RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This study used the survey method. The aim of this study was to find out perceptions, usage and relevance of instructional media at tertiary level of education. Taking cues from Hofstee (2006), the survey method was considered appropriate to investigate the opinions or perceptions of tertiary educators on the impact of instructional media in the tertiary students’ conceptualization of intended learning outcomes. Using Wimmer and Dominick’s (2003) distinction between descriptive and analytical, this study applied both types of surveys. Therefore the study describes and explains the existing situation about instructional media. The survey method enabled examining and describing the effectiveness of instructional media in tertiary students’ conceptualization of intended learning outcomes. It also helped in establishing the status of instructional media usage in tertiary and verifying if there is any correlation between instructional media and students’ academic achievement section 1.6 (objectives of the study).Electronic and postage mail were used to distribute the study instruments. Mailing is relatively cheap given the geographical spread of the population .Mailing allowed a large amount of data to be obtained, although there was a low response rate.300 questionnaires were sent to tertiary institutions, and the response rate from tertiary educators was 183 questionnaires. The return rate for this study was 61%, above the threshold of 60% considered “Good” in a survey research according to Babbie (1997).

3. 1 Population

The population comprised of all tertiary institutions in Botswana registered and accredited by either Botswana training authority(BOTA) and or by Tertiary Education Council(TEC)These are regulatory bodies by Act of Parliament, BOTA, registers and accredits institution that offer programs up to certificate level at tertiary, it goes further to accredit Trainers and Assessors of different programs. By 2010, BOTA had registered 284 training institutions (10th anniversary commemorative brochure page12) and TEC 36 institutions (TEC student directory 2011/2012:23). TEC, register and accredits institutions offering diploma to post graduate programs .The population frame

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is composed of public, private, community owned, some by both government and private, some specializing in a certain program, and some offering variegated programs. The reason was to get a fair representation of all tertiary institutions in Botswana. The target respondents were the educators in these tertiary institutions and those who hold positions of responsibilities in the institutions.

3.2 Sampling

This study used probability sampling procedures, and this was done to increase the degree of representativeness and heterogeneity in the sample for generalization purposes, because, of the heterogeneity in the tertiary education sector, brought about by the following factors: ownership, entry points, programs offered. These especially ownership –private ownership affected sampling in that some institutions had no policy frame work on external researchers, hence needed approval from the board, as it was a precedent. Entry points for learners and programmes, had a bearing on the qualifications of the respondents, for example students having less than 36 points at form five level, may end up enrolling in certificate programmes and or diploma programs, that would rarely be taught by postgraduate lecturer, and this compromised the heterogeneity need for this study. This study then followed a probability sampling technique, the researcher called systematic stratified random sampling technique, which combined the systematic and stratified techniques, to create a true representativeness in the sample, as well as, catering for the heterogeneity stated above. The selection of this sampling procedure, was informed by the fact that, Botswana tertiary education sector, has strata that are discernable, that is, the tertiary education sector, can be divided into private, state and community owned institutions; it is also stratified into Universities, University Colleges, Colleges, institutes and Brigades. The colleges are further stratified into Colleges of education, institutes of health sciences, technical colleges, theological Colleges, colleges that offer variegated programmes and Brigades. This was the reason why systematic stratified random sampling technique was appropriate for this study, because each stratum formed a sampling frame, thus catering for the population parameters, as observed by Leedy and Ormrod (2010) that stratified random sampling has an advantage of guaranteeing equal representation of

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each identified strata. In this case, each stratum was randomly selected using the systematic technique of selecting the nth in that particular sampling frame. Thus, finally producing a sample, that was a representative and catering for heterogeneity in the population frame, which can make the results of the sample, generalized to that particular population frame, in this case, the tertiary education sector of Botswana. With an expected sample of 30 institutions, constituting 10% of the population frame, each institution sampled, was required to distribute questionnaires to at least five to ten respondents holding different responsibilities, such as management positions and teaching positions. Thus, this gave out a total of a minimum of 300 questionnaires altogether of which a minimum of 100 questionnaires returned was considered to be sufficient for this study, following Babbie(1997)’s mark of 60% considered good.

3.3 Research Instruments

This study used a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire for this study had 22 question items, of which, seventeen question items were closed ended, meant to get information about the status quo of instructional media and students’ academic achievement and these were structured for statistical purposes. The questionnaire also had five open ended questions, meant to elicit information why the respondent chose that particular response, and this helped to guard against unconscious selection of responses, and apart from this, it helped as a form of simple triangulation to get reliable response. It further validated the responses and gave some form of simple triangulation which is described by Ncube et al (2002) as an approach in which multiple sources of data, use of different investigators and research methodologies are combined in an attempt to look at the research problem from different angles. The questions on this questionnaire were arranged in the following order, for every at least three closed ended question an open ended question followed. This research instrument was appropriate not only considering the cost, but the geographical dispersion of the sampled institutions, and it became easier to send by post and reinforced by sending the same questionnaire electronically. This was done to improve the return rate of the questionnaires. The closed ended questions were formulated from the sub questions in order to statistically qualify the response on each sub problem, culminating to the

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research question. The open ended questions, were important to verify the choice of response, although the analysis of data from open ended question was problematic, (Mhlanga and Ncube 2003, Hofstee 2006, Leedy and Ormrod 2010), but nevertheless, general thematic reasons appeared and these were categorized to find the reasons that were similar, since most of the open ended questions were about the respondents providing reasons for their chosen responses. This was done to make it be easier to tabulate related reasons. Another reason for using a questionnaire is that it provided a permanent verifiable record of data collected, which can be revisited; this was made possible since each questionnaire was given a number between 1 and 183, which were entered in the computer. The questionnaire had a section on biographical information of the respondents, which included: gender, age, education, position and experience. These biographical variables were important and appropriate to understand the demographics and psychographics of the respondents, firstly, in order to determine generally, whether the respondents are really the “actual” respondents which this study required. Then, secondly, to use the biographical variables as a reliability test; whether the variables influenced the perception (results of this study). The second part of the questionnaire dealt with institutional information: ownership, type by program, classification; university, university college, college etc. The third part was the questionnaire itself, composed of 22 questions. This questionnaire is attached (see appendix 2 on page 239).