Theoretical Framework for Research

The objective of this chapter is to locate the study within its appropriate paradigm of research inquiry, that is, capital theory, and apply methodology to map the intersections of human capital/social capital in a specific educational setting. The subject of this

qualitative study is the employment of graduates from the Mass Communications

Department of Sultan Qaboos University in Oman. An examination of the perceived skills and knowledge gained by these graduates in their higher education system program and the extent to which this preparation and training meets labour market needs will open up the social and cultural basis of education in Oman.

Human capital theory is the theoretical starting point for the research. The expansion of the higher education system, and the resultant student graduation and employment are the principal processes associated with the role of education in human capital theory. However, a wider perspective of employability in an emerging labour market requires the inclusion in the research framework of the social relationships in which educational institutions and labour market are embedded: that is, of the interaction of social capital within human capital development. As an example, social capital’s principle of weak or bridging ties, which characterises open societies (Nayaran 1999) may provide a richer basis for the explanation of the employment experience for the MCD’s graduates than a purely human capital approach. Thus, the social entities, the structures and systems that contribute to capital formation in Oman play a strong role in this research. Through its

roles as policymaker, education provider and employer, government is the strongest

contributor in a nation’s capital formation, thus options to adapt higher educational policies in a developing country such as Oman require examination to satisfy a range of stakeholder outcomes with the ultimate aim of robust capital growth.

There is strong justification for a study embedded in human capital and social capital theory to be placed in the context of a developing country. This chapter draws out theoretical concepts from the structure of the study, highlighting its subjects’ diversity and the richness of data available from the research methodology.

4.1.1 Comparison of Research Dimensions

There are two broad social science research methodologies, qualitative and quantitative; the critiques of one another reveal their characteristics. Quantitative

researchers criticise qualitative researches in three main areas: First, qualitative research, they claim, argues that the subjective nature of qualitative research hinders the application of conventional standards of reliability and validity. Second, qualitative research has high time consumption requirements for data collection, analysis and interpretation. Finally, qualitative studies are frequently at risk of lacking anonymity, resulting in inevitable bias. Many social researchers assert that, unlike qualitative research which requires extensive verbal expression, quantitative research summarises its findings methodically through statistics, with results clearly presented in tables, or numerical forms (Haveman & Wolfe 2004 pp.5-6).

Nevertheless, qualitative research currently remains a popularsocial science methodology. Summed up as information gathered and presented in a manner that can be clearly comprehended, qualitative inquiry provides an inductive and exploratory

methodology. The researcher focuses on subjects’ experiences and interpretations of their environment. As quantitative researchers criticise qualitative researchers, a similar and robust exchange is continued by qualitative researchers against their colleagues. Faulting quantitative study factors, researchers (Guba & Lincoln 1994, Sarantakos 1993) nominate the following: that quantitative findings are overtly objective; that research participants’ responses are removed from the context of their environment; that participants’ reasoning is removed from the data; and quantitative research rejects drawing theory from data.

problem of the employability of the SQU mass communication graduates. The second reason is that the literature review, having identified that such an exploration defined the research data as the participants’ perceptions and attitudes, oriented the study to

qualitative, non-statisticalmethods. That is, the research has significance for the

employment prospects of a specific population – SQU MCD graduates – but it will also point to possibilities that may apply to other graduates in like circumstances.

This work embraces qualitative research because of its adaptability. In qualitative inquiry, the data are participants’ perceptions about their actions and the social systems and the environments in which they operate. This study relies on the interpretations that the interviewees bring to the question: why do MCD graduates face obstacles to their employment? Through these responses, rich data is available to draw out principles that meet the variables associated with human capital theory and social capital theory.

4.1.2 Study Perspectives

The methodology for this study is based on the connections between four

propositions, derived from the research statement, objectives and the research questions: • human capital and social capital, especially investment in education and social

networks to build human resources and aid community development • qualitative research methodology to achieve superior outcomes from the

analysis

• semi-structured open-ended interviews as the appropriate instrument to acquire in-depth, rich, qualitative data, and finally

• outcomes relevant to both the theoretical structure of the thesis, and the research question, that is, the factors that impede MCD graduates’ ability to work in their profession.

The qualitative research methodology selected is significant also in its capacity to provide insight into underlying influences leading to unemployment in circumstances such as the MCD graduates encounter. In its theoretical framework, the research is more

complex than a simple employer demand/higher education supply model, however. While it does have the objective of reaching recommendations to satisfy Omani community and labour markets by encouraging the higher education establishments to participate more

successfully in the country’s development, it has a research scope extending into Omani social relationships and cultural characteristics.

At this point, it is germane to note the rarity of qualitative research in the settings of human capital and social capital. Much of capital theory is derived from observations drawn from very different economic and social environments, including work from the World Bank (Woolcock & Narayan 2000) which focuses on primary education and

poverty. This work breaks new ground, positioning itself in the higher education sector of a vigorous, developing economy.