Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity in Academic Research among Business Educators in Public Tertiary Institutions in Ogun State, Nigeria

Abstract

The dynamism and expediency of academic research in the 21st century informed the
decisions of the researcher to examine equity, diversity, and inclusivity in academic research
among business educators in public tertiary institutions in Ogun State, Nigeria. Three purposes,
three research questions, and three hypotheses guided the study. The researcher adopted mixed
methods. Research design that combined quantitative and qualitative approaches in data collection.
The population of the study comprised40 business educators teaching in four public tertiary
institutions offering business education programme in Ogun State. Census sampling technique was
used select the entire 40 business educators since the population was manageable. Two instruments
were used to gather data for the study. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative
data, while an interview guide with seven open-ended questions was used to collect qualitative
data. The research instruments were validated by three experts in Business Education and Research
Methods from the Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria. The two instruments yielded reliability
coefficients of 0.78 and 0.77 respectively. The instruments were administered personally to the
respondent and there was hundred percent retrieval rate. Demographic data were analysed using
percentages research questions were answered using frequency table, mean and standard deviation,
while the null hypotheses were tested using t-test statistics. Findings of the study revealed that the
benefits of equity, diversity, and inclusivity in academic research by business educators include
discovery of suitable pedagogical method for teaching and learning Business Education courses,
advancing the frontiers of knowledge in Business Education among others. Findings also revealed
that inaccurate data and underfunding are some of the challenges to equity, diversity, and
inclusivity in research among business education in public tertiary institutions in Ogun State. The
study also discovered that industry- institution collaboration is a veritable strategy for promoting
equity, diversity and inclusivity in academic research by business educators in public tertiary
institutions in Ogun State, Nigeria. Finally, the study recommended that business educators in
Ogun State should engage in academic research by collaborating on inter-institution basis and with
stakeholders in relevant industries.