Strengthening Research Methodology and Data Analysis Capacity in Higher Education in Ethiopia: Challenges and Opportunities

• In Event: Thinking Globally, Acting Globally: Research and Assessment Collaboration and Capacity-Building in International Settings

Abstract

Across the globe, the missions of universities are, in part, to educate and produce competent graduates and promote and enhance research towards meeting several goals – including contribution to a country’s social and economic development and to the well-being of local, national, and global communities (AAU mission statement, n.d; OSU mission statement, n.d.; Cortez-Santiago, 2017)). Developing competent researchers is a critical issue for US and African Universities and in fact for all Higher-Education Institutes (HEIs) granting masters and doctoral degrees, for which a successful thesis or dissertation is considered as partial fulfillment of the requirements for conferral of the degree. Thus, HEIs have a responsibility to appropriately prepare their students for the independent work embodied by the thesis or dissertation. Recent scientific debates on reproducibility and rigor have also underscored a need for high-quality research training within universities. The epistemological emphasis of this research training is typically embedded in the prominent research paradigms (qualitative, quantitative, mixed) that are traditionally followed by different academic disciplines. Clearly, expertise in a single paradigm is not sufficient to advance specific disciplines or related fields collectively. However, as quantitative methodologists, we share a common concern that attaining research competency involving quantitative methods for a successful thesis or dissertation – and beyond – is a challenging prospect for many students, but little is known about research training opportunities or training gaps that students experience.

In Ethiopia, the study of statistics has been given due importance in recent years within the primary and secondary school curriculum across nearly all grades (Michael & O’Connell, 2014). However, at universities and colleges, the inclusion of statistics is minimal in some disciplines, which can interfere with student participation in quantitative research and in students’ readiness to pursue research-based Masters or Doctoral degree programs. Equipping students with a solid foundation in statistical knowledge would help strengthen their capabilities in diverse statistical applications in education and in health or other disciplines, and would impact the Ethiopian education system and the workforce in positive ways. Many Ethiopian graduate students face training challenges in learning quantitative methods and scientifically based research approaches, particular those in education and social science disciplines. There are similarities and difficulties in availability and access to methodology courses and research experiences for students studying education and related fields within the US and other countries as well. Reflections on training opportunities for research-based knowledge, skills, and practice may help different programs of study enhance the research opportunities and outcomes for students. In this presentation I share some perspectives and my own experiences with capacity building for quantitative research and research methodology in higher education in Ethiopia. I am approaching this presentation as a methodologist and educational statistician and will provide some suggestions for how students and faculty can become engaged in international work in this area.

Author

• Ann A. O'Connell, The Ohio State University