voorburg, The Netherlands: International Statistical Institute.
Jiang, M., Ballenger, J., & Holt, W. (2019). Educational leadership doctoral students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of instructional strategies and course design in a fully online graduate statistics course. Online Learning, 23(4), 296- 312. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v23i4.1568.
Keefer, J. M. (2015). Experiencing doctoral liminality as a conceptual threshold and how supervisors can use it. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 52(1), 17–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2014.981839
KEMRI-Wellcome Trust. (n.d.). GEMVI research fellowship. Retrieved January 13, 2024, from https://jobs.kemri-wellcome.org/basic-page/gemvi-research-fellowship
Kiley, M. (2015). ‘I didn’t have a clue what they were talking about’: PhD candidates and theory. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 52(1), 52-63. https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2014.981835.
Kiley, M. (2017). An emerging PhD curriculum and what this might mean for doctoral level threshold concepts. Practice and Evidence of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Special Issue: Threshold Concepts and Conceptual Difficulty, 12(2), 294-312.
Larsen, R.J., & Marx, M.J. (2017) An Introduction to Mathematical Statistics and Its Applications, Pearson Education, 6th edition
Lee, A. (2008). How are doctoral students supervised? Concepts of doctoral research supervision. Studies in Higher Education, 33(3), 267–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070802049202.
Linde, W. (2016). Probability Theory: A first course in probability theory and statistics. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.
MacDougall, M. (2010). Threshold concepts in statistics and online discussion as a basis for curriculum innovation in undergraduate medicine. MSOR Connections, 10(3), Autumn Term.
Maseno University. (2018, December 28). Kenya DAAD Scholars Association Workshop: Strengthening Systems and Capacity Graduate Supervision, Examination and Research Publication in the Universities. https://maseno.ac.ke/index/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=765:kenya-daad-scholars-association-worshop&catid=115:more-news
Matas, C. P. (2012). Doctoral Education and Skills Development: An International Perspective. Revista de Docencia Universitaria, 10(2), 163-191.
Meyer, J. H. F., & Land, R. (2005). Threshold Concepts and Troublesome Knowledge (2): Epistemological Considerations and a Conceptual Framework for Teaching and Learning. Higher Education, 49, 373–388.
Mouton, J., & Frick, L. (2018). The need for the doctorate and the state of doctoral studies in Africa. Course material of Module 1 of the DIES/CREST Training Course for Supervisors of Doctoral Candidates at African Universities. Stellenbosch University.
Mouton, J. (2001). How to Succeed in Your Master’s and Doctoral Studies: A South African Guide and Resource Book. J L van Schaik Uitgewers/Publishers.
Mukhwana, E., Oure, S., Kiptoo, S., Kande, A., Njue, R., Too J., & Some, D. K. (2016). State of University Education in Kenya. Commission for University Education Discussion Paper 04. Nairobi, Kenya.
Munene, I. (2024). Kenyan universities are very short of professors: Why it matters and what to do about it. https://theconversation.com/kenyan-universities-are-very-short-of-professors-why-it-matters-and-what-to-do-about-it-219740,
Obwogi, J. (2011). Factors That Affect Quality of Teaching Staff in Universities in Kenya. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Nairobi, Kenya: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Odhiambo, J. W., & Onyango, S. (2018). Statistics Education in Kenya: Developments and Challenges. https://su- plus.strathmore.edu/bitstream/handle/11071/3386/statistics%20education%20in%20kenya.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Olaniyi, N. E. E. (2020). Threshold concepts: Designing a format for the flipped classroom as an active learning technique for crossing the threshold. Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced Learning, 15(2). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41039-020-
Pierson, S. (2018). Assessing Demand for PhD Statisticians and Biostatisticians. American Statistical Association. https://community.amstat.org/blogs/steve-pierson/2016/04/13/demand-for-phd-statisticians-and-biostatisticians
Rohde, C., Zeger, S. L., Thomas, K. K., & Bandeen-Roche, K. (2013). Johns Hopkins University Department of Biostatistics. In Strength in Numbers: The Rising of Academic Statistics Departments in the U.S. (pp. 129-141). Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3649-2_10.
Stellenbosch University. (2018). The Scholarly Environment: PhD Student Discussion, Rhodes University. From https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O63cMstjkL8&feature=youtu.be
University College London. (2020). Statistical Science: Our Early History. Retrieved from https://www.ucl.ac.uk/statistics/our-early-history-0, on November 3, 2024
University of Nairobi. (n.d.). PhD position in biostatistics. Retrieved January 13, 2024, from https://mathematics.uonbi.ac.ke/latest-news/phd-position-biostatistics
University of Pretoria. (2024). Department of Statistics: About the Department. https://www.up.ac.za/statistics/article/47756/about-the-department
University of Stellenbosch. (2013). Statistics Actuarial Science: About Us. https://www.sun.ac.za/english/faculty/economy/statistics/about-us
Vélez, W. Y., Maxwell, J. W., & Rose, C. (2013). 2013 Annual Survey of the Mathematical Sciences in the U.S.: Report on the 2012-2013 New Doctoral Recipients. Notices of the AMS, 61(8), 874-884.
Wanzala, O. (2018a). Universities Face Financial Crisis after Sh 1bn Budget Cut. Daily Nation. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nation.co.ke/news/education/Universities-face-financial-crisis-Sh1bn-budget-cut/2643604-4822484-view-asAMP-iud4e7/index.html
Wanzala, O. (2018b). UoN Rolls Out Coursework Program for PhD Students. Daily Nation. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nation.co.ke/news/education/PhD-students-to-do-course-work/2643604-4629126-view-asAMP-o1ccmiz/index.html
Wills, A. K. (2017). Identifying threshold concepts in postgraduate statistical teaching to non-statisticians. Practice and Evidence of Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Special Issue: Threshold Concepts and Conceptual Difficulty, 12(2), 430-443.
Zheng, T., & Ying, Z. (2012). Columbia University Statistics. In A. Agresti & X. Meng (Eds.), Strength in Numbers: The Rising of Academic Statistics Departments in the U. S. (pp. 27-38). New York: Springer Science+Business Media.
Copyright (c) 2025 Mwamburi Mcharo, PhD
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
