Public Sector Universities Research Articles

Grades and Glory: A Qualitative Investigation into Business Program’s Academic Success at Public Sector University

Grades and Glory: A Qualitative Investigation into Business Program’s Academic Success at Public Sector University

Legal Framework for Socially Responsible Social Media Platforms in Pakistan

ABSTRACT This research is aimed to investigate wider phenomenon of possible need for legislation for regulation of social media in Pakistan. In-depth interview research method was applied under Qualitative study to investigate this phenomenon. Overall, 10 respondents from law and media departments from public as well as private sector universities of five main cities were chosen to collect their opinion with the help of 15 structured questionnaire with open ended approach. The study found out that there was no legislation existent for regulation of social media in Pakistan. The study revealed voices were raised from different corners of society including journalistic bodies labelling restriction and embargo on freedom of speech. The study concluded that the government should introduce such legislation after having detailed discussion with relevant stakeholders including public sector media organizations, information departments, law and media departments and other relevant stakeholders. The study concluded that socially responsible legislation was required for socially responsible social media in Pakistan. Purpose: The basic objective of this study was to unearth existing legal framework for regulation of social media in the country at par with the international best standards for regulation of social media. This study was tasked to ascertain the opinion of the relevant stakeholders of social media of public and private sector and recommend socially responsible social media in the country. However, the legislation should equally be acceptable for all the relevant stakeholders to make social media effective with its positive use in the long run. Design/Methodology/Approach: Qualitative study was employed along with in-depth interviews having 15 structured questions with open approach to collect data from 10 respondents from five media and law departments from public and private sector universities. Findings: The results showcased the findings that there was no existent legal framework for regulation of social media in hand. However, in recent past, the federal government has constituted a separate department called National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to regulate social media as well as investigate online crimes being committed on social media. However, the legislation was unavailable in this regard. The results revealed all the stakeholders can assemble at one point and draw an effective legislation in this regard to make social media socially reasonable. Implications/Originality/Value: This study seems valuable to the extent as it provides a ray of hope to the depressed consumers of social media especially the parents and teachers as the socially responsible legislation may turn social media as positive platforms. This study may also provide guidelines for the future researchers to investigate the phenome at provincial and district level in the country.

Maintainability of Writ Jurisdictions in Case of Public Sector Universities in Pakistan: An Appraisal of Master and Servant Doctrine Interpreted by Apex Courts

The maintainability of writ jurisdiction in case of public sector universities is actually an accountability mechanism as Public sector universities get public funds in the form of budget support. These public institutions must be answerable before public as they are getting benefit of tax. The writ jurisdiction on the basis of statutory and non-statutory rules has become a bone of contention for university employees. No legislative mechanisms had been provided in post Eighteenth amendment era to address the grievances of university employees, therefore; courts had to fill the gap between Higher Education Institutions and their employees by interpreting the doctrine of Master and Servant sagaciously. There is a dire need to devise an effective & efficient regulatory and legislative framework for higher education sector while taking on board all major stakeholders i.e. Federal Government, Provincial governments, representative of universities, National Finance Commission and Council of Common Interest.

Organizational Commitment: A Comparative Study of Public and Private Higher Education Institutions in Punjab

This study examined and compared levels of organizational commitment (OC) between public and private university teachers in Punjab province, Pakistan. Understanding distinctions in factors influencing teacher retention and engagement across institutional contexts holds value. Yet this topic remains under-researched, especially locally. Multistage stratified sampling selected comparable public and private Punjab-based universities and faculty profiles. A sample of 315 public and private sector university faculty completed an adapted (OC) scale. Independent t-tests and descriptive analyses were utilized to assess differences across affective, normative, and continuance commitment means. Analyses revealed moderately higher overall OC among public university teachers, particularly driven by heightened continuance commitment tied to perceiving greater barriers and difficulties exiting their jobs. Affective and normative commitment promoting emotional connections and a sense of obligation also differed slightly. Tailored OC interventions should account for public teachers' "trapped" mindsets due to limited career alternatives; private faculty warrant strengthening of socioemotional rewards and mentoring. Developing context-appropriate retention strategies necessitates addressing differential needs across university types. Implementing targeted professional growth, culture building, career pathing services, and HR policies catering to distinct public and private settings can enhance teacher commitment. Further qualitative inquiries to deeply explore influencing factors are also advised.

Organizational Commitment: A Comparative Study of Public and Private Higher Education Institutions in Punjab

This study examined and compared levels of organizational commitment (OC) between public and private university teachers in Punjab province, Pakistan. Understanding distinctions in factors influencing teacher retention and engagement across institutional contexts holds value. Yet this topic remains under-researched, especially locally. Multistage stratified sampling selected comparable public and private Punjab-based universities and faculty profiles. A sample of 315 public and private sector university faculty completed an adapted (OC) scale. Independent t-tests and descriptive analyses were utilized to assess differences across affective, normative, and continuance commitment means. Analyses revealed moderately higher overall OC among public university teachers, particularly driven by heightened continuance commitment tied to perceiving greater barriers and difficulties exiting their jobs. Affective and normative commitment promoting emotional connections and a sense of obligation also differed slightly. Tailored OC interventions should account for public teachers' "trapped" mindsets due to limited career alternatives; private faculty warrant strengthening of socioemotional rewards and mentoring. Developing context-appropriate retention strategies necessitates addressing differential needs across university types. Implementing targeted professional growth, culture building, career pathing services, and HR policies catering to distinct public and private settings can enhance teacher commitment. Further qualitative inquiries to deeply explore influencing factors are also advised.

