The Phenomenon of Lecturer-Student Relationships in Kenyan Universities: Perspectives from Undergraduate Students

Abstract

This paper examines the problem of lecturer-student relationships in Kenyan Universities from the perspective of undergraduate students. The paper recognises that lecturer-student relationships have to be reviewed from the perspective of the ethics and rules guiding the conduct of university lecturers alongside the moral and societal expectation that they serve as mentors and teachers to their students. There are ethical concerns surrounding higher education in the wake of cases of sex for marks that have not only tarnished the reputation of universities but also cast a doubt on their capacity to reign in them. This needs to be addressed towards restoring the dignity and credibility of university education. The paper is guided by three objectives: to assess the nature of lecturer-student relationships in Kenyan universities; to analyse the causative factors that lead to lecturer-student relationships in Kenyan universities; and to evaluate the impacts that lecturer-student relationships have on university students. Informed by the social exchange theory, it argues that understanding lecturer-student relationships from the students’ perspective is important in providing an understanding of the process of managing professional relationships in university settings. It asserts that there are multiple types and forms of relationships. The findings are indicative of the fact that there are more female respondents compared to males at 51.9% and 48.1% respectively, with 63.1% of respondents drawn from a public university compared to 36.9% from a private university. The findings further show that 67% of the respondents indicated being familiar with the phenomenon of lecturer-student relationships, with 33% indicated being unaware. The findings further reveal that male lecturers are more likely to be drawn towards intimate relationships with their students than their female counterparts, representing 88.4%. In addition, the study finds that there are four categories of lecturer-student relationships: professional relationships (76.5%), friendships (31.4%), voluntary intimate relationships (26.5%), and involuntary intimate relationships (16.7%). The paper concludes that deliberate measures must be taken to address this escalating problem in institutions of higher learning. The paper recommends a re-orientation of the existing guidelines around lecturer-student relationships towards the creation of healthy professional relationships within the confines of the existing ethical standards guiding the work of University lecturers.