CHAPTER 4: Data analysis
4.4 Analysis and interpretation of collected data
4.4.1 Section A: Demographic characteristics
For an understanding of respondents’ characteristics, the researcher gathered information on individuals. According to Salkind (2018:3), the researcher gathers this information in a particular study for the purpose of knowing if the sample is the true representation of the target group.
The researcher gathered demographic information from the participants. The researcher identified demographic information that was vital in the description of the participants as well as in the data analysis to enhance the interpretation of the results.
50 Table 4. Question 3: What is your occupation? (n=75)
Occupation Frequency Percentage
Administrative and support staff 3 4%
Tutor 4 6%
Assistant lecturer 4 6%
Lecturer 32 45%
Senior lecturer 11 15%
Associate professor 4 6%
Professor 1 1%
Academic Researcher 3 4%
Assistant researcher 0 0%
Librarian 9 13%
Director 1 1%
Deputy Director 0 0%
Coordinator 0 0%
Other (please specify) 3 4%
Total 75 100%
In order to know the respondents’ occupation, the researcher asked respondents to select from an aggregated list what their occupation was.
Table 4 reveals that almost half (45%) of the respondents were lecturers, followed by senior lecturers (15%) and then librarians (13%). These were followed by tutors, assistant lecturers and associate professors each at 6%. Administrative, academic researchers and those which listed
‘other’ and were asked to specify any other occupation that the researcher might have left out received the lowest responses (4% each), with deputy dean, associate professor and head of department mentioned as ‘other’ occupations. Other professions recorded a single percentage each and no responses were received from assistant researchers, deputy directors and coordinators.
It was not surprising to receive a large number of participants from faculty lecturers as these are called to carry out research and they spend a substantial amount of time doing research apart from their teaching duties.
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Figure 3. Question 4: What is your highest qualification? (n=73)
The researcher asked respondents to select their highest qualification.
Figure 3 shows that many respondents were master’s degree holders (39; 53%), followed by PhD holders (19; 26%), then the bachelor’s degree (14; 19%).
This question also requested respondents to specify any other qualification the researcher might have left out but none was listed.
In most academic institutions, the requirements to become an academic is a master’s degree hence it is not a surprise that the majority of respondents were master’s degree holders.
0 1
14
39 19
0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
Certificate Diploma Bachelors degree Masters degree PHD Other (please specify)
No. of responses and percentage
Qualifications
Frequencies
52 Table 5. Question 5: In which faculty are you? (n=69)
Faculty Frequency Percentage
Agriculture and Natural Resources 12 17%
Economics and Management Sciences 2 3%
Education 12 17%
Engineering and Information Technology 2 3%
Health Sciences 13 19%
Humanities and Social Sciences 17 25%
Law 1 1%
Science 10 15%
Total 69 100%
This question was asked for the researcher to establish from which faculty the responses were.
Table 5 presents the frequency distributions to characterise the quantity within the categories and it shows that most of the responses were received from the Faculty of Humanities (25%), followed by Health Science (19%), and then Agriculture and Education (17% each). Economics and Engineering recorded the same percentage of 3% and the lowest number of responses (1) was received from the Law Faculty.
The data can therefore be seen to be weighted more towards the Humanities, Health Sciences, Agriculture and Education disciplines.
53 Table 6. Question 6: Which campus are you? (n=71)
Campus Frequencies Percentage
Windhoek main campus 40 56%
Eng. Jose Eduardo Dos Santos 1 1%
Hage Geingob 0 0%
Hifikepunye Pohamba 2 3%
Katima Mulilo 6 9%
Khomasdal 2 3%
Neudamm 5 7%
Ogongo 5 7%
Oshakati 3 4%
Rundu 5 7%
Sam Nujoma 2 3%
Southern 0 0%
Total 71 100%
Table 6 above reveals that many responses were received from UNAM’s main campus in Windhoek: slightly above half (56%). A small number of responses were received from the rest of the campuses, Katima Mulilo (9%), Neudamm, Ogongo and Rundu (7% each), less than five percent of responses were received from Oshakati, Hifikepunye Pohamba, Khomasdal and Sam Nujoma and Eng. Jose Eduardo Dos Santos and no response was received from Southern campus.
It should be noted that a substantially bigger number of academic researchers are based at the main campus compared to other campuses. This explains the reasons for a very low to no response received from other campuses.
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Figure 4. Question 7: If you are an academic at UNAM, how long have you worked for UNAM in an academic environment? (for example, as a lecturer, researcher or librarian, etc.). (n=72)
The researcher asked this question to know whether those who have worked for UNAM for a long period would be in a better position when it comes to knowing about RDM practices, services and developments.
Those who have worked for UNAM for 5-10 years responded to the survey in many numbers (34; 47%) as shown in Figure 4, trailed by responses from those who have worked for UNAM for less than five years (21; 29%). A relatively low response was received from those who have worked for UNAM for 11-15 years (6; 8%), while those who have worked for UNAM for more than 20 years also received a low response (4; 6%). There was only a single response from respondents who indicated that they were not an academic.
Data reveals that those who indicated in Question 3 that they were lecturers and senior lecturers were the main respondents to the study and they have been working for UNAM only for up to 10 years as has been seen in responses to Question 7, while the Professors who responded have been at UNAM for over 20 years.
21
34 6
6 4 1
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Less than 5 years 5 - 10 years 11 - 15 years 16 - 20 years More than 20 years I am not an academic
No. of responses and percentage No. of years worked at UNAM as an academic
Frequencies
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Table 7. Question 8: What is your current employment status at UNAM? (n=73) Employment status Frequencies Percentage
Permanently employed (Full-time) 57 79%
Permanently employed (Part-time) 1 1%
On contract 15 20%
Casual work 0 0%
Total 73 100%
To find out who bears responsibilities for conducting research projects at UNAM, the researcher asked respondents about their employment status at UNAM.
It is noted from Table 7 that those permanently employed by UNAM responded to the survey the most (79%), followed by those on contract (20%). One person employed permanently part-time responded and there was no response from those doing casual work.
Based on the demographic information gathered from the survey as presented in Tables 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and in Figures 3 and 4, it is noted that the demographic data yielded the following:
although responses were received from all the eight UNAM faculties, the majority were from the faculty of Humanities (25%). Furthermore, most of the respondents were from UNAM’s main campus in Windhoek (56%). Additionally, many responses to the survey were dominated by faculty lecturers (45%), and from those who are permanently employed staff members (79%) as well as from those who have worked for UNAM for five to ten years (34%)