Of Ritualistic Researches: The Case of Kenyan Universities, Faculty of Education

Abstract

This paper is charged with interrogation of the nature and significance of researches carried out by postgraduate students in Kenyan universities, specifically those in the field of education. As it were, universities exist not only to teach but also to review and create knowledge through research in order to proffer solutions to challenges bedeviling humanity. Anything short of this is outright mediocrity. In this vein, the current paper seeks to postulate three points concerning research: that it must be done out of necessity so as to save face, time and money; that the meaningfulness and significance of the resultant content should stand out more than the form; and that unless the phenomenon under study is a wholly new concept, it should build on the previous good researches for continuity and gradual progress – a guarantee that the researches are drawing closer to the much needed solutions. This will chart some direction and promise a future for education, a field that is proving more dynamic than most. The paper recognizes that the education faculty develops teachers who later on nurture pupils and consequently prepare them to take up other fields of study. This effectively implies that poor education background spells disaster for all other disciplines; the more reason for the review and establishment of proper educational theories and practices which can only be guaranteed through appropriate research.