and off-campus accommodation at moi university ma

104 Pages·2017·1.86 MB·English

FACTORS INFLUENCING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS’ LEVEL OF
SATISFACTION WITH ON- AND OFF-CAMPUS ACCOMMODATION AT
MOI UNIVERSITY MAIN CAMPUS, KENYA

BY

JENNIFER JEPKOSGEI CHEPKENER

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SOCIAL
SCIENCES, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY AND PSYCHOLOGY
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS
FOR AWARD OF MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE
IN COUNSELLING PSYCHOLOGY

MOI UNIVERSITY

JULY, 2018
ii

DECLARATION
Declaration by the Student
This thesis is my original work and has not been presented to any institution for
examination.
____________________________________ __________________
Jennifer Jepkosgei Chepkener Date
SASS/MCP/03/2012

Declaration by Supervisors
This thesis has been submitted with our approval as University Supervisors.

____________________________________ __________________
Dr. Samuel R. Chessa Date
Department of Sociology and Psychology
School of Arts and Social Sciences
Moi University

____________________________________ __________________
Dr. Emily Sitienei Date
Department of Educational Psychology
School of Education
Moi University
iii

DEDICATION
I dedicate this work to my parents and my husband who have been there for me during
the entire period of preparation of this work.
iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I thank the almighty God for the gift of life and giving me the opportunity to further
my studies. Special thanks to my supervisors: Dr. S. R Chessa and Dr. Emily Sitienei
who have continued to give me academic guidance and being the best advisors. I
really appreciate your patience, support, and mentorship. I would also like to thank
the house keepers, caretakers, and undergraduate students of Moi University for being
able to collaborate with me in providing important information towards my topic of
interest. Finally, I would like to thank my husband Dr. David Menjo for always
supporting my education and being there when I needed his help.
v

ABSTRACT
Students’ accommodation is one of the basic human needs and it is of contemporary
interest to all University sectors. Most public universities in Kenya offer
accommodation to their students. However, the high influx of students in Kenya, both
government and self-sponsored, greatly supersedes the ability of these institutions to
offer accommodation to all students. The primary purpose of this study was to
establish factors influencing undergraduate students’ level of satisfaction with on- and
off -campus accommodation at Moi University, Main Campus. The specific
objectives of the study were: to establish the factors that enhance students’ level of
satisfaction with either on- or off- campus accommodation; to assess the difference in
the level of satisfaction with accommodation among students residing either on
campus or off-campus; and to identify the accommodation challenges facing students
either on- or off- campus. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design and
was guided by Happy-Productive Student Theory by Cotton, Dollard, and de Jonge
(2002). The study population was 11000 students residing on- and off- campus. A
sample size of 115 (81 on-campus; and 34 off-campus) were involved in this study.
Simple random sampling was used to select the students, while five (5) key
informants both housekeepers and caretakers were purposively selected. Piloting was
done to ascertain data collection instruments’ validity and reliability. Data were
collected using questionnaires for students and interview schedules for house keepers
and caretakers. Data was analyzed using means, percentages and frequencies. T-test
was used to test for the differences in the students’ level of satisfaction between the
on- and off-campus students. Data was presented using frequency tables, pie charts
and bargraphs. The result of the study suggests that factors such as accommodation,
security, distance from the university facilities, state of ablution blocks, privacy,
social amenities, reading desk, room space and social environment are the most
important in predicting undergraduate students’ level of satisfaction either on- or off-
campus accommodation. The findings of the study indicated that students were more
satisfied with on-campus accommodation to a satisfaction level of 63.9% against that
of off-campus which was 59.5%. This shows that the level of satisfaction in each case
was more than average but also that there was a moderately significant difference in
the satisfaction level between on- campus and off-campus accommodation. From the
study findings, it is recommended that the university administrators and all those
involved in students’ accommodation endeavor to understand students’
accommodation needs and satisfaction level predictors that keep students more
satisfied. It is hoped that the findings of the study will enable the university
administrators to come up with plans and objectives that best serve the interests of the
students’ accommodation for both on-campus and off-campus. This will result in
putting up of better accommodation facilities on-campus and encouraging private
developers to take part in the construction of more and improved student hostels that
best address satisfaction level of students and make them enjoy their stay at Moi
University.
vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION ........................................................................................................... ii
DEDICATION .............................................................................................................. iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ............................................................................................ iv
ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... v
TABLE OF CONTENTS .............................................................................................. vi
LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................ ix
LIST OF FIGURES........................................................................................................ x
ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ..................................................................... xi
CHAPTER ONE........................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1
1.1 Overview .................................................................................................................. 1
1.2 Background of the Study .......................................................................................... 1
1.3 Statement of the Problem ......................................................................................... 5
1.4. Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................... 6
1.5 Objectives of the Study ............................................................................................ 6
1.6 Research Questions .................................................................................................. 6
1.7 Justification of the Study .......................................................................................... 7
1.8 Significance of the Study ......................................................................................... 8
1.9 Scope of the Study ................................................................................................... 9
1.10 Limitation of the Study .......................................................................................... 9
1.11 Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................... 9
1.12 Operational Definition of Terms .......................................................................... 11
CHAPTER TWO ....................................................................................................... 12
LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................................................... 12
2.1 Overview ................................................................................................................ 12
2.2 The Concept of Students Satisfaction .................................................................... 12
2.3 University Accommodation ................................................................................... 20
2.4 Types of Accommodation (Off- Campus Private Housing) .................................. 27
2.5 Benefits of On-Campus Accommodation .............................................................. 29
2.6 Factors that influence students level of satisfaction with their accommodation .... 35
2.7 Challenges on Students’ Accommodation ............................................................. 37
2.8 Summary of Literature Review .............................................................................. 39
vii

CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................................... 41
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ................................................... 41
3.1 Overview ................................................................................................................ 41
3.2 Research Design ..................................................................................................... 41
3.3 Study Area .............................................................................................................. 41
3.4 Target Population ................................................................................................... 42
3.5 Sampling Design and Sample Size ........................................................................ 43
3.6 Research Instruments ............................................................................................. 44
3.6.1 Questionnaire .................................................................................................. 45
3.6.2 Interview Guide............................................................................................... 46
3.6.3 Pilot study ....................................................................................................... 46
3.7 Validity of Research Instruments ........................................................................... 46
3.8 Reliability of the Research Instruments ................................................................. 47
3.9 Data Collection Procedures .................................................................................... 48
3.10 Data Analysis ....................................................................................................... 48
3.11 Ethical Considerations ......................................................................................... 49
CHAPTER FOUR ...................................................................................................... 50
DATA ANALYSIS, PRESENTATION, INTERPRETATION AND
DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................. 50
4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 50
4.2 Background Information of Respondents .............................................................. 51
4.2.1 Response rate .................................................................................................. 51
4.2.3 Gender of Respondents ................................................................................... 52
4.2.3 Year of study of Respondents ......................................................................... 52
4.2.4 Residential place of the Respondents .............................................................. 53
4.3 Factors Enhancing Students’ Level of Satisfaction with Accommodation ............ 54
4.4 Differences in Students Level of Satisfaction with University Accommodation .. 56
4.5 Accommodation Challenges Facing Students either On -or Off- Campus ............ 64
CHAPTER FIVE ........................................................................................................ 67
SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................ 67
5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 67
5.2 Summary of Findings ............................................................................................. 67
5.3 Conclusions ............................................................................................................ 69
viii

5.4 Recommendations .................................................................................................. 71
5.5 Suggestions for Further Studies ............................................................................. 72
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................. 73
APPENDICES.............................................................................................................. 82
Appendix 1: Introductory Letter .............................................................................. 82
Appendix 2: Questionnaire for Students .................................................................. 83
Appendix 3: Interview Schedule for Housekeepers and Caretakers ........................ 90
Appendix 4: Authorization Letter ............................................................................ 91
Appendix 5: Request for a Research Permit ............................................................ 92
Appendix 6: Research Permit .................................................................................. 93
ix

LIST OF TABLES
Table 3.1 Students Enrolments Based on Students’ Accommodation ......................... 43
Table 4.1: Factors Influencing Students’ Level of Satisfaction with Accommodation54
Table 4.2 Difference in Students’ Level of Satisfaction with accommodation ........... 57
Table 4.3: Mean Values Showing Difference in Students’ Level of Satisfaction with
Accommodation .......................................................................................... 60
Table 4.4: Independent Samples Test .......................................................................... 63
Table 4.5 Accommodation Challenges Facing Students.............................................. 64
x

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 4.2.1: Response Rate......................................................................................... 51
Figure 4.2.2: Gender of the Respondents ..................................................................... 52
Figure 4.2.3: Year of Study of the Respondents .......................................................... 53
Figure 4.2.4: Residential Place of the Respondents ..................................................... 53