4.1 Method of data collection
Following a purposive sampling technique, a sample of eight professors (head of engineering department) from four universities of Punjab were selected both from faculties of Engineering and Technologies. All participants had an administrative experience of 8–15 years. A profile of participants and universities is presented in Table 1. Data were collected through semi-structured face-to-face interviews. A questionnaire was formulated on the basis of literature review and research questions11Interview questions: Being head of department, how do you view the present situation of HE in Pakistan? What is the role of Vice chancellors in HE? What are the practices that restrict any improvement in HE system?. Each individual audio recorded interview was of 15–20 minutes. The recorded data was later transcribed for analysis. A consent form was signed by all participants prior to interview that stated the purpose of research and voluntary nature of their participation.
The names of universities and participants were replaced by numbers as U1, U2, U3, U4 and R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8 respectively to ensure confidentiality.
Table 1.
Profile of Participants and Institutions.