Perceived or real: Reasons accounting for difficulties in the study of public administration in African universities

Studies on reasons accounting for the difficulties in learning public administration is relatively new in the public administration literature though many findings exist regarding students' difficulties in the study of different subject areas. This paper examines whether the perceived reasons in other subjects are real in the study of public administration in African universities. Using a quantitative method and sample N = 650, data were gathered from university students studying public administration in Ghana and Nigeria. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. This study reveals a correlation between concept difficulty and students lacking opportunity for group studies, syllabus wideness, and textbook/slides not being easy to follow as real reasons accounting for concept difficulty in the study of public administration in African universities. This study concludes that the three reasons outlined are not perceived but real reasons accounting for difficulties in the study of public administration in African universities. Appropriate remediating measures are recommended to bolster the study of the subject in African universities.