1. Mohamed A. Kanu

2. Introduction
“Social being is accomplished through many forms of social interaction, of
which the world is particularly pivotal. To gain an understanding of how such
social being is accomplished and how social identities are constructed it is
essential to enter into the lives of social actors”
(Erben 1998, p. 149)
This study provides biographical accounts – educational, personal and life
history – of some Sierra Leonean students enrolled on one-year intensive
Master courses in some London universities (London Metropolitan University,
London South Bank University, Greenwich University and Thames Valley
University
3

3. Sierra Leone in brief
• Sierra Leone shares boarder with
Liberia and Guinea
• It is Located on the west coast of Africa,
facing the Atlantic Ocean.
• It is a small country of about 28,000
square miles (74,000 km2)
• It has a varied relief ranging
from coastal swamps to the
highest mountain – Bintumani
6,390 ft
Source: The World factbook
2007
4

4. Sierra Leone continued…
One of the first West African British Colonies
It gained independence in 1961 and became a republic in 1971
Its capital – FREETOWN – was set as a refuge for freed slaves in the 18th
century
The country has experienced a mixture of democratic, civilian and military
dictatorship in its 49 years of in dependence.
Civilian democracy is the current political dispensation
A civil war, spanning 11 years, ended in 2002
Today S/Leone enjoys a Liberalised economy and relative peace (Alghali et
al. 2005; Wurie 2007)
5

5. Sierra Leone Continued...
Sierra Leone’s educational system from Independence (1961) to
1993
Primary (Class 1 to Class 7; ages 5 to12; Selective Entrance Exam)
Secondary (Form 1 to form 5;ages 11/12 to 16/17; GCE O’level exams)
Secondary (Optional: lower sixth form & Upper sixth form; A’level exams)
Teacher Training Colleges and University
Current educational system (1993 to date)
The 6-3-3-4 system of education
6 years primary education
3 years of Junior secondary school (leads to Basic Education Certificate
Examination – BECE)
3 years of Senior Secondary School (leads to Senior School Certificate
Examination)
4 years of Higher Education
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6. Aims of the study
1. How the personal lives of these students (e.g. family) allow them to
experience the wider public (e.g. school, University, UK).
2. What are the specific events – both in their local and social context – in the
lives of these students that help shape their educational paths and their
interpretations of the events?
3. What meanings these students attach to their experiences across their life
histories.
4. How smooth was the nature of the transitional period from Sierra Leone’s
educational setting to that of the UK.
5. What are the implications of this knowledge for Universities in the UK and
Sierra Leone?
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7. Justification for the Study
1. No specific study about students from Sierra Leone has been conducted
2. Detailed life histories will generate useful knowledge about their
experiences and the meanings these experiences hold for them
3. By doing this research I will be contributing to the history of Sierra Leone
4. These students are part of a diverse international student population
whose views are invaluable if the reputation of UK universities is to
remain strong (UUK, 2006)
5. This investigation will also add to knowledge on how students from
conflict backgrounds cope – war trauma and memory
8

8. Studies on international students
 those that give accounts of statistical trends
 some in the form of market research
 others conducted to provide support and improve the welfare
of students
 research studies conducted occasionally by organisations
 For academic purposes
 those that give accounts of statistical trends
 HESA (2010) – There were 284,000 international students (excluding
EU) enrolled at UK higher education institutions in 2008/2009
Kemp, N. et al. (2008) UK HE International Unit – in 2007 almost half
(42%) of postgraduate research students in the UK were from abroad. UK
had 15% of the global share of research students.
9

9. 10
some in the form of market research
UK HE International Unit (2010) – UK HE: a global leader. ‘UK sells
more brain power per capita than anywhere else in the world.’(UKHEIU,
2010, p.19)
The Work Foundation (2010) – In 2008, the UK’s brain power per capita
amounted to about (£118 billion in knowledge services, worth 6,3% of GDP
Universities UK (2009) –UK HE’s are worth £59 billion to the UK
economy annually and are a major export earner. They are one of UK’s
fastest growing sources of export earnings, and in 2008 brought in £5.3bn
Van Damme, D. (2000) Internationalization and Quality Assurance:
Towards Worldwide Accreditation

10.  others conducted to provide support and improve the welfare
of students
 Sovic, S. (2008) – the international students experience project at
University of Arts London
 Ryan, J. (2005c) The Student Experience; Challenges and Rewards, in
Carroll and Ryan (eds.), Teaching International Students, 147-51
 UKCOSA (2007) Benchmarking the provision of services for international
students in Higher education institutions.
 A report on the Institutional Support for Overseas students in Scotland
(Hall et al. 1998)
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11. 12
research studies conducted occasionally by organisations
Higher Education Information Services Trust (HEIST) on non-EU students’
motives for choosing to study in the UK and their experiences of British
undergraduate education (Allen & Higgins 1994 for UCAS)
A comprehensive picture of international student enrolment in the UK and the
likely cost and benefits for the economy and individuals in higher educational
institutions (Greenaway and Tuck, 1995)
For academic purposes
Nishimuko (2006) - are issues of access to primary education in Sierra Leone
Kanu and Marr (20007) The Educational Experience of ‘African’ Students at
London Met university - a case study. Investigations in University teaching and
learning, 4(2)
Jackson (2001). ‘Critical incidents across cultures - Jackson mentions ‘the
ways in which differing expectations, values, and behaviour can affect
communication across cultures’

