Learner Support Services, Learner Characteristics,hidden Costs and Retention of Distance Learners: the Case of Bachelor of Education Programmes of the University of Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to establish how the provision of Learner Support Services influences the retention of distance learners at the University of Nairobi. Today’s Learner Support Services vary considerably, and little is known about the efficiency and effectiveness of these Support Services on learner retention. Given the resource and financial constraints on our public universities today, it is essential that we identify Learner Support Services that facilitate learning and increase student satisfaction and, ultimately student retention and graduation. This was guided by nine objectives; to determine the influence of Academic Support Services on retention of distance learners at the University of Nairobi, to examine the influence of Administrative Support Services on retention of distance learners at the University of Nairobi, to establish the influence of Guidance and Counseling Support Services on retention of distance learners at the University of Nairobi, to assess the influence of Technological Support Services influence on retention of distance learners at the University of Nairobi, to determine the influence of learner characteristics on retention of distance learners at the University of Nairobi, to determine the influence of Hidden Costs on retention of distance learners at the University of Nairobi, to examine the influence of the combined learner support services on retention of distance learners at the University of Nairobi, to establish the moderating influence of learner characteristics on the relationship between learner support services and retention of distance learners at the University of Nairobi, to examine the moderating influence of Hidden Costs on the relationship between learner support services and retention of distance learners at the University of Nairobi. The study was grounded on the Vincent Tinto model of institutional departure, Psychological model of student departure by John Bean, Input- Environment-Outcome Model by Alexander Astin, and the Transactional Distance Theory. Quantitative data was collected through structured self-administered questionnaires while qualitative was collected through focus group discussions after research instruments were pilot tested for reliability through test-retest criterion and validity through the content related method. The statistical tools of analysis for descriptive data were arithmetic mean and standard deviation while inferential statistics were Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (r), simple regression, multiple regressions and stepwise regression (R2) and F-tests were used to test hypotheses in the study. The study established that Learner Support Services had a significant influence on the Retention of Distance Learners at the University of Nairobi. The study also established that Learner characteristics and Hidden Costs both had a statistically significant moderating influence on the relationship between Learner Support Services and retention of distance learners at the University of Nairobi. The findings from this study provide a strong indication that learner retention is influenced by learner support services namely academic support, administrative support, counselling support, and technological support. The findings from this study also provide a strong indication that learner characteristics and hidden costs do moderate the relationship between learner support services and retention of distance learners at the University of Nairobi. The empirical finding on hidden costs is particularly important because studies on hidden costs in higher education are few since most of the studies have tended to focus on primary and secondary education in Kenya. This implies that all institutions of higher learning that offer distance learning programs need to carefully consider how they offer these support services to enhance learner satisfaction and retention. In this era of reduced government funding, public universities must ensure that LSS is accessible to their learners if they wish to retain them, especially those learners who are in their first and second year of study. Given that this study focussed on learners in their first and second year of study, and in two distance learning programmes of the University of Nairobi, it is recommended that a similar study be replicated covering learners in their third and final year in the same programmes and then the same done to other programmes not only in the University of Nairobi but also in other public universities that are offer distance learning courses.