The Role of Garyounis University in Achieving Social Development Objectives Based on the Staff Point of View"
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THE ROLE OF GARYOUNIS UNIVERSITY IN ACHIEVING SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Liverpool John Moores University for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By FatmaBEN ATTIA Liverpool John Moores University Faculty of Education, Community and Leisure January 2012 Acknowledgments The journey undertaken when conducting a PhD is a long and arduous one and my own work has made me come across difficult times. However, the support I have received has made me able to reach this stage of final submission of the thesis. Therefore, I wish to indicate and acknowledge those who have provided me with their kind support. Firstly, I should start in the name of God since everything we do or come cross is related to his will. Therefore, I must acknowledge that it is only through the light of God Almighty I have been able to reach this stage, which, on many occasions, I have felt would never come. Fortunately I have been provided with the support, motivation, knowledge, friendship and love, to make the trip through the long research and writing process more bearable and rewarding. I welcome this opportunity to give thanks to the remarkable people who have supported me. I am especially indebted to my supervisor Professor Mark Brundrett whose encouragement over this long journey has kept me making progress and despite coming across the difficult times I have faced in the shadow of the problematic political circumstances taking place in Libya. His patience, encouragement, and guidance have been provided for the duration of my doctoral research and his busy schedule has not stopped him from providing guide and support. I come from an academic culture different from that of the UK, nevertheless, it was a great opportunity for me to have him as a supervisor to lead me and provide the explanations I needed when I needed them. In addition I find myself obliged to thank each of the following: my co-supervisor Dr. Elizabeth Smears; my previous co-supervisor Dr. Gabriella Torstensson; Professor Patrick Carmichael; and, the entire faculty team who have offered me support and guidance. I am also deeply grateful to all the participants of this study, the academic and administrative staff at Garyounis University who offered their time to fill the questionnaires or to allow me to interview them is spite of their busy schedule. Finally, particular thanks are extended to my dear family including: my parents, who have instilled in me the importance of education and the belief that I could achieve anything with hard work; my brothers and sisters who have always provided support and help; and my loving husband who has shared in my good times and my difficult times, for his continuous support and encouragement, that has made me continue to exert the effort required to complete the race that I started out on, I thank him deeply. Furthermore, I also thank him for always being willing to do whatever is necessary to promote my accomplishment; and finally, I thank my beautiful baby, Ahmed, whose presence has pushed me to go on when times were difficult and has given me the hope for a better future. II Abstract The overall aim of this study was to investigatethe extent and the nature of Garyounis University's role in achieving the goals of social development in Libya based on the project termed "Libya 2025" by the National Office of Planning (2007). This purpose highlights a concern for the reality of Garyounis University's role in society within the Libyan context in terms of achieving social development aims in Libya including the dissemination of: health awareness; knowledge; environmental awareness; vocational awareness; and political awareness. The research also sought to identify the most important difficulties which challenge the university in carrying out this role. Data collection methods consisted of two main approaches including both quantitative and qualitative elements. Firstly, a questionnaire was designed in order to gather data that could assist in investigating the seven fields of the university role searched in this study. The researcher based the construction of this questionnaire on a number of previous studies related to this topic and 225 completed questionnaires were received out of 367 items that were distributed. Secondly, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to collect more extensive data and to overcome any limitations of the questionnaire. Both research tools were administered to a sample of the academic staff of the University of Benghazi in order to discover their perceptions of the issue under scrutiny. The findings of the study suggest that all the staff