Perceptions of Teachers Regarding Teachers’ Assessment Process at Universities of Balochistan

The study was sought to explore the perceptions of teachers regarding teachers’ assessment process at universities of Balochistan and to discover the perceptions of teachers regarding the process of annual confidential reports (ACRs) at Universities of Balochistan. A cross sectional descriptive design was adopted. All the faculty members of public and private sector universities of Quetta constituted the population. Convenient sampling technique has been used to select 93 teachers for data collecting data through a questionnaire. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze data. Findings of questionnaire from teachers stated that majority of respondents 76(81.7%) said they have regular feature of teacher’s assessment. Maximum respondents 68 (73.! %) answered in yes about teacher's assessment ACRs are used in department. Most of teachers 72 (77.4%) agreed that Peer review is essential part of teacher's assessment. Majority of respondents 63 (67.7%) agreed in yes that Opinions of students are also included in the assessment procedure. Majority of respondents 63 (67.7%) answered in no that they know the result of ACR. Maximum respondents 70 (75.3%) answered in yes that ACRs provide the vital input for assessing your performance. Maximum respondents answered in No that chairperson ever take any action against the poor ACR findings of any teacher.

Variation in the Grammatical Feature of 'Voice' across the Spoken and Written Academic Registers of BS English Students of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan

The research paper investigates variation in the prevalence and distribution of ‘voice’ in the spoken (presentations/interviews) and written (essays/midterm exam scripts) academic registers of BS English students of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the relation of this variation to the situational circumstances of the concerned registers. The learner corpus was constructed. The data was collected from BS English students of the twelve public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. All the texts were transcribed, coded, and then analysed through the computer software AntConc (3.5.8). The present study is unique in the sense that it has conducted a comparative analysis of the various spoken and written sub-registers of English in the academic non-native environment. This study has great implications for researchers in the field of register analysis, material design, and language teaching.

The Impact of Private Television Crime Shows on Youth: Examining the Link Between Media Consumption and Aggressive Behaviour

The research paper investigates variation in the prevalence and distribution of ‘voice’ in the spoken (presentations/interviews) and written (essays/midterm exam scripts) academic registers of BS English students of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and the relation of this variation to the situational circumstances of the concerned registers. The learner corpus was constructed. The data was collected from BS English students of the twelve public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. All the texts were transcribed, coded, and then analysed through the computer software AntConc (3.5.8). The present study is unique in the sense that it has conducted a comparative analysis of the various spoken and written sub-registers of English in the academic non-native environment. This study has great implications for researchers in the field of register analysis, material design, and language teaching.

Selection of Library Materials in the University Libraries of Pakistan: A Survey of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Selection process is naturally at the heart of collection development. Sound book selection policies and practices devised from the information needs of the users’ community play a fundamental role in the development of strong collection. This current study was an attempt to investigate the selection policies and procedures adopted by, the activities and behaviors exhibited by, and the outcomes produced by the university libraries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The study adopted a survey method and included all those well-established public and private sector universities, which were chartered by the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and recognized by HEC, till 31st December, 2012 in the province (Public = 17 and Private = 9, Total 26 universities). The population of this study was the senior library professionals working in the central libraries of the main campuses of all the universities of the province. Findings of the study show that university libraries of the province adopt a variety of methods for selecting library materials including selection through purchase committees, centralized selection by the central libraries and decentralized selection. However, centralized selection procedures with faculty influence is more prominent and dominating in all the universities of the province. The study suggested a dire need of collaboration between faculty and library professionals for effective collection development in the university libraries of Pakistan.

Implementation of the Bachelor of Studies (BS) Program in Government Colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: Prospects and Challenges

The present study explores the challenges and issues faced in the implementation of the BS program offered in government colleges and public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The responsibilities of colleges and universities are highlighted in view of National Education Policies. The research shows how and why the BS education system was initiated in Higher Education Institutions and what measures were taken for its successful implementation. The research methodology used was exploratory in nature, employing a mixed method approach for triangulation. The target population of the study was 65 randomly selected government colleges of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sampled through the Convenience Sampling Technique. Primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and a questionnaire from 127 faculty members of government colleges. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data was analyzed using a thematic analysis approach. The findings of the study highlight the importance of academic autonomy for the government colleges to enable them to grow in knowledge and research. Recommendations such as bringing innovation to higher education, initiating research journals, strengthening of the Higher Education Academy of Research & Training (HEART) and implementing a rationalization policy in transfer rules at the directorate level, are made in light of the findings.

