an investigation into the research culture of addis ababa university

325 Pages·2012·1.41 MB·English

ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE RESEARCH
CULTURE OF ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY:
THE CASE OF TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN
LANGUAGE (TEFL) PHD PROGRAM

BY
ZEWDU EMIRU

JUNE, 2012
ADDIS ABABA
ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE RESEARCH
CULTURE OF ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY:
THE CASE OF TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN
LANGUAGE (TEFL) PHD PROGRAM

BY
ZEWDU EMIRU

JUNE, 2012
ADDIS ABABA
AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE RESEARCH
CULTURE OF ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY:
THE CASE OF TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN
LANGUAGE (TEFL) PHD PROGRAM

BY
ZEWDU EMIRU

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO
THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
AND LITERATURES IN FULFILLMENT OF THE
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF
PHILOSOPHY IN TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN
LANGUAGE (TEFL)

ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA
JUNE 2012
ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES

This is to certify that the thesis prepared by Zewdu Emiru, entitled
An Investigation into the Research Culture of Addis Ababa University:
The case of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) PhD
Program and submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the
Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Teaching English as a Foreign
Language) complies with the regulations of the University and
meets the accepted standards with respect to originality and
quality.

Signed by the Examining Committee:

Examiner --------------------------- Signature ------------ Date----------

Examiner --------------------------- Signature ------------ Date----------

Supervisor --------------------------- Signature ------------ Date---------
Declaration

I, the undersigned, declare that this thesis is my original work and has not
been presented for a degree in any other university, and that all sources of
materials used for the thesis have been duly acknowledged.

Name : Zewdu Emiru Jemberie

Signature : ----------------------

Place : Institute of Language Studies,
Addis Ababa University

Date of Submission : June, 2012
ABSTRACT

An Investigation into the Research Culture of Addis Ababa University: The
case of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) PhD Program

Zewdu Emiru
Addis Ababa University, 2012
This study aimed at investigating the research culture of the Teaching
English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) PhD program of Addis Ababa
University. It also aimed at identifying factors contributing to this culture.
Mixed methods approach was employed for the study, which is mainly
qualitative, but also uses quantitative techniques for triangulation purposes.
The study participants were 40 TEFL PhD students of the university selected
using stratified random sampling technique and 16 EFL educators of the
university selected using comprehensive sampling technique. The qualitative
data was collected using interviews held with five EFL Educators and five
TEFL PhD candidates; focus group discussions with 12 PhD candidates; and
document review of relevant policy documents and research guidelines of
the University. The quantitative data was drawn using two types of
questionnaires—one type administered to 16 EFL educators of the university
and the other to 40 TEFL PhD candidates; and a content analysis of titles of
ongoing TEFL PhD researches and of dissertations done at the department
in the years 1993–2010 and available at the library. While a thematic
content analysis was used to analyze the qualitative data, percentages were
used to analyze the quantitative data.
The study found out that even though official documents of the university,
TEFL PhD candidates and their guides state that EFL research, including
PhD researches should serve problem-solving purposes, little or no result
gets into actual use. And PhD students’ knowing of this reality is found to
be discouraging that many feel also their dissertations will remain on shelf,
and thus they feel they do the research mainly for fulfillment. Selection of
titles for a PhD research was found to focus on what can be done just for
fulfillment rather than what pressing problems can be solved. Most of the
PhD researches from 1993–2010 and also the ongoing ones concentrate
around certain themes, contexts, and employed almost similar methods.
Mixed results were found regarding supervision of PhD researches, while
advisors claim that they give critical feedback and allot adequate time for
discussion with their advisees, advisees reflected a range of concerns in
relation to the quality and process of supervision, i.e. the feedback and
overall coaching was found to be unsatisfactory in terms of depth and
breadth, and the advisor-advisee relationships were characterized quite
unfriendly, and thus affecting advisees commitments and the quality of their
researches. It was also found that seminar and defense sessions are
becoming venues just for evaluative reflections from the side of examiners or
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facilitators and defensive stances from presenters; audiences are usually left
passive. As such, inputs expected from such sessions are very limited, as
the sessions do not encourage open and genuine academic debates between
and/or among the presenters, examiners and audiences. Furthermore,
limitation on the side of the department in terms of controlling and
monitoring PhD research topics and research processes, creating network of
thematic research groups, and facilitating more collegial environments has
been found to result in duplications of work on similar titles by researchers
who don’t even know each other. While advisory and teaching workload
compounded to lack of rewards, avenues, and incentives limit educators’
engagement in research activities, inadequate supervision, financial
constraints, and more of evaluative rather than deductive attitudes were
found to affect PhD researches. What is more, research results, whatever the
quality, are not disseminated and remain on shelves. This in turn is found
to discourage both the teachers and PhD students to engage in problem-
solving researches. All these findings attest that the research culture of the
department is weak and needs revamping.
The findings have implications for action or practice, policy and research. In
terms of practice, the department should institute mechanism and revitalize
efforts towards making researches more problem-solving and useable. These
include means of control and monitoring of PhD research areas, improving
advisor-advisee relationships, creating collegial environments, and the like.
The university at large should design and enforce means of embedding
dissemination with the research itself starting from initiation of researches.
It should also create more avenues where researchers can share their
findings, and also create appropriate reward and incentive mechanism to
encourage researchers.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Many people have supported me in countless ways in making this work a
reality. Hence, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere
gratitude to them all.
First and foremost, I would like to express my profound gratitude to Dr.
Mendida Berkessa, my supervisor, for his tremendous insight and scholarly
support in the course of this study. His constructive feedback and
suggestions added a great value to this work. I am highly indebted to my
friend, Matebu Tadesse, for his unconditional support, suggestions and
critical feedbacks from the inception to the end of this work. His unreserved
support had a significant impact on the present form of this thesis.
I am deeply indebted to my colleagues from Bahir Dar University, Dr. Abiy
Yigzaw, Dr. Mulugeta Teka and Ato Reda Dargie, for their professional
contribution in validating the research instruments used in this study. I
would also like to thank two staff members of Addis Ababa University, Dr.
Mekasha Kassaye and Dr. Tamene Kitila for providing me with materials.
I owe a special debt of gratitude to my parents, Ato Emiru Jemberie and
W/ro Yirgabanch Demilew; my brothers and sisters for their unconditional
love and support all through the years; if it were not for their unlimited
support and encouragement, I wouldn’t have been the person I am now.
Likewise, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my wife Seble Asrat
for her understanding and patience while I spend much time away from
home for the study, as well as for her unreserved support and
encouragement all the way through. Furthermore, her wondrous caring for
our children, Ruth Zewdu and Natnael Zewdu, and maintenance of the
happiness of the family during my absence has always been comforting for
me to concentrate on the study.
Last but not least, I am grateful to my friends, Seyoum Teshome, Simachew
Gashaye, Zerihun Mekonon, Mulugeta Yitayew, Getachew Endalamaw and
Nigusie Mitiku for their continuous support and feedbacks at different
stages of this work. I truly admire the encouragement and caring attitudes
they afforded me in all these years.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABSTRACT ............................................................................................ i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................ iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................................... iv
LIST OF TABLES................................................................................... ix
LIST OF FIGURES................................................................................ xi
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS...................................................................... xii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION……………………….............................. 1
1.1 Background of the Study…………………………………………………..... 1
1.2 Statement of the Problem………………………………………………….… 4
1.3 Objectives of the Study..................................................................... 8
1.3.1 General Objective................................................................. 8
1.3.2 Specific Objectives............................................................... 9
1.4 Research Questions………………………………………………………….. 9
1.4.1 Basic Research Question…………………………………............ 9
1.4.2 Specific Research Questions………….......……………………… 10
1.5 Significance of the Study…………………………………………………….. 10
1.6 Scope of the Study……………………………………………………………... 11
1.7 Limitations of the Study................................................................... 11
1.8 Organization of the Thesis................................................................ 12