12. Methodology
Methods
Life history using the life-grid
Diary
Semi-structured interviews
A Focus group
13

13. Life history continued…
The life history approach is particularly relevant to the study of these students
for an array of reasons:
 give them voice
The thick description and qualitative richness
14

14. Methodology continued…
Life history – can be conceived as a narrative, a personal reconstruction of
what an individual considers significant about his/her life, which is likely to be
co-constructed with the researcher using a range of data sources and moves
through stages of interpretation so that the narrative becomes contextualised
and theorised (Goodson and Sikes, 2001) .
Why life history?
Life histories can enable researchers to examine the relationship between the
details of an individual’s biography – experiences recollected, choices made,
actions taken, and consequences felt – and the surrounding local contexts,
social structures, and cultural mores that impinge on the sequence of an
individual’s life (Slater 2000; Gysels et al 2002)
15

15. Critics
Issue of credibility – it celebrates subjectivity rather than objectivity.
Participants can: easily give free play to their imagination; choose
what they want to say; hold back what they want to say; and say
only what they happen to recall at the moment. In brief, they
apparently engage in both deliberate and unwilling deception thus making the
method invalid (Plummer,2001; Radley and Billig,1996).
According to Plummer (2001) subjects of life history research may tell lies,
cheat, and present false front or try to impress the interviewer in
some way; subjects may also try to create a consistent and
coherent story for the interviewer’s benefit.
For Radley and Billig (1996), subjects determine what type of account is most
appropriate once they have internalised whom the account is for.
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16. Life grid
to minimise recall bias in the reporting of health histories (Blane, 1996)
to capture reliable retrospective data from elderly respondents (Parry et
al. 1999; Hildon et al. 2008).
life grids provide a context in which to analyse the semi-structured
interviews
Helps in the cross-referencing of events
A joint endeavour
Respondents weave their own stories
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17. Diary
Diaries are used as research instruments to collect detailed information about
the behaviour, events and other aspects of individuals daily lives (Burgess,
1984).
Jokinen (2004) describes the analysis of personal journals written by three
mothers. Jokinen believed that the information revealed in the diaries can
provide an insight into the life of the mothers and maternal
subjectivities
 Zimmerman and Wieder (1977) used diary-interviews in their work on
counter-culture, as an alternative to participant observation.
Advantages
 reliable alternative to the traditional interview method
They can help to overcome the problems associated with collecting sensitive
information by personal interview(Wright & Chung, 2001)
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18. Diary advantages continued
• rich source of information
• therapeutic benefits
•The opportunity to reveal emotions
• facilitates reflexive process.
Limitations
•sensitive intrusion
•Presupposes a range of skills
•Varied responses and very little control over the amount and quality of the data
recorded (Meth, 2003)
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19. Semi-structured interviews
Preparation for interview
•A setting with the least distraction was chosen
•Purpose of interview explained
•Terms of confidentiality addressed
•Format of the interview explained
•Participant told how long the interview – about 1hour 30 minutes
•Ask participant permission to start and be taped
•Dictation machine, writing pad and pen prepared
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20. Focus group
Merits
1.The data generated by focus group is interactive as well as qualitative
2.One explanation for the enthusiasm of contemporary social researchers for
focus group methodology is that:
i. They are social events
ii. Time limited and
iii. Demand no technical skills of the group members (Bloor et al.,
2001)
3. The power of research participants is enhanced in focus group discussions
Criticisms
Participants may collaboratively take control of the process of context setting
and the ensuing discussion. They may interrupt, laugh, joke, make comments
and create silences.
For Krueger (1988) and Wilkinson (2003), this may mess up the research
agenda and need careful management.
But Morgan (1988) thinks this will enable researchers to have better access to
participants’ opinions and conceptions.
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21. Ethics
Ethical decisions should be based on principles as opposed to expediency in
social research.
“Ethical decisions are not being defined in terms of what is advantageous to the
researcher or the project upon which they are working. They are concerned
with what is right or just, in the interest of not only the project, it sponsors or
workers, but also others who are the participants in the research” (May, 2001,
p.59) ).
The research design of the study was considered in relation to both London
Met Ethical Guidelines and BERA Guidelines 2004. The latter states that:
“…Researchers must recognise the participants’ entitlement to privacy and
must accord them their rights to confidentiality and anonymity, unless they or
their guardians or responsible others, specifically and willingly waive that
right… Conversely, researchers must also recognise participants’ rights to be
identified with any publication of their original work or other inputs, if they so
wish. In some contexts it will be the expectation of participants to be so
identified. “ (BERA, 2004)
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22. Insider research: its implications
Advantages:
opportunity for me to gain participants easily and to be privy to ‘insider’
information that would not be trusted to a stranger.
I know where to go and find my participants.
Disadvantages:
Prior knowledge, underlying personal bias and preconceived ideas can render
disadvantages to this intimate type of ‘insider research
In some cases, researching within the community poses problems for the
‘insider’ as certain pockets of information may not be elaborated upon, or
conversely over emphasized. But an ‘outsider’ anonymous to the community
may be made privy to a differing rendition and provided with an other
perspective (Smith, 1999, p. 66)
23

