The enabling learning environment in Malawian private higher education: a nurture theoretical perspective

This study explored the learning environment of undergraduate education students at a private university in Malawi. The specific objectives examined the socio-economic background of students, pedagogical approaches to teaching students, and the psychosocial relationship between students and teachers at the University of Livingstonia. The researchers drew concepts from nurture theory as theoretical anchors that informed this study. The study adopted a case study design, employing explanatory sequential mixed methods. It targeted undergraduate education students in level three of the study. Seventy-five students were engaged for the quantitative data while 15 students participated for the qualitative data as follow-up interviews. Both a structured survey questionnaire and an unstructured interview guide were used to solicit data. The study findings underscore the evidence that economic, pedagogical, and psychosocial factors are critical environments for enhancing and shaping the learning process in Malawian higher education. The study recommends that the National Council of Higher Education should enforce a policy that all academic staff in Malawian higher education should be trained in university education certificate. This is important for lecturers to gain skills in education pedagogy and psychology. The study also provides the groundwork for conducting nurture research in education in a developing country context.