PART TWO

Introduction

In Part One on ‘How to write a strong Background to the study’, we mentioned that the researcher should use the funnel approach. The funnel approach is a writing strategy in which the researcher begins with the broad context of a topic and progressively narrows the discussion until it reaches the specific research problem. This is illustrated below:

Global → Continental → Regional → National → Local → Specific problem

Remember, Background to the Study is not a literature review. It is a Background to the relationship between the variables of the study.

This article will discuss the funnel approach in detail. We shall use the following hypothetical research title:

 Influence of Teacher-Related Factors on Students’ Academic Performance in Public Secondary Schools in County X, Kenya.

NOTE: This is a hypothetical case; any information stated is not a claim about actual conditions in any particular county in Kenya. In a real case scenario, the students must support factual claims with credible, relevant, and preferably recent evidence. Please bear this point in mind.

Level One: Global Context: Aims to establish the worldwide importance of the broad issue.

At the global level, the researcher introduces the issue within its international context. The aim is to demonstrate that the topic concerns a wider development, educational, economic, social, environmental, health or governance issue.

Using the title above, the researcher could discuss:

• The global concept of education in human development. This serves as a broad introductory paragraph that informs the reader of the concerns of the researcher. Do not spend a lot of time explaining the history of education, the origin of schools, the importance of education to civilisation, or the global population of school-age children unless these details directly support the research argument. etc. The study should move towards the variables of the study.
  
• The international commitment to inclusive and equitable quality education, e.g., Sustainable Development Goals that relate to inclusive education.
  
• Why student learning outcomes matter internationally.
  
• The importance of teachers in achieving meaningful learning outcomes.
  
• The relationship between the teaching environment, teacher motivation, teacher attitude, and academic performance of students.
  
• Global evidence concerning the factors that influence student learning and teacher performance.

Using the title above, the global discussion should establish the importance of academic performance (dependent variable) and explain why teacher-related factors (independent variable) deserve attention.

An example:

Education is widely recognised as an important driver of human development, social mobility and economic progress. International commitments, including Sustainable Development Goal 4, emphasise the need to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Achieving these objectives requires more than expanding access to schools; learners must also acquire meaningful knowledge and skills.

Teachers are central to this process because they organise learning activities, provide feedback, assess learners’ progress, and create classroom environments that support learning. Their ability and willingness to perform these responsibilities may be influenced by working conditions, professional support, recognition and other aspects of teaching and learning. Consequently, understanding the teacher factors associated with students’ academic performance requires attention to the conditions under which teachers carry out their work.

Why is this a strong opening?

It progresses through four connected ideas:

1. Education matters globally.
2. Quality education requires meaningful learning outcomes.
3. Teachers contribute to those outcomes.
4. Therefore, teacher factors are important issues to investigate.

NOTE: There would be no harm in adding another paragraph that explains the factors influencing students’ academic performance in countries X and Y outside Africa

A useful test is to always ask yourself: If I remove this sentence, will the reader lose an important part of the argument leading to my research problem? If the answer is no, the sentence may be unnecessary.

Level Two: Continental Context: the aim is to explain how the issue manifests within the relevant continent.

For a study conducted in Kenya, the continental level is Africa.

The researcher now moves from the worldwide importance of educational quality to the particular circumstances, evidence, and challenges associated with education in African countries. Depending on the study, relevant issues might include:

• Differences in educational resources and opportunities.
• The implementation of educational policies.
• Teacher working conditions and support in different African countries.
• Differences in educational outcomes across contexts.
• Evidence from African studies on the relationship between teacher-related factors and academic performance of students.

The student should use continental evidence where available, while recognising that Africa is diverse. Findings from one country cannot automatically be assumed to apply to every African country.

An Example:

Within Africa, the pursuit of quality education takes place across countries with diverse economic circumstances, educational systems and institutional capacities. Although governments have made substantial commitments to expanding educational opportunities, access alone does not guarantee that learners achieve the expected learning outcomes.

The availability of qualified teachers, the conditions under which teachers work, access to teaching resources and the support provided by school leadership may all be relevant to the quality of classroom instruction. Teacher factors are therefore a potentially important area of investigation, particularly where concerns about teaching effectiveness or student achievement have been documented. Nevertheless, the nature and extent of these concerns must be established using evidence from the specific countries and educational settings being discussed.

Notice the cautious language: may be relevant, potentially important, and must be established using evidence. These expressions distinguish a researchable proposition from an unsupported conclusion. A student writing the actual proposal should strengthen this paragraph with relevant African studies, comparative reports and policies, or educational statistics.

Level Three: Regional Context with the aim of narrowing the discussion to a meaningful subregion or group of countries.

In the Kenyan example, the regional level could refer to East Africa or the East African Community. In another study, it might refer to Southern Africa, West Africa, the Great Lakes region, or a clearly defined group of comparable countries. The important point is that the region must be relevant to the problem.

At this level, the researcher might examine:

• Comparative evidence on teacher-related factors and student achievement.
• Research gaps in the region.
• Contextual differences that make evidence from other regions insufficient to explain the local situation.

An example:

In East Africa, efforts to improve educational quality must be understood within the different policy environments, resource conditions, and school systems of the countries in the region. Comparative studies can help researchers understand how teacher management, professional support, school leadership and working conditions relate to educational outcomes in different settings.

However, similarities between neighbouring countries do not mean that the same factors operate in the same way everywhere. Differences in educational policy, school resources, teacher deployment and the organisation of secondary education may influence the relationship between teacher-related factors and student performance. Examining relevant regional evidence can therefore help identify patterns worth investigating while clarifying why evidence from other countries may need to be tested within the Kenyan context.

NOTE: The regional level is not compulsory as a separate section in every proposal. If the regional context adds no meaningful explanation, the researcher may move directly from the continental to the national level. The purpose is to strengthen the argument, not to add geographical descriptions merely to satisfy a formula.

To be continued