2025 IJRSE – Volume 14 Issue 15
Available Online: 16 October 2025
Author/s:
Asare, Ebenezer*
University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana (ebenezer.asare011@stu.ucc.edu.gh)
Afful, Joseph Benjamin Archibald
University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana (jafful@ucc.edu.gh)
Atta-Asamoah, Obed
St. Ambrose College of Education, Ghana (obedatta-asamoah@sace.edu.gh)
Abstract:
This study examines methodological trends in postgraduate theses from the Department of English at the University of Cape Coast (UCC), Ghana, between 2011 and 2023. Using purposive sampling technique, the study examined twenty-six theses to identify trends in sampling techniques, research design methods, data collection procedures, and analytical approaches. The findings reveal a strong preference for qualitative research with content analysis as the most frequently used method, followed by thematic analysis and critical discourse analysis. Purposive sampling was the dominant sampling technique, reflecting the department’s emphasis on contextual and theoretical relevance. Data collection methods blended traditional archival/documentary approaches with emerging digital tools such as corpus analysis. While the department maintains a strong qualitative orientation, the limited adoption of mixed-methods and quantitative approaches suggests potential for methodological diversification. The study highlights the need for enhanced graduate training in computational and interdisciplinary methods to complement existing strengths in textual analysis. These findings contribute to ongoing debates on research methodology in African higher education and offer actionable insights for curriculum development in humanities-based postgraduate programs.
Keywords: academic research, methodology, postgraduate theses, qualitative research, Ghana
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2025.25266
Cite this article:
Asare, E., Afful, J. B. A., & Atta-Asamoah, O. (2025). Postgraduate theses in a Ghanaian University, 2011-2023: An evaluation. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 14(15), 183-197. https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2025.25266
* Corresponding Author