Research questions

The aim o f th e stu d y is to provide a n a rra tiv e a n d analytical h isto ry o f th e academ ic b e n ch m a rk in g initiative in o rd e r to co n trib u te to th eo retical debates on policy.

The d isse rta tio n tak es th e form o f a policy tra je cto ry stu d y (M aguire a n d Ball 1994). Ball suggests th a t th e policy tra je cto ry resea rc h strateg y holds o u t th e p ro sp ect o f a full a n d well ro u n d e d u n d e rsta n d in g o f th e policy process a n d its o utcom es (Ball, 1994:10). The m ethodology ad o p ted is ju d g e d a p p ro p ria te to tra c e th e p ro g ress o f th e b en ch m ark in g initiative fro m th e p o in t a t which in te n tio n s w ere id en tified a n d th e developm ents w hich th e n followed, ie in te rp re ta tio n , co n testatio n , com prom ise a n d re state m e n t. A nd also to trace th e im p act o f ex tern al developm ents u p o n th e policy, em an atin g from , am o n g st o th e r th in g s, changes in th e policy e n v iro n m en t.

The research q u estio n s w hich guided th e stu d y are th e re fo re ab o u t policy pu rp o se, policy process a n d actors roles w ith in th e policy process. The research qu estio n s are set o u t in ch ap ter 1 a n d are re p e a te d here.

1. To w h a t e x ten t w as th e re u n an im ity o r diversity a b o u t p o lic y in ten tio n s

a t d ifferen t tre a d s of th e policy developm ent sta ir case

2. To w h at e x ten t was th e re u n an im ity o r diversity in p o lic y d e v e lo p m e n t

3- W h at ex p lan atio n s can b e fo u n d for th e divergence betw een policy in te n tio n s a n d policy outcom es

4. W h at n ew critical insights a b o u t m odels o f policy fo rm atio n a n d policy d ev elo p m en t can be ded u ced from th e study.

The p o in ts o f referen ce w hich in fo rm ed th e stu d y are discu ssed in ch ap ter 1 a n d can be su m m a rise d as follows.

• th e re latio n sh ip betw een th e g o v ern m en t a n d H igher E d u catio n

• co n cep tu alisatio n s o f th e policy process,

• th e role o f discourse in th e d ev elo p m en t o f policy agendas.

R esearch stra te g ie s

The p rag m atic p a rad ig m was deem ed to provide a philosophical fram ew ork ap p ro p ria te fo r th e study, in th a t it provides for m ixed m e th o d research. The p arad ig m rejects th e scientific n o tio n th a t social science in q u iry m u st concern itself fo r a q u e st for ‘tr u th ’ th ro u g h th e use o f a single scientific approach, ra th e r it em ph asises th e im p ortan ce of practicality a n d com m on sense, an d p e rm its “p ro jects to b e u n d e rta k e n w ith o u t th e n e ed to identify in v arian t p rio r know ledges, law s o r rules governing w h at is recognised as ‘tr u e ’ o r valid’. Only resu lts c o u n t” (T ashakkori an d Teddie, 2 0 0 3 :8 5 q u o ted in M ertens, 2004:27). Epistem ologically, th e p rag m atic paradigm p e rm its th e re sea rc h er to study w h at is m o st p e rtin e n t ra th e r th a n req uirin g him o r h e r to a d o p t a p articu lar position, such as th a t o f an objective observer, fo r exam ple, a n d holds th a t th e criterio n for ju d g in g th e ap p ro p riaten ess of th e m eth o d s is if it achieves its objectives. “T he u ltim ate goal of any research p ro ject is to answ er th e qu estio n s th a t w ere set fo rth a t th e p ro ject’s beginning. M ixed m ethods are

useful if th e y provide b e tte r o p p o rtu n ities for answ ering o u r research q u e stio n s”. (T ashakkori a n d T e d d lie , 2002:14).

The in s tru m e n ts a n d p ro ced u res a d o p ted to an sw er th e resea rc h questions in clu d ed q u alitativ e d a ta in th e form o f p u b lish ed texts, face to face in -d ep th interview s, a n d q u an tita tiv e d a ta derived fro m q u estio n n aires. The qualitative a n d q u an tita tiv e d a ta w ere sep arately analysed a n d th e m e s w hich em erged p ro v id ed a b asis for in terro g atio n , co m p ariso n a n d c o n trast. T hus th e use of m ixed m eth o d s p ro v id ed th e o p p o rtu n ities for a m ore in sig h tfu l u n d e rstan d in g o f key fe atu res w ith in th e policy process w hich in flu en ced its outcom e.