Institutional responsiveness to student sexual harassment in teachers’ colleges in Zimbabwe

Abstract

Sexual harassment persists in higher education with deleterious consequences for both individuals and institutions. The persistence of the vice foregrounds, in the context of scant literature, the need for increased research focus on understanding and strengthening institutional prevention and response efforts. Accordingly, this study, guided by a socio-ecological driven four-factor theory of sexual harassment, sought to meet this research need. The study utilised a qualitatively driven sequential explanatory mixed methods design to estimate the prevalence of sexual harassment, assess institutional tolerance for sexual harassment, examine institutional responsive strategies to sexual harassment in the teachers’ colleges studied, and explore students and lecturers’ perceptions on the effectiveness of institutional responsive strategies. A cross-sectional survey and a multisite case study were conducted in the respective quantitative and qualitative strands of the study. Survey data were collected using a self-report questionnaire from a total random sample of 598 comprising 88 lecturers and 510 students. Confidence intervals were constructed and chi-square tests were performed on the quantitative data. The case study qualitative data were collected through face to-face interviews, focus group discussions, and qualitative document analysis. Qualitative analysis involved data coding, constant comparison, content analysis, and thematic analysis. At an estimated prevalence rate of at least 40%, largely perpetrated by male lecturers on female students, sexual harassment was found to be ubiquitous across the 5 colleges studied with prevalence rates higher in some colleges than in others. Campus climate was found to be sexual harassment tolerant despite anti-sexual harassment rhetoric and implementation of institutional responsive strategies. Additionally, the study established widespread scepticism about the effectiveness and authenticity of institutional prevention and responsive strategies to sexual harassment. The study recommends that teachers’ colleges appoint non-academic staff to case management structures and support services, and prioritize the development, adoption, and robust implementation of comprehensive zero-tolerance policies on sexual harassment.