Interrogating students’ engagement in academic work in a selected university in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The extent to which students’ attain learning outcomes and the overall quality of a qualification is dependent on the extent to which the student is engaged in academic work inside and outside the lecture room. The study sought to establish the extent to which students were engaged in academic work in a Zimbabwean university. The study followed a mixed methods approach, in which a case study design was utilized. Data were solicited from students in five selected faculties in the one selected university. A convenient sample of 110 students participated in the study. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data were analysed with the aid of the SPSS statistical software package version 21. Qualitative data were analysed using content analysis method and presented through verbatim quotations of the respondents. The study found that tasks related to passing examinations were allocated more time and those deemed to not to be directly important in passing examinations were not considered important. It is concluded that examination-focused learning played a crucial role on determining time spent on tasks. Recommendations were made.