Documents

Documentation collection and analysis also formed part of the research, and the method can have both advantages and disadvantages (Appleton and Cowley, 1997; Yin, 2009). On the one side, official documents to be analysed are not biased by the data collection process, are usually free and easy to access, thus not adding to any costs, and the data can be collected relatively rapidly (Appleton and Cowley, 1997). Another argument for collecting data from documents is the versatility of the sources, which can range from official, public and personal documents, to reports made by lecturers, to visual artefacts

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and even electronic sources (Markham, 2005; Harper, 2005). On the other hand, there is often a limit to the amount of data that is available, and documents may be either inaccurate or incomplete, irrelevant to the study context, or the access to said files can be deliberately blocked (Yin, 2009). In addition, Johnson (2002: 83) argues that some documentation is prone to being stored solely on hard copies in packed storage rooms that are either inaccessible to the public, or simply time-consuming and overall difficult to review without proper guidance. Lastly, Ary, Jacobs and Sorensen (2010: 443) argue that documents were not created with the purpose of contributing to research, and as such can be incomplete, or organised in a manner that is difficult to comprehend and interpret. However, it is important to take into consideration the main advantage of collecting data from documents, which is the historical perspective it provides to the research (Ponce and Pagan, 2016).

The researcher employed document analysis as a method to contextualise the research. The documents utilised ranged from governmental policies, plans, strategies and handbooks, to institutional reports and webpages concerning the NCAAA, KAU and the MoHE. According to May (1997), documents can offer valuable insights into what is being researched. To illustrate, the documentation analysed was useful in detailing the role, goal and standards of the KAU in regards to SE, QA and accreditation, as well as the national standards regarding QA in HEIs. For this purpose, the researcher reviewed various reports, documents, circulars and studies, all gathered during the researcher’s stay in the KSA in 2012. This was when, following the advice from the supervisor, the researcher travelled to the KSA with the following objectives:

 To visit the Vice Presidency for Development in KAU. The researcher met with a Director of the relevant section and learned about the specific application of QA within the University, as well as about the training of educational leaders. In addition, the researcher also gathered valuable information regarding certain problems related to QA in HE from the viewpoint of the Ministry of Higher Education.

 To visit the Administration of Research and Studies in KAU in order to arrange future field work in the women’s section of the University.

 To visit the library of KAU, where the researcher made copies of some relevant Arabic literature regarding QA in the KSA.

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 To visit the KAU archive, where the researcher hoped to find reports on past SE, QA, student evaluations or staff trainings. Saudi Arabian custom and practice, however, does not allow the sharing of such information with other parties, regardless of whether it contains private information or not. The attempt proved unsuccessful.

 To apply to the King Faisal Centre for Research and Studies for the confirmation that the topic of the study is new and original.

 To contact the National Organization for Assessment and Accreditation and discuss the project to introduce QA standards in Saudi HEIs with officials, in order to find out what stage had been reached.

 To contact the section for Planning and Development in the Ministry of Higher Education and KAU, in order to obtain some statistics about KAU from the women’s section. However, this endeavour proved unsuccessful, as the researcher could not find any compilation of data, reports or studies regarding the relevant section of KAU.

 To contact the library of the Ministry of Higher Education, where unfortunately books had to be searched manually, due to some problems with the database. The researcher asked the MoHE to make and send copies of some relevant texts, such as the Current Status of Higher Education.

Gaining access to the relevant documentation proved difficult and unsuccessful at times. Regardless, the attempt to obtain information from the MoHE was not as difficult as anticipated, as the librarians at the Ministry were keen on sharing non-private information that may assist in the improvement of the current QA and accreditation national system. More specifically, the assistant with who I spoke more pointed me to one document in particular that was beneficial to my research, and also informed me that the information in this document needed to be updated in the near future, and that it will be translated into English and uploaded online, as well. Said document was an older version of the MoHE’s (2013) Current Status of Higher Education, which outlined a history of HE in the KSA, together with information regarding the types of HE and methods to provide HE, HE projects and programmes, research and development, as well as an international comparison and ranking of Saudi HE. I was allowed to make copies of this particular document, yet seeing how it was updated only one year after my travel to the KSA, and

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taking into account that the previous status of HE included very little information regarding QA, I decided to use the newer version instead.

