This study investigated the current practices of quality assurance systems in Ethiopia at national and institutional levels in the light of government’s intended policies and the policies that are being implemented in HEIs. In addition, the study intended to compare the practices of public and private HEIs. It focused on quality assurance in degree-granting public and accredited private higher education institutionsin Ethiopia. For this study, I employed a mixed approach (qualitative as a main and quantitative as a subsidiary approach), combining a comparative case study and a survey to investigate the practices of QA systems in HEIs. Data was gathered from the National QA agency, degree-granting public universities, and accredited private university colleges. In addition, HERQA experts, academic vice presidents, QA directors, research and publication directors, college deans, internal quality reviewers and senior academic staff were involved in the study. Semi-structured interviews with key informants, documentary evidence, and a survey questionnaire form the main evidence base. Content analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data respectively. Although the study found structured QA processes at national and institutional levels, these were very recent in public HEIs, whereas and a quality culture had been developed in private HEIs. Self-evaluation and external quality audits are common methodologies used by both private and public HEIs. In addition, accreditation is another QA mechanism used by national quality assurance agencies to accredit private HEIs. This study confirmed that there was no QA policy at national and institutional levels to direct QA activities at all levels. This had a negative impact on the effective implementation of the system. Standards could be useful because they provide an institution with a clear idea of an ‘ideal’ end point, something towards which to strive. HEIs should develop their own quality principles and quality indicators for each key area of quality; however, the quality managers of both private and public HEIs did not understand the meaning of quality standards or quality indicators. There was a significant difference between public and private HEIs in the implementation of internal QA systems and their commitment to implementing them. Private HEIs’ top managers were more committed than those of public HEIs. The impact of QA systems on core activities of the institutions also varied from private and public HEIs. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)

This study investigated the current practices of quality assurance systems in Ethiopia at national and institutional levels in the light of government’s intended policies and the policies that are being implemented in HEIs. In addition, the study intended to compare the practices of public and private HEIs. It focused on quality assurance in degree-granting public and accredited private higher education institutionsin Ethiopia. For this study, I employed a mixed approach (qualitative as a main and quantitative as a subsidiary approach), combining a comparative case study and a survey to investigate the practices of QA systems in HEIs. Data was gathered from the National QA agency, degree-granting public universities, and accredited private university colleges. In addition, HERQA experts, academic vice presidents, QA directors, research and publication directors, college deans, internal quality reviewers and senior academic staff were involved in the study. Semi-structured interviews with key informants, documentary evidence, and a survey questionnaire form the main evidence base. Content analysis and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data respectively. Although the study found structured QA processes at national and institutional levels, these were very recent in public HEIs, whereas and a quality culture had been developed in private HEIs. Self-evaluation and external quality audits are common methodologies used by both private and public HEIs. In addition, accreditation is another QA mechanism used by national quality assurance agencies to accredit private HEIs. This study confirmed that there was no QA policy at national and institutional levels to direct QA activities at all levels. This had a negative impact on the effective implementation of the system. Standards could be useful because they provide an institution with a clear idea of an ‘ideal’ end point, something towards which to strive. HEIs should develop their own quality principles and quality indicators for each key area of quality; however, the quality managers of both private and public HEIs did not understand the meaning of quality standards or quality indicators. There was a significant difference between public and private HEIs in the implementation of internal QA systems and their commitment to implementing them. Private HEIs’ top managers were more committed than those of public HEIs. The impact of QA systems on core activities of the institutions also varied from private and public HEIs. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Comparative Education)

