Abstract:

Unemployment in Kenya relates closely to underskilling of learners arising specifically from teachers whose research potential has not been harnessed through the present education system. In any teaching situation, the faculty’s role is to facilitate, guide, and motivate the learning process for students to be lifelong learners and critical thinkers. Since information is constantly changing, there is need to learn how to evaluate, integrate, and apply information, as opposed to memorizing accepted facts and theories. The main goal of the project was to investigate how the online and blended research methodology supports the linkage between teacher training and industry. Specifically, it sought to: Rate the efficacy of the online and blended research methodology in improving teachers’ school outputs and to evaluate its impact in inculcating the 21st century skills in teachers. This project used the quasi-experimental design, with third year Bachelor of Education students of Mathematics in two public universities. One public university provided the experimental cohort (Course taken through an online facilitated research course and supervised in a blended mode) while students in the control group were not subjected to the treatment but supervised by their lecturers’ face to face. The current paper reports the results of a tracer study carried out four years after the experiment to follow up on the classroom outputs from the experimental cohort of students on how research creates a linkage between teacher training and industry. The population used in this project was drawn from 200 third year Bachelor of Education students taking Mathematics, 115 lecturers from two public universities in Kenya, and 2 lecturers from a mentor university in Europe already having a research methods course for its students of education. The sample consisted of 200 students, 10 lecturers were randomly picked in the two public universities (Each lecturer supporting 20 students from each university), while saturated sampling was applied in the selection of the 2 lecturers from mentor university. Data was collected using questionnaires to students and lecturers, focus group discussion with selected students and an interview schedule with selected lecturers. The paired sample T-test was used to analyse the quantitative data while qualitative data was analysed through emerging themes based on objectives. The results of the project identified the critical role of online mentorship and collaboration through the online community of practice as the key drivers to inculcation of 21st century skill sets in higher education teacher training. Specifically, the online and blended research methods course created a rich learning environment that challenged students to think deeply, question assumptions, and develop communication (4.3), critical thinking, collaboration, creative thinking and problem-solving skills (4.2) on a rating scale of 5.0. The project further noted that there was a low but significant difference in acquisition of 21st century skills among teachers facilitated through the blended learning research course as compared to those who were not (t = (X1 - X2)/√(s2X1 + s2X2) = -0.77/√0.09 = -2.56. A t-value of -2.55704 and a p-value of 0.01879 showed that the difference was significant at p< .05). And that research training through a community of practice is linked to creation of lifelong learning skills in teachers.

Keywords:

Blended Course, Linkage to Industry, Lifelong Learning, Mentorship, Online Course, Research methodology, Teacher Training.