In addition to this document, I have had brief access to older documentation (i.e. annals and reports, the history of HE), meaning that I could only read them while I was at the institute. Nevertheless, having gone through some of the archives, I discovered that they were of very limited or no use to my research, due to several reasons. For instance, when searching for information before the introduction of QA in the KSA, I have found that very few documents discussed relevant issues, such as those outlined by the NCAAA that I have used to guide my research, others which contained more sensitive information (i.e. testimonies) and were not made available, while others were incomplete in their analysis and offered insufficient information, most of which was also outdated. An issue that I want to point out is that at the time when I went to do my research, the NCAAA had not yet introduced a standardised approach to the accreditation process, a process that eluded many of the documents and which was very briefly discussed overall. By the time I had completed my stay in the KSA in 2012, none of the institutions I visited could provide me with a detailed guideline on how accreditation functioned within HEIs, and the understanding of officials and teachers was very limited. Since then, however, the NCAAA has released a document in 2015 outlining the accreditation procedures, and this document has since shed light on many requirements.

Even more so, at the time of my visit, the KAU had not yet released the Self Study Report that was required by the NCAAA, and I found myself going through a limited number of documents in which some changes in the structure of the HEI were outlined. However, these records were superficial in nature and were clearly offered to me because of the lack of more specific information. After requesting more confidential documentation to the KAU board, I was refused access to them, since the majority included sensitive information that cannot be shared with the public. However, the administrative members at the women’s section of the KAU informed me that a document would be released either one or two years after my visit in 2012, and they pointed out that they would send me this text once it was completed. In 2013, I had received the KAU’s (2013a)

Institutional Self-Study Report (SSR) in Arabic, and later that year the document has also

been translated into English and shared on the institution’s website. After having initially gone through the report, I felt at ease, since my trip to the university’s archive had proven to be counterproductive and since the mentioned report addressed each and every one of

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my concerns, in an extensive manner. As such, the KAU’s SSR (2013a) has proven to be a pillar of knowledge in the current study.

With this in mind, it is of utmost importance to emphasise that in the KSA, internal documents are very rarely shared by institutions with the public. The decision to share reports or records depends entirely on the institution that possesses them, and it is very difficult to get access to such documentation, even if they are intended to be used for research. This being said, it is also important to take into account that the vast majority of the previously-mentioned information that the researcher came in contact with was written in Arabic, and the information was interpreted directly without translation, except for the documents that have been officially translated by each of the contacted institutions. This was due to the fact that many documents could only be accessed at the libraries or archives of the institutions, meaning that any photographs, scans or copies were mostly prohibited. In addition, the majority of said archives are being stored on hard copies exclusively, and having engaged in the process of examining them without knowing if they could contain any relevant information, the process proved to be extremely time-consuming. As a result, I tried to go through the documentation that was made available to me as quickly as possible, as the time period did not allow for an on- the-spot, in-depth examination of every report, record, archive and so on. In hindsight, this was a miscalculation from my part, as having been a teacher in the KSA I assumed that I could more easily procure such information, and that I could make copies or photos of what I needed and examine them at a later date.

This being said, the research also utilised several documents that are translated into English, and which are also available online, in the triangulation and interpretation of the data. When choosing the documents, the researcher took into consideration several aspects that needed to be attained. As such, the researcher aimed to gather information from relevant and secure sources that used accurate and contemporary data, to find documents that refer to Saudi higher education QA standards, and to the standards of KAU if possible, as well as to seek out documents that provide information that is relevant for the codes identified in the coding scheme created from the interviews (i.e. governance and administration, faculty and staff employment, teaching and learning,

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student administration and support services, institutional relationships, QA management, objectives, mission and vision, resources and research.

As such, the following English documents have been examined and employed throughout the study to provide official information regarding QA in the KSA, to facilitate the process of triangulation and to offer a better understanding of the data gathered from the interviews:

 KAU’s (2013a) Institutional Self-Study Report (SSR);

 NCAAA’s Handbook for Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Saudi Arabia, part 1, The System for Quality Assurance and Accreditation (NCAAA, 2012a);  NCAAA’s Handbook for Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Saudi Arabia,

part 2, the Internal Quality Assurance Arrangements (NCAAA, 2012b);

 NCAAA’s Handbook for Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Saudi Arabia, part 3, External Reviews for Accreditation and Quality Assurance (NCAAA, 2012c);

 NCAAA’s (2015) Accreditation Procedures: Step-by-Step;

 NCAAA’s (2009) Standards for Quality Assurance and Accreditation of Higher

Education Institutions;

 The MoHE’s (2013) Current Status of Higher Education.

Among the above-mentioned documents, KAU’s (2013a) Institutional Self-Study Report, which will be referred to as the KAU SSR throughout the study, is the most valuable and relevant document, as it depicts the university’s own evaluation of all the elements that are also explored in this study. However, each of the listed documents provides additional information for several of the targeted subjects.