The key purpose of this research was to interrogate how cross-border learning experiences of students, who are culturally diverse in terms of ethnicity, language and religion at Ethiopian universities, can and should be managed. An important aspect of this study was determining the relationship between unofficial strategies which are employed at the three selected universities to address cultural diversity and students’ cross-border learning experiences which resulted from them. Conceptual and theoretical frameworks from Sociology, Education Management and learning theories guided this study which was informed by a literature study on addressing socio-cultural differences of students at national and international levels. Qualitative empirical information was collected mainly through individual and focus group interviews with information-rich participants, namely senior management personnel, Student Service officials, lecturers and students. Although the contextual literature review showed that inter-group hostility amongst ethnic, linguistic and religious diverse students prevailed at universities, despite the implementation of the multicultural policy adopted in Ethiopia, empirical findings, however, indicated that management provisions in terms of lodging and catering services, co-curricular activities and teaching and learning processes promoted cross-border learning experiences that enhanced inter-group understanding, as well as the academic skills of culturally diverse students. Diversity sensitive lodging, multilingual services at Student Service units, inclusive co-curricular activities and diversity sensitive group learning activities, which involved heterogeneous grouping of students, promoted the development of the self and others across ethnic, religious and linguistic lines and brought about a decrease in mistrust and suspicion and hostility towards students of other backgrounds. Based on the findings, a model for officially incorporating strategies which advance cross-border learning experiences within management processes at higher education institutions was developed to further the realisation of cross-border learning experiences by means of measures which are rooted in Student Service units and teaching and learning processes These should be developed as an alternative for the multicultural teaching programmes which find expression in Civic and Ethical Education and Communicative English Skills courses to advance the cross-cultural development of students. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The aim of this research was to examine determinants of service learning in Ethiopian Universities with a view to suggesting remedial solutions. Qualitative case study was employed to understand management of service learning in the purposively selected three case Universities. Data were collected from interns, mentors, department heads, Academic Vice Presidents, service learning office heads and agency supervisors through semi-structured interviews. Besides, focus group discussion with interns and document review were conducted. Collected data were analysed through narration. Service learning is used for pedagogical necessities, personal and civic development, career development and social responsibility in the Ethiopian Universities. However, its application is challenged by several factors. Product curricular model, low time ration for community service, limited teachers' involvement and discipline-based curriculum framework were identified as major hindrances to service learning implementation. As a result, most students and teachers were not committed to service learning. For instance, in government Universities, service learning offices were not well-organised. Partnership agreements were either weak or not in place, as a result, the majority of interns were placed based on their preferences. Resistance not to host was also found to be a common factor. An interesting finding of this study is that privileging interns for self-identification of hosting organisations resulted in dispersed and individualised placement that caused interns to develop feeling of strangeness and insecurity. Moreover, this placement hindered collaborative learning with their peers. Assessment error, absence of service learning programme evaluation and shortage of budget were common problems. Hence, the following suggestions along with a proposed strategy are recommended. Considering these challenges, the following recommendations are made. Service learning should be applied in a wider scale from junior through senior courses in the Universities. The curriculum should be designed to include extensive context-based and interdisciplinary-learning approaches. Government Universities should strengthen service learning offices. Placement of interns should mainly be based on partnership agreement. Time ration for community services and research functions should be increased to at least 50%. And lastly, Universities should closely support agency supervisors and arrange evaluation forums and celebrity events. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Education Management)

This study aimed at exploring the level of job satisfaction among academic staff members in Ethiopian public universities. For this purpose, a conceptual framework incorporating group of constructs, namely university policies and support, working conditions, student achievement, and demographic factors was developed based on the literature reviewed in the study. A descriptive survey research design was employed in the study to collect and analyse quantitative data obtained from participants. Clustered and systematic random sampling techniques were used in the study to choose 400 academic staff members from eight public universities. A questionnaire comprising closed- and open-ended questions, and Likert scale items was adapted in order to gather data from the participants. Descriptive and inferential statistical procedures were used to analyse the relationships between all the study constructs with the help of IBM SPSS, version 25. The study revealed that there were significant differences among different demographic groups, and positive relationships between job satisfaction and its defining constructs. The study also found that most of the academic staff members were dissatisfied with their jobs. Female academic staff members were more significantly dissatisfied with students‟ discipline policy, university governance and support, their salary, workload, communication, and students‟ achievement than male academic staff members. Male academic staff members were, however, more significantly satisfied with the promotion policy and more significantly dissatisfied with reward than the female academic staff members. The study revealed that academic staff members significantly differed in the level of job satisfaction corresponding to their age and qualification. The study also indicated that academic staff members significantly differed in the level of job satisfaction corresponding to their work experience and academic rank. Significant correlations between the eight constructs and job satisfaction of academic staff members were also found in the study. Finally, the study recommended directions for policy amendment and implications for practice and future research relevant to the issue under study. / Educational Studies / D. Phil. (Education)

