The influence of university research facilities on timely doctoral studies completion: Empirical evidence from Kenya

Abstract

Doctoral education shapes the development of human capital as well as national innovation; however, Kenya faces low completion rates, with less than 30% of students graduating within the three-year policy, and in some public universities, the figure is approximately 11%. Although the reviewed studies focus on student factor, institutional management, supervisory practices, and funding models, the nexus between research facilities and timely doctoral studies completion remains underexplored. This paper aims to analyze how university research facilities affect the timely completion of doctoral studies at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. General systems theory and Tinto’s integration theory guided the study. The target population was 1,183 supervisors, 646 graduates, and 10 deans. The sample size was 339 respondents (182 supervisors, 147 doctoral graduates, and 10 deans). Stratified random sampling was applied to sample supervisors and students, while purposive sampling was applied to sample deans. Semi-structured questionnaires and interview guides were used in data collection. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentages, mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics (simple linear regression) in SPSS v25 were used to analyze quantitative data, and thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. The results reveal that research facilities have a positive and significant relationship with doctoral completion, according to supervisors (β = 0.229, p = .004, p < .05, 2-tailed), while research facilities had a positive and non-significant relationship with doctoral completion, according to students (β = 0.267, p = .259, p > .05, 2-tailed). The findings suggest that university research facilities influence timely doctoral studies completion. The study concludes that timely doctoral studies completion relies not only on the availability of research facilities but also on their accessibility, usability, and integration into the student’s academic environment. The study recommends the need to embark on user-centred and inclusive research infrastructure in higher education, beyond mere availability. Further, the study recommends increased investment in research systems and policy frameworks, and targeted training to support doctoral education.