23. Insider approach continued…
1.Selection of Participants
•Posters were displayed in campuses of my target Universities
•Participants met at local community gatherings, occasions and restaurants
•Snow balling through those that agreed to take part
•To ensure multiple perspectives - participants were selected from the four
provinces of Sierra Leone; 5 males and 5 females for the life-grid & semi-
structures interviews; and 3 males and 1 female for the focus group interview
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24. 2. Initiating the Interviews
 Participants were approached according to their accessibility; outline of the
study given to them; and were given time to consider whether they wish to
be involved; their contact phone numbers taken and follow-up calls made.
 Participants were sent emails with attachments explaining confidentiality,
anonymity of subjects, informed consent to participate and background
information of the study.
 Further phone calls were made to arrange a meeting time and place.
 Some interviews done in campuses and others at participants homes
3. Issues of Confidentiality and Ownership
 Verbal introduction of the parameters was given prior to the interview
 Participants signed the consent form and their verbal consents were put on
tape to show that their story could be withdrawn from the study at their
discretion, at anytime. Continued next slide…
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25. Copies of transcripts of first interviews were sent to participants to ensure that
information has been accurately noted.
This gave them the scope to change any of the materials.
I was aware of the ethical implications but felt that a transcript would not only
protect confidentiality and privacy, it would be a useful historical resources for
the participants. It was a way of giving the stories back to the participants. Also
help to address concerns raised by researchers like Thomson et al. (1994) - the
final product may not be what the narrator had anticipated and could be
interpreted as being a breach of trust and confidence.
All participants were given pseudonyms after agreeing not to be identified with
the research
Also masking of descriptive data, which might identify the individual, has been
undertaken.
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26. 4. Relationships - prior knowledge or preconceived ideas
As insiders, ‘we are engaged in direct social interaction, a mutual relationship.
And that means we have to confront two subjectivities – our own and that of our
narrators’ Gluck, 1994, p.82)
In a small group there is a greater chance that the researcher will personally
know, or know something of these students taking part in my study. This is the
situation. Some of these students knew me back home and we went to the
same University.
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27. Data analysis
EMERGING
THEMES
ADAPTATIONS
TRANSITION
TEACHER –
CENTRED
VS
STUDENT-CENTRED
PAULO FRIERE’S
BANKING CONCEPT
WAR, TRAUMA &
MEMORY
SOCIAL & CULTURAL
CAPITAL
PIERRE BOURDIEU
TURNING
POINTS/EPIPHANIES
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FINANCE

28. References
Alghali, A.M., Turay, E, Thomas E. and Kandeh, J. (2005) Environmental Scan
on Education in Sierra Leone. Presentation: Freetown, Sierra Leone, February
16-18, 2005.
Allen, A. and Higgins, T. (1994) Higher Education: the International Student
Experience. London: HEIST Publications
Gluck, S. B. (1994) Remembering and re-visioning: Lessons from Feminist Oral
History in the United States. The Oral history Association of Australia Journal,
16, 75-83
Hall J., Hamilton S., Hall S. and Pitcairn J. (1998) Institutional Support for
Overseas Students in Scotland. Edinburgh: Scottish Council for Research in
Education
Osgood, J. (2008) Narratives from the Nursery: Negotiating Professional
Identities. Unpublished PhD Thesis. London Metropolitan University.
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29. 30
Sovic, S. (2008) Lost in Translation? The international student experience
project. Creative Learning In Practice. Centre for Excellence in Teaching and
Learning. University of Arts London
UKCOSA (2007) Benchmarking the provision of services for international
students in Higher education institutions. London: UKCOSA.
Universities UK (2009) Higher education in Facts and Figures. London: UUK.
Kemp, N. et al. (2008) The UK’s Competitive Advantage: The Market for
International Research Students. London: UK HE International Unit.
UK HE International Unit (2010) International higher education in facts and
figures. London: International Unit.
Van Damme, D. (2000) Internationalization and Quality Assurance: Towards
Worldwide Accreditation, European Journal for Education, law and Policy, 4, 1-
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30. 31
Hughes, R. (1990) Homes far from home: Housing for
overseas students. London: Overseas Student Trust.
Wurie, A. T. (2007) Sierra Leone Education Sector Plan: A road map to a better
future 2007 – 2015. Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Sierra
Leone
The World Factbook 2007 https://cia.gov/cia//publications/factbook/geos/sl.html