The purpose of the study is to explore the current policy and practice of the national and institutional QA system in public HEIs in Ethiopia in order to determine how the quality of teaching and learning might have been enhanced through the QA system. Two organisational theories – contingency and neo-institutional theory – provide a theoretical lens to explain how internal and external organisational environments affect the implementation of QA in the HEIs. The mixed-methods research approach was used in the study, including document analysis, semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Three public universities were chosen as data source. At macro level, the HERQA was also included to examine the effect of the institutional environments on internal quality assurance practices. The findings revealed that there is little evidence of self-initiated quality enhancement activities in the public HEIs. They do not have adequate structures, systems, and written policies to assure quality. The quality assurance efforts were implemented without a clear sense of direction and purposes and therefore lacked effective coordination. The self-evaluations were symbolically took place at the higher levels of the universities and that the results of the evaluations were rarely used in a structured way in improvement of teaching-learning, faculty decision-making and planning processes. It is far from clear that whether the internal quality assurance contributed to the teaching and learning or transformed the student learning experience. It can be concluded that the HERQA’s quality assurance policy and practices seems to be de-coupled from internal initiatives to improve quality in the higher education institutions. It is recommended that HEIs should develop QA policy, mobilise resources for institutional quality improvement, establish full-fledged QA structures at all levels, and furnish the structures with necessary human resources. The HEIs should initiate and undertake effective self-assessment of their activities, own it and work towards achieving their own stated objectives. It is important that the HERQA should develop accreditation procedures, particularly at programme level, for the public HEIs. The HERQA should consider playing more active roles in communicating with HEIs regularly about QA; pay more attention to a follow-up of the audits, the punctual development and delivery of the SEDs. The HERQA should be more independent, have more autonomy and sufficient resources to become a viable professional agency informing the HE sector on the quality of its performance. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Education Management)

Quality management of higher education is a vital concern today. The purpose of this study was to examine education quality management practices of Ethiopian public universities and to investigate a relationship between three dependent variables (planning for quality education, implementation of plans and performance improvement) and five independent variables (identification of quality education, considering customers’ needs, performance tracking, education quality management strategies and taking actions). Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected by means of questionnaires and interviews. Respondents of the questionnaire items were 170 education managers and student union representatives. In addition, ten senior instructors and ten senior students were interviewed. The responses obtained using questionnaires were analysed using frequencies, percentages, means, modes, chi-square tests and Spearman’s correlation. Responses obtained using open ended items on the questionnaires and interview responses were analysed qualitatively using themes of issues most frequently obtained. This study showed that: in most Ethiopian public universities the educational quality planning process is not participatory. There is a gap in using their plans in guiding their day to day activities. Most universities do not regularly collect data on satisfaction levels of their customers. Educational process changes are not tested on small scale before a wide spread application. It also showed that there is a strong positive relationship between performance improvement and the four independent variables namely: considering customers’ needs, performance tracking, teaching methodologies and taking actions in Ethiopian public universities. Consequently, recommendations have been given so as to improve education quality management practices of Ethiopian public universities. This study hopefully contributes a lot for performance improvement of similar higher education system. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

This qualitative research investigated the implementation problems of apprenticeship training program in the Addis Ababa TVET colleges and enterprises. The research looked into the training program conducted by TVET Colleges and enterprises. Relevant literature on the nature of apprenticeship training and the factors that could affect its implementation were also reviewed. The research applied the theoretical statement of Bandura’s (1977) theory of observation /imitation/, Vygotsky’s theory of ZPD, contextual or the situated learning (Lave and Wenger, 1991), the constructivist view of learning and career theory as the main theoretical frameworks to describe the apprenticeship training process. The theories, however, do not mention the factors that can hamper the implementation of apprenticeship training in a specific social context. The theory of observation was preferred since it can describe the apprentice’s effort to master the skill of an occupation by observing the craftsman at the enterprises. The situated learning was preferred as it gives value to practice as a condition for the effectiveness of learning. Similarly, the research considered Vygotsky’s theory of the ZPD. The application of ZPD indicates the difference between what the apprentice can accomplish independently and what he/she can do with the close assistance of supervisor on a given task. Holland’s career theory (as cited in De lary, Duncan & Swarth, 2006) is also considered to describe the apprenticeship training in relation with an occupation. The current research has enabled to consider context specific conditions by focusing on the investigation of the causes of the implementation challenges of the apprenticeship training. The researcher collected data from Addis Ababa TVET Agency experts, deans of one private and another public TVET Colleges, college apprenticeship training coordinators, trainers, trainees, supervisors and enterprises by employing unstructured and structured interviews, observation and Focus Group Discussion tools. The analysis was made by making the data pass through three successive steps: data reduction, data display and interpretation, and conclusion. The findings showed that the implementation of the apprenticeship training program had challenges that could be shared among its actors; Trade Unions had no involvement in the implementation of the apprenticeship training program; the selected colleges and enterprises addressed their challenges by using limited strategies and without regular and systematic way; the presence of some less motivating factors for the participation of the apprentices in the apprenticeship training was reported; the presence of conditions that could adversely affect the apprentices’ acquisition of occupational skills was reported; the provision of apprenticeship training at the enterprises lack, either facilities or training services, in order to arrange the apprenticeship training program for TVET college trainees; and there were some indications for the presence of some weak professional qualities of supervisors that have implications for the apprentices’ training. Eventually, it was concluded that the implementation of apprenticeship training program in the Addis Ababa TVET Colleges and enterprises had challenges that require the consideration of both institutional and human conditions. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

