Open Educational Resources (OER) has gained prominence and traction for their potential to transcend geographic, socio-cultural, economic, and educational boundaries, to promote access to high quality education and life-long learning (Mutiku, 2013). The Open Educational Resources movement has been in existence for decades and its expansion presents opportunities to transform and revolutionise education especially in low-resourced settings, such as Kenya. Research has been conducted in the global south (in particular across sub-Saharan Africa) to establish how the adoption of OER could address educational challenges and aspects such as accessibility, relevance quality and affordability (Pete, 2019; Pete, Mulder & Neto, 2017).
However, there is a dearth of evidence on the overall discourse, discussions, and presence of Open Educational Resources and Open Educational Practices in low-resourced contexts such Kenya. This study endeavoured to map the discourse on Open Educational Resources in Kenya, focusing on the extent to which Open Educational Resources as a theme is discussed, written about, and published in Kenya. Furthermore, the study identified who (which stakeholders) are involved in these discussions and in promoting Open Educational Resources discourse in Kenya. This research presents a systematic review of literature, publications, reports, and websites on the discourse of OER in Kenya, reviewing the trends and themes in the Open Educational Resources discourse and which stakeholders have taken prominence in voice and promoting OER to predict its penetration in Kenya and possibility for adoption in different levels of education.
Three analyses approaches were adopted, thematic analysis, frequency analysis and trend analysis. Through a thematic analysis, the study identified the themes and patterns of the OER discourse in Kenya and presents findings of the adoption and usage of OER, stakeholder perceptions of OER, policy and regulatory barriers, enablers for OER in Kenya, success stories and best practices, and the impact this has on educational quality and access in Kenya. Frequency analysis quantified the extent to which the identified themes (from thematic analysis) are discussed in literature and publications. The trend analysis provides a broader overview on how the discourse has evolved over time in Kenya and highlights its opportunities and prospects.
The study further discusses the impact of technology and digital learning in promoting the update and discourse of OER. The findings on OER in Kenya suggest a significant progress on the presence and impact of OER in the country, and highlights several themes, challenges and opportunities for its growth and impact in the education sector.
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[Session 11E]: Global Access and EquityReferencesMutiku, J. (2013, November 1). Open Educational Resources (OER): A leading force in enhancing access to quality education and training. OAsis.
https://oasis.col.org/items/66e98dc5-18bb-44ae-ad3a-7cd83582fba4 Pete, J. (2019). Open Education Resources Differentiation: A cross-country study on Differentiation in Access, Use and Sharing of (Open) Educational Resources at Universities in Kenya, Ghana and South Africa. [Doctoral Thesis]. Open Universiteit.
Pete, J., Mulder, F. & Olivera Neto, J.D. (2017). Differentiation in access to, and the use and sharing of (open) educational resources among students and lecturers at Kenyan universities. Open Praxis, 9(2), 173–194. Available at:
http://www.openpraxis.org/~openprax/index.php/OpenPraxis/article/view/574/327Author KeywordsOpen Educational Resources, Discourses, Kenya