CHAPTER TWO: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK………........................... 13
2.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………...... 13
2.2 Conceptual Clarification of Research Culture…………………………... 13
2.3 Theory of Constructivism …………………………………………………..... 15
2.4 The Social Constructivist Model…………………………………………….. 17

CHAPTER THREE: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE……............ 20
3.1 Introduction …………………………………………………………………...... 20
3.2 Debates about the Link between Research and the
Practice of Teaching......................................................................... 20
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3.3 The Role of Research in EFL Education………………………………….. 22
3.4 The Evolving Paradigm of EFL Research………………………………..... 24
3.4.1 Collaborative Action Research……………………………………. 25
3.4.2 Diversity in Research Methodologies ……………………........ 27
3.4.3 Interdisciplinary Research………………………………………… 28
3.4.4 More Inclusive Dissemination of Knowledge…………………. 28
3.5 Conceptions and Perceptions of Research Culture…………………..... 29
3.6 What Constitutes EFL Research Culture ………………………………… 33
3.6.1 Individual Attributes as Ingredients of EFL Research Culture. 33
3.6.1.1 Beliefs and Aspirations………………………………..... 33
3.6.1.2 Motivation………………………………………………….. 35
3.6.1.3 Background………………………….....……………….... 36
3.6.1.4 Professional Morality……………………………………. 37
3.6.2 EFL Research Culture in the Professional Community…….. 41
3.6.2.1 Collaboration………………………………………………. 41
3.6.2.2 Supervision as a Process of Nurturing
Effective Research.................................................. 44
3.6.2.3 Research Dissemination ……………………………….. 48
3.7 Factors Affecting Research Culture at HEIs…………………………. …. 51
3.7.1 Institutional Factors……………………………………………….... 53
3.7.2 Departmental Factors…………………………………………….... 54
3.8 Local Studies on the Status of HEI Research in Ethiopia.................. 56

CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY…………………...……. 60
4.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………...... 60
4.2 Design of the Study……………………………………………………………. 60
4.3 Research Site and Participants of the Study……………………………. 62
4.3.1 Research Site………………………………………………………… 62
4.3.2 Participants of the Study………………………………………….. 63
4.3.3 Selection Procedure ……………………………………………….. 63
4.4 Data Collection Instruments………………………………………………... 64
4.4.1 Interviews………………………………………………………......... 65
4.4.1.1 TEFL PhD Students’ Interviews……………………….. 66
v