The Implementation of Self Evaluation and Quality Assurance in Higher Education in Saudi Arabia ...

297 Pages·2017·2.33 MB·English

The Implementation of Self
Evaluation and Quality Assurance in
Higher Education in Saudi Arabia

The case of the Women’s Section of King
Abdulaziz University

By
Nawal Mohammed Al-Zahrani

A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in the School of Education and
Lifelong Learning,
University of East Anglia

2017

© This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is
understood to recognise that its copyright rests with the author and that use of any
information derived there from must be in accordance with current UK Copyright Law. In
addition, any quotation or extract must include full attribution.
Abstract

This research analyses the implementation and impact of Quality Assurance practices
within the Women’s Section of the King Abdulaziz University in the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia. For this purpose, the study examined the introduction of the Self-Evaluation
process at the university, while also taking into account accreditation procedures, student
evaluation, assessment and existing administrative policies.
The researcher chose to conduct a qualitative research that consisted of a single case
study, in order to accurately depict the opinions and experiences of the people who
participate in QA and SE practices at KAU. Therefore, the researcher conducted 42
individual interviews with various members of the management, with lecturers and with
supporting staff, so as to create an intricate and diverse portrayal of the introduction of SE
and QA in the women’s section of KAU.
The findings revealed that SE, and QA practices in general, are either viewed by some
members of the personnel as positive, or perceived by a bigger portion of the staff as
disadvantageous. Thus, both institutional and personal SE is currently performed in
pockets, and the procedures are lauded by those who practice it, as they have noticed
improvements in administrative and academic endeavours. However, a large proportion
of the staff remains reticent in their opinion regarding SE, as the personnel at the
women’s section of KAU has tried to implement this practice without addressing prior
crippling issues. Most importantly, centralisation (for example, the decisions taken in the
women’s section depend entirely on the Dean of the men’s section of KAU) disrupts all
processes, including those pertaining to QA, and this causes dislike for the administrative
requirements of successful SE practices. Furthermore, the stakeholders of the university
are sceptical of each other and communication is neither open nor critical. This causes
alienation and mistrust, and the consequences are most aptly observed when examining
the student evaluations, which are not openly shared with the lecturers. As such, these
issues create a significant collaboration gap between the management, the lecturers and
the students, who do not work together towards implementing successful QA practices
and towards creating a cohesive, quality culture.

Keywords: quality assurance, self-evaluation, accreditation, higher education,
quality culture, student evaluation, King Abdulaziz University, Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia

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Dedication
To my mum who always says: ‘Allah (God) keep
you safe and speed your return home with your
PhD degree’.

