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ERIC Number: ED646396
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 152
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-8340-8654-3
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Community College as an Alternative for Postsecondary Education Accessibility: Stakeholders' Perspectives in Sierra Leone
Fatima K. Babih
ProQuest LLC, Ed.D. Dissertation, Morgan State University
The purpose of this study was to examine the dispositions of Sierra Leone's higher education stakeholders toward using a community college system as an alternative model for expanding postsecondary accessibility in Sierra Leone. The study was prompted by a high number of students failing to gain admissions into universities in Sierra Leone every year. This failure rate has contributed to a crisis of youth, which is marked by a growing number of semi-literate, unemployed, and unemployable youths in the country. A review of the literature revealed a critical need for alternative institutional models to expand access to postsecondary education in the country. A research instrument based on the theory of planned behavior (TpB) was used, with elements of TpB (attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral controls), and the positions or professions of stakeholders as independent variables. The TpB element of intention served as the dependent variable. A quantitative survey method was employed to collect data from 151 participants using an online questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to develop the demographic characteristics of Sierra Leone's higher education stakeholders. Inferential statistics, employing exploratory factor analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to measure the relationships between stakeholders' intentions to support the use of a community college system and their attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral controls of accessibility expansion. The study also investigated variations in the levels of intentions among groups of stakeholder positions. The findings revealed stakeholders perceived high rates of youth unemployment and limited access to college education in Sierra Leone. The findings also showed stakeholders held positive dispositions toward using a community college system to expand access to postsecondary education. Therefore, the findings of the study would contribute to literature on strategies for expanding postsecondary accessibility in Sierra Leone. Furthermore, key findings of this study, along with the policy and future research recommendations offered would help strengthen research on Sierra Leone's higher education system and provide evidence-based support to the policies and practices of the system. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sierra Leone
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A