Research is essential to the success of any university, playing a pivotal role in shaping its reputation and ranking. The quality and scope of research carried out directly impact both the university’s immediate community and the global academic environment. However, many Nigerian universities currently face significant challenges, particularly in terms of inadequate funding and insufficient attention to research.
As a result, various non-developmental issues have emerged, including the lack of essential research equipment, poor communication infrastructure, low job satisfaction among faculty, and increasing cases of piracy and plagiarism. Additionally, the unethical use of artificial intelligence in education has hindered the effectiveness of research publications and academic integrity. Kwara State University of Education aims to make substantial strides in addressing these research-related challenges. The institution is committed to prioritizing research, ensuring that it receives the attention it deserves, and fostering an environment conducive to innovation and academic growth.
Research Philosophy
Kwara State University of Education would institutionalize a high research-driven standard, encourage its entire academic staff to participate in collaborative research in their areas of competence. The University would place its priority on solution-based research activities, which would aim at meeting the needs of the university, its immediate environment, and national concerns. The philosophy of research at the Kwara State University of Education is excellence driven by the quest for knowledge for well-rounded development and for service. The ethos would be to satisfy the needs of the individual researcher for recognition and for self-development, university needs, as well as to satisfy the needs of society for sustainable social and economic transformation. This way, the University would explore the competences of its staff and give them the opportunity to apply their expertise on the field as well as address the needs of various stakeholders in teacher education. The goal is to ensure that the excellence of the University is reflected not only in its teaching programs, but that the University is also famous for its research programs nationally and internationally.
Research Objectives
The research objectives of the Kwara State University of Education would aim to express its research philosophy, which is aimed at meeting the needs of the University as well as other stakeholders. The research objectives of the Kwara State University of Education are to:
i. Ensure the conduct of excellent, top-notch, and cutting-edge research by providing an excellent research environment with world-class facilities and access to prestigious national and international publications for research dissemination. ii. Encourage all academic staff to engage in result-oriented research activities in their areas of specialization, especially those in line with the University’s priorities and which are relevant to national and international needs, with the aim to establish a vibrant research culture that shall exert a positive impact on the quality of teaching. iii. Ensure that in training the students, the University emphasizes proper orientation in research and research methodology to equip students with tools for defining and solving problems. iv. Develop a research agenda document for the University outlining its research priorities and areas of interest; and to share same within and outside the University community. v. Ensure effective communication between the University and the general public so as to incorporate the needs of society and those of industries into the research agenda of the University. vi. Support research as the foundation for the growth and development of the academic programs of the university. vii. Initiate and promote research linkages with institutions and agencies including industry, community, public service, and professional organizations within and outside Nigeria.
To further give focus to research in the University, the following major components are the thrust of research in the University.
Specialized Research Centers
Kwara State University of Education (KWASUED) is dedicated to addressing global challenges in teacher education through its specialized research centers. These centers focus on:
- Teacher Shortages: Tackling the projected global shortfall of 44 million teachers by 2030, especially in underserved regions. KWASUED will research strategies for recruitment, retention, and training to ensure a steady supply of qualified educators.
- Quality of Education: Enhancing teaching methodologies and professional development to improve educational outcomes, with a special emphasis on rural and marginalized communities. KWASUED will research how teachers can be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to address these challenges.
- Cultural Relevance and Gender Equality: Developing culturally responsive pedagogies and addressing barriers that prevent girls from accessing education, promoting inclusivity and respect for different cultural backgrounds. KWASUED will research how teachers can be trained to implement these pedagogies effectively.
- Impact of Technology: Exploring the integration of educational technology to enhance teaching effectiveness and student engagement. KWASUED will research how teachers can be equipped to utilize these technologies in their classrooms.
- Conflict and Economic Barriers: Researching the impact of conflict and economic barriers on education and developing strategies to provide education in conflict-affected and economically disadvantaged areas. KWASUED will research how teachers can be prepared to teach in these challenging environments.
Each of these centers will be well-funded and headed by academic staff of not less than the professorial cadre, ensuring that the research and initiatives are led by experienced and highly qualified professionals. Through these initiatives, KWASUED aims to provide sustainable solutions to the pressing educational challenges faced by communities worldwide.
General University Research
Kwara State University of Education would pursue basic research to enable individual staff and students to fulfill their academic potentials. This way, the University would utilize research to foster a spirit of inquiry leading to the development of an open and critical mindset towards advancing the frontiers of knowledge. Basic research would be encouraged to support teaching and learning. The University would also actively engage in applied research so as to make itself relevant to the immediate environment (community) and the country in general. This therefore would enhance the University’s reputation amongst the comity of Universities through the quantity, quality, and highly applicable research that it conducts. The University would embark on original problem-solving research on a regular and consistent basis. In this regard, the University would aim at engaging in a dynamic, well-coordinated, and sustainable research that shall have a positive impact on the development of Kwara State and the country with a view to improving the quality of teacher education in Kwara State and the country at large. This shall be achieved by encouraging research into the problems confronting teachers’ education in the society so as to find practical solutions to them.
Collaborative Research
Collaborative research encourages both formal and informal arrangements and linkages involving other national and international research institutions/Universities. Such research is essentially undertaken by groups of individuals or consortia rather than by individuals and shall have joint supervision provided by the Kwara State University of Education and the collaborating institution. Such arrangements would also allow staff and students to benefit from doing research in collaboration with other partners in education, business, commodity research institutes, and other government departments.
Research Funding
Kwara State University of Education would recognize the fact that meaningful research for development is capital intensive and would therefore be committed to ensuring adequate funding for its research and development endeavors. To this end, the University shall commit 2.5% of its annual recurrent expenditure to research, in addition to funds generated through research marketing and collaborations. Research funding would, by this means, be guaranteed, and staff of the University would be encouraged to carry out various research work as a result of the availability of necessary equipment and facilities. As a means of supplementing and broadening the sources of its research funding, the University would solicit funds from and collaborate with international funding agencies, industrial concerns, public and private organizations, philanthropists, etc. To achieve this, the University would enter into linkages and partnerships with governmental and non-governmental organizations and sister institutions locally and internationally to generate additional funds for research activities. Parts of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) from the University’s projects and consultancy services would also be deployed to fund its research activities. Concerted efforts would be made to train and encourage staff of the University to write and submit competitive grant-winning proposals to various funding agencies across the globe to ensure that individual and collaborative research activities in the University are robust and fruitful with resultant high-quality publications. The responsibility for mobilizing, allocating, and disbursing research grants in the University would be the responsibility of the Research and Grants Committee of the Senate. The committee’s activities would be complemented by the efforts of individuals, departments, faculties, as well as the University Management.
Research Funds Administration
Kwara State University of Education shall have a robust and well-coordinated research administration mechanism which would regulate research funding and its utilization. The Research and Grants Committee shall be headed by a nominee of the Vice Chancellor who would ensure that research grants applications to external grant-giving agencies are properly scrutinized. More importantly, research proposals with a focus on the University’s core areas of expertise, staff professional line, community-driven needs, and national benefits would be given preference in its selection processes. There shall also be research committees at the faculty and departmental levels with the major function of ensuring that only high-quality research proposals are recommended for consideration by the Research and Grants Committee and that those researches would indeed meet the objectives of their approved research projects.
Organized Research Units
Kwara State University of Education would establish some organized research units to conduct research in different areas of specialization in current trends in pedagogy and curriculum designs. External collaborations and supports would be solicited with Government and international agencies partnering with the University for the establishment of research centers.