at Garyounis University are aware of the content of the law which outlines the societal goals of the institution and they acknowledge the importance of these aspirational goals. However, respondents indicated a wide range of difficulties in fulfilling this role and it was notable that it was perceived that the least attention was paid to health awareness. III It is suggested that this study can contribute to the understanding of university - community engagement in Libya in theory and in practice and a series of recommendations are made including suggestions that further investment and training is required if these important goals are to be achieved. IV List of contents Acknowledgments 1 Abstract 111 List of contents V List oftables XII List of figures XV CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 setting the scene 1 1.2 Statement of the problem 6 1.3 Purpose, question and aims of the study 8 1.3.1 The purpose of the study 8 1.3.2 Question and aims of the study 9 1.4 Justification for the research 10 1.5 Libya: the context. 12 1.5.1 Location 12 1.5.2 Population 14 1.5.3 Economic, political and historical background 16 1.5.4 Higher education in Libya 17 1.5.5 A brief overview of Libyan development plans 22 1.6 Scope and limitations of the study 24 1.7 Overview of this study 25 V 1.8 Summary 25 CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW 26 2.1 Introduction 26 2.2. Part one; A University; its origins and concept 27 2.2.1 Introduction 27 2.2.2 Historical overview of the genesis and development of universities 27 2.2.3 The concept of a university 31 2.2.3.1. The Arabic concept 33 2.2.3.2. The influence of John Henry Newman 35 2.2.3.3. Contemporary perspectives 37 2.2.3.4. University as investment 40 2.2.3.5. Summary of part one 44 2.3. Part two; Roles of universities; teaching, research, community service and development 47 2.3.1. Introduction 47 2.3.2. Teaching 48 2.3 .2.1. The nature of teaching process at the university level 49 2.3.2.2. Effective teaching at the university level 51 2.3.2.3. Teaching process at Libyan Universities 54 2.3.3. Research 57 2.3.3.1. University and scientific research 58 2.3.3.2. Research classification 62 2.3.3.3. Research at Libyan universities 63 2.3.4. Community Service 65 VI 2.3.4.1. Fields of this role 67 2.3.4.2. Assessment of this role 70 2.3.5. The interactive relationship between university roles 72 2.3.6. Summary of part two 72 2.4. Part three; University - community engagement 74 2.4.1. Introduction 74 2.4.2. Arabic studies of engagement 75 2.4.3. Western studies of engagement 78 2.4.4. Development approach and theories 83 2.4.5. Practical examples of university - community engagement 87 2.4.6. Employability 92 2.4.7. Summary of part three 94 2.5. Summary of the literature review 95 CHAPTER THREE METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY 97 3.1 Introduction 97 3.2 part one methodology background 98 3.2.1 Introduction 98 3.2.2 Research methodologies 98 3.2.2.1. Quantitative methodology 98 3.2.2.2. Qualitative methodology 100 3.2.2.3 Mixed research methodology 102 3.2.3 Validity of the study 107 3.2.4 Data collection methods 109 VII 3.2.4.1. Questionnaires 110 3.2.4.2. Interviews 112 3.2.4.3. Observation 114 3.2.5. Summary 115 3.3 part two the chosen methodology 116 3.3.1 Introduction 116 3.3.2 Question and aims of the study 116 3.3.3 The chosen methodology 117 3.3.4 Data collection methods 119 3.3.4.1. Questionnaire 119 3.3.4.1.1. Sources of the questions 120 3.3.4.1.2. Length and language of the questionnaire 120 3.3.4.1.3. Types of questions 122 3.3.4.1.4. Components and rationale of the questionnaire 122 3.3.4.1.5. Development process of the questionnaire 124 3.3.4.1.6. Validity and reliability of the questionnaire 125 3.3.4.1.7. Questionnaire distribution and collection 127 3.3.4.1.8. Population and sampling of the study 127 3.3.4.2. Semi structured interviews 130 3.3.5. Ethical considerations 132 3.3.6. Data analysis 134 3.3.7. Data collection challenges 134 3.3.8. Summary 135 VIII CHAPTER FOUR QUESTIONNAIRE RESPONSES: PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS 137 4.1. Introduction 137 4.2. The first part; a presentation of the findings 138 First: the general level of the extent of this role by Garyounis University according to the respondents 138 Second: the means of the university's contribution to investigating social development demands 140 Third: goal of Knowledge dissemination 144 Fourth: goal of environmental awareness dissemination: 148 Fifth: the goal of vocational awareness dissemination: 152 Sixth: the goal of political awareness dissemination: 156 Seventh: the goal of spreading awareness of health 159 Eighth: the field that receives the most concern 163 Ninth: the difficulties facing the work of the university to achieve its aims 164 4.3.