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction, Background and Context ...................................................... 10
1.1. The Origins of Quality Assurance in Education ................................................. 11
1.1.1. Higher Education Institutions as Open Systems ............................................... 11
1.1.2. The Rise of Quality ........................................................................................... 13
1.2. Higher Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ............................................ 15
1.2.1. A Brief History of the Higher Education System in KSA ................................ 15
1.2.2. The Current State of Higher Education in the KSA ......................................... 17
1.3. Quality Assurance in the KSA ............................................................................ 20
1.4. Background of the Problem ................................................................................. 25
1.5. Statement of the Problem .................................................................................... 30
1.5.1. Research Gap .................................................................................................... 30
1.6. Research Aims and Questions ............................................................................. 31
1.7. Research Contributions of the Study ................................................................... 32
1.8. Methodology ....................................................................................................... 34
1.9. Assumptions, Limitations and Delimitations ...................................................... 36
Chapter 2 Literature Review .......................................................................................... 38
Introduction .................................................................................................................... 38
2.1. Theoretical Background - Total Quality Management ........................................... 39
2.2. Defining Quality ...................................................................................................... 43
2.3. Quality Assurance in Higher Education .................................................................. 52
2.3.1. Importance and Impact of Quality Assurance .................................................. 53
2.3.2. Types of Quality Assurance ............................................................................. 55
2.3.3. Alternate Models of QA for Higher Education ................................................ 60
2.3.4. Internationalisation and Globalisation of HE ................................................... 64
2.3.5. University Quality Culture ............................................................................... 68
2.3.6. Quality Assurance in the KSA: Organisational Change Issues ........................ 71
2.4. Quality Assurance Approaches and Processes ........................................................ 73
2.4.1. Evaluation ......................................................................................................... 77
2.4.2 The Roles of Evaluation in HEIs ....................................................................... 79
2.4.3. Self-Evaluation ................................................................................................. 80
2.4.4. Accreditation .................................................................................................... 85
2.5. Analytical Framework ............................................................................................. 92
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EFQM Excellence Model ........................................................................................... 93
2.6. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 100
Chapter 3 Research and Methodology ......................................................................... 102
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 102
3.1. Research Design .................................................................................................... 102
3.1.1. Qualitative Research ....................................................................................... 103
3.1.2. Rationale Behind the Qualitative Approach ................................................... 104
3.2. Research Strategy – Methodology ........................................................................ 107
3.2.1. Rationale behind Case Study as a Major Influence on the Study ................... 107
3.3. Data Collection ...................................................................................................... 110
3.3.1. Interviews ....................................................................................................... 111
3.3.2. Documents ...................................................................................................... 116
3.4. Sampling ................................................................................................................ 121
3.4.1. Access to the Women’s Section ..................................................................... 124
3.5. Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................... 125
3.6. Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 127
3.6.2. Coding Process ............................................................................................... 130
3.6.3. Triangulation .................................................................................................. 132
3.6.4. Validity and Reliability .................................................................................. 136
3.7. Limitations ............................................................................................................ 138
3.7.1. Difficulties Encountered during Interviewing ................................................ 141
3.8. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 144
Chapter 4 Findings and Discussion .............................................................................. 145
Introduction .................................................................................................................. 145
4.1. Findings and Interpretations .................................................................................. 146
4.1.1. Context ............................................................................................................ 146
4.1.2. Coding Scheme ............................................................................................... 158
4.1.3. Factors that Influence QA Implementation .................................................... 159
4.1.4. Objectives, Mission and Vision ...................................................................... 204
4.1.5. Resources ........................................................................................................ 208
4.1.6. Research .......................................................................................................... 214
4.2. Brief Review of the Findings ................................................................................ 217
4.2.1. Advantages and Disadvantages of the Self-Evaluation Process ..................... 218
4.2.2. Changes Emerging from the SE Process ........................................................ 220
4.2.3. Perceptions Regarding the QA and SE Culture .............................................. 221
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4.2.4. Theoretical Implications of the Study ............................................................ 223
Chapter 5 Conclusion and Implications ...................................................................... 225
5.1. Objectives and Data Collection ............................................................................. 225
5.2. Research Findings ................................................................................................. 225
5.2.1. How does self-evaluation relate to quality assurance at the women’s section of
KAU? ........................................................................................................................ 226
5.2.2. How do the internal policies and procedures at the women’s section of KAU
influence quality assurance and the self-evaluation process? ................................. 235
5.2.3. How does self-evaluation influence the stakeholders of KAU and university
quality enhancement? ............................................................................................... 243
5.3. Research Contribution ........................................................................................... 248
5.4. Practical Recommendations .................................................................................. 249
5.5. Limitations, Suggestions for Future Research and Possible Generalisations ....... 253
5.6. Conclusions ........................................................................................................... 255
References ....................................................................................................................... 257

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List of Figures
Figure 1: The Open Systems Model .................................................................................. 12
Figure 2: Interpretation of Quality from 5 perspectives .................................................... 43
Figure 4: Internal and External Quality Assurance ............................................................ 58
Figure 3: EFQM Enablers and Results .............................................................................. 94

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List of Tables
Table 1: Embedding culture with Quality .......................................................................... 44
Table 2: Relationship between Quality and Standards ...................................................... 49
Table 3: Phases and Role of Quality Assurance ................................................................ 56
Table 4: Sources of Evidence - Strengths and Weaknesses ............................................. 110
Table 5: Interview Guide ................................................................................................. 115
Table 6: Interview Statistics ............................................................................................. 124

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List of Appendices
Appendix 1: Interim Consent from King Abdulaziz University (KAU) .......................................... 280
Appendix 2: Participant Information Sheet (to be translated) .......................................................... 281
Appendix 3: Participant Information Sheet (to be translated) .......................................................... 282
Appendix 4: Consent Form ............................................................................................................... 284
Appendix 5: Interview Questions ..................................................................................................... 285
Appendix 6: Interviewee Guide ........................................................................................................ 287

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List of Acronyms
ABET – Accrediting Board for Engineering and Technology
AEA – American Evaluation Association
EFQM – European Foundation for Quality Management
GAT – General Aptitude Test
GBP – Great British Pound
HE – Higher Education
HEI(s) – Higher Education Institution(s)
ISO – International Organisation for Standardisation
IT – Information Technology
KACST – King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology
KAU – King Abdulaziz University
KSA – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
KSU – King Saud University
NCAAA – National Commission for Academic Accreditation and Assessment
NUSE – National Unions of Students of Europe
MoHE – Ministry of Higher Education
QA – Quality Assurance
QAA – Quality Assurance Agency
QAS – Quality Assurance System
QC – Quality Control
QE – Quality Enhancement
QIYAS – National Centre for Evaluation in Higher Education
SA – Self-Assessment
SE – Self-Evaluation
SSR – Self Study Report
TQM – Total Quality Management
UK – United Kingdom
UNESCO - The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
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