The study identifies how different stakeholders perceive service quality improvement initiatives in public higher education institutions in Ethiopia. For this purpose, a mixed research methodology was employed. Furthermore, secondary data were collected from a variety of literature and primary data were collected from academic staff and final year students at public higher education institutions using the SERVQUAL scale and through focus group interviews. The collected data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The research findings indicated that all dimensions of the service quality improvement initiatives were perceived by academic staff and studentsto be verypoor. The reasons for these poor or low perceptions were: the high expectationsof the stakeholders, the government’s intention to expand, lack of adequate knowledge regarding the implementation of the BPR process, the lack of motivation by service providers, poor management and the lack of good governance by the universities, inexperienced workers, non-empowered and task specific frontline employees, the low quality of the infrastructure, non-value adding hierarchical structures and approval systems, ethical problems with some service providers, the high staff turnoverand the lack of experienced staff. In addition, at all new universities, construction is underway and as a result,there are problems such as the poor state of the dormitories, classes,bathrooms, recreation areas, lounges, TV rooms, sport fields and internet connectivity, while the libraries are not well stocked with books and periodicals either. This study has recommended that the institutions should have standardised instruments that can be used to measure the status of service quality improvement and deliveryperiodically and to identify the areas that have the highest perceived performance gap scores in order to redeploy some of the resources. It also needs to be pointed out that the service providers lack sufficient knowledge and skillsconcerning the implementation of BPR, thus training is recommended in this regard.It is further recommended that for effective implementation of the BPR process, the importance of the provision of different guiding documents, continuous monitoring of activities and top management support should be kept in mind. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Educational Management)

This study serves two major purposes. First, it explores and validates attributes, dimensions and constructs that can be used to measure service quality in Ethiopian public higher education (EPHE) context. Second, it examines the interplay among the major service quality constructs and student related variables in search of a comprehensive theoretical framework for HE service quality. The study started its investigation by formulating a set of research questions that explore attributes, dimensions and constructs essential to measure service quality (RQ1), test for the measurement model fit (RQ2), examine the relationships or associations among the four service constructs and characteristics of students (RQ3), test for the structural model fit (RQ4), determine the causal relations among the variables in the structural model (RQs4.1 - 4.7), and assess service quality performances of EPHE institutions (RQ5). A mixed methods study with the qual-QUAN exploratory sequential design was employed to empirically answer the research questions. Fifteen interviewees took part in the qualitative phase. The interviews were analysed employing thematic analysis and narration of verbatim accounts. Three levels of themes that represent attributes, dimensions and constructs of service quality were identified and used to develop a questionnaire designed to measure service quality more objectively. The questionnaire was piloted at a pilot site involving 460 undergraduate students and its psychometric properties were determined. The main study was carried out in three universities selected from a target population of seven first generation public universities employing lottery sampling method. Concurrently, four programmes were chosen from a target population of 27 commonly offered programmes in the three sample universities employing systematic random sampling. Considering different batches and the four programmes as strata, 1412 undergraduate students were included in the main study using proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Descriptive and inferential statistics including factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) were employed to address the research questions. The results from the qualitative and quantitative phases show that service quality can be measured by four constructs, of which three are multi-dimensional and one is a single dimensional construct. The four factor measurement model fit analysis resulted in an acceptable fit indices (i.e., CMIN/DF = 4.398, GFI = .915, CFI = .951, RMSEA = .049 and PCLOSE =.743) after some re-specifications and confirmed the structural validity of the instrument. Mixed results were obtained with regard to the correlations/associations between student characteristics and service quality constructs. After some re-specification, a structural model for the four service quality constructs and nine student related variables were identified with an acceptable fit indices (CMIN/DF=3.856, GFI=.901, CFI =.934 and RMSEA=.045, p=1.000). The path analyses also revealed that loyalty is a latent construct with 62% of its varaince predicted by the joint effects of percieved service quality, satisfaction and perceived gain. Each of these predicator latent constructs are also explained by some other control varaibles and latent constructs that have a predictive power ranging from 12% to 60%. Students perceived the current status of service quality in EPHE institutions as daunting in all constructs of service quality except perceived gain. Finally, conclusions pertinent to the measurement instrument and understanding of HE service queality are drawn, and recommendations that have theoretical and practical implications are forwarded. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)