| Author's Name: |
Wellington Samkange |
| Subject Area: |
Social Science and Humanities |
| Subject |
Education |
| Section |
Research Paper |
Keyword:
Research methodology; Research design; Educational management; Topic area; Open and Distance Learning
Abstract
There have been concerns about the low submission rate for research projects and dissertations in the Bachelor of Education in Educational Management and Master of Education in Educational Management at the Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) in the department of Educational Studies at the Harare Region. Whilst most students in both degree programmes complete the taught component of their degrees within the stipulated minimum duration, the same cannot be said about their performance in research. Most students are taking more than the stipulated duration of study and in some cases running the danger of being timed-out in their studies because of their failure to complete research within the stipulated time frames. This paper examines some of the challenges students face in their presentation of research and dissertation. It examines the research methodologies, research areas and research designs in educational management. The paper qualitatively analysed twenty research projects and dissertations submitted at the ZOU Harare region between 2008 and 2013. The analysis assisted in identifying the research areas, research methodologies and research design common in Educational Management. It was observed that there is a mix-up between research methodology and research design. The paper also observed that the topic areas whilst varied, they tended to be of one category, the meso level. The topic areas did not demonstrate the multi-disciplinary nature of education as a discipline. The focus on the descriptive research design tended to affect the depth and nature of the research findings. The paper concludes that if research in educational management is to make a positive contribution to development in education, there is need to revisit the research designs and topic areas at postgraduate level, as there should be a difference between undergraduate research and postgraduate research.