‘The world where dreams come true’- Using the novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist to explore the cultural and religious identity issues through an online literary exchange

This paper presents original research which explores university students’ perceptions of cultural and religious identity issues in relation to Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist at two public sector universities in Sindh and Punjab, Pakistan. The theoretical concepts of dialogism and mestiza consciousness are used as major frameworks governing this study. The findings are based on data supplied by 16 students through google circles. The key arguments based on findings of this study are that the participants discussed and connected to cultural and religious identity in the novel that was geographically, socially and temporally close in terms of their local and global context. These results are important for curriculum designers, teachers and researchers in dialogism, mestiza consciousness, fiction and education in the context as they provide significant insights into students’ perceptions in relation to fiction

The Influence Of Inclusive Leadership On Employee Work Engagement: Examining The Mediating Path Of Job Satisfaction

The purpose of the study is to analyze the relationship between inclusive leadership, employee work engagement, and job satisfaction in the context of public sector universities in Pakistan's educational sector. By applying social exchange theory, this study explores how inclusive leadership impacts job satisfaction and, employee work engagement. Data were collected from 392 lecturers by using questionnaires that were analyzed on SPSS and Smart PLS. Results show the positive impact of inclusive leadership on job satisfaction, and non-significant relationship with employee work engagement. This shows a complete mediation by job satisfaction. Therefore, the mediating role of job satisfaction highlights its significance by promoting interrelated relationships and organizational development. Theoretical implications give a valuable understanding of organizational behavior, on the other hand, practical implications highlight the importance of promoting inclusive leadership practices in educational institutions.

Effective Implementation of Semester System in Colleges: A Case Study of the Affiliated Colleges with the University of Malakand

This research aimed to investigate the measures required for the effective implementation of a semester system for undergraduate education in graduate and post-graduate colleges affiliated with the University of Malakand. The study mainly focused on physical requirements (lecture rooms, laboratories, library), human resource requirements (faculty members, staff), issues in the curriculum, and major issues in the assessment system from the perspectives of teachers of public sector colleges affiliated with the University of Malakand. A mixed-method research design was used for data collection. First, qualitative data was collected, and analyzed through thematic analysis, and then a questionnaire was developed for quantitative data analysis. The findings of the study showed that there were several issues in the implementation of the semester system in the affiliated colleges. These included lengthy courses, outdated content, irrelevant content, lack of space such as classrooms, science labs, etc, need for curriculum improvement, poor assessment system, lack of training for teachers, and lack of regular monitoring from management and the university side. Based on the results it is suggested that the implementation of the semester system in the colleges needs to be reviewed and improved for the affiliated colleges and to ensure quality education.

Disturbed Eating Attitude and Body Shape Apprehension in University Students in Karachi, Pakistan

Eating attitudes play a crucial role in the overall well-being of individuals, particularly among university students who often face various academic, social, and personal stressors. Objective: To examine eating attitudes and body shape apprehensions among university students in Karachi, Pakistan, with a particular focus on private and public institutions. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was utilized to address this objective, selecting 200 students from private sector universities and 200 from public sector universities in Karachi, Pakistan, using purposive sampling. The participants, aged between 19 and (M=22.55, SD=1.813), completed a respondent's profile form, the Eating Attitude Test-26, and the Body Shape Questionnaire-16. Results: The findings revealed that undergraduates in public universities exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of disturbed eating attitudes compared to their counterparts in private universities. However, both groups of students experienced body image concerns at a relatively similar level. Additionally, first-year students in both private and public universities demonstrated significantly higher levels of body shape apprehension and disturbed eating attitudes compared to final-year students. Furthermore, students in social sciences exhibited more body shape apprehension and disturbed eating attitudes than their counterparts in science, engineering, and management faculties in both university sectors. Conclusions: This study underscores the noteworthy issue of disturbed eating attitudes and body shape concerns among university students in Karachi. To curb this problem among undergraduates, diligent monitoring and preventive measures are imperative.

Study of Classroom Climate, Student Engagement, Self-Efficacy and Learning Experiences An Analyses Employing Social Cognitive Theory

This study investigated the impact of classroom climate on students' engagement, self-efficacy and learning experience. Using a quantitative research design, the data was collected from diverse participants in public sector colleges in Sindh, Pakistan. The study employed path analysis to test the hypotheses developed based on literature to assess the causal relationship between classroom climate and the selected critical variables. The Social Cognitive Theory was employed to assess the causal relationship. The path analysis revealed that all three hypotheses were supported. The statistical results of the research show the positive impact of a supportive classroom climate on students' engagement, self-efficacy and learning experience. The results of this research align with the theoretical framework based on Bnadura's social cognitive theory, which emphasises the reciprocal impact between social factors and personal development. The findings offer practical implications for teacher policymakers to uplift educational practices. This study identified classroom climate's significant and vital role in harnessing students' engagement, self-efficacy and learning experience. The results offer the foundation for future research.

Emotional intelligence and job performance: A study of public sector management schools in Pakistan

In today’s dynamic world, higher education plays a vital role in the development of societies and in the socio-economic development of countries. In this context, many developed nations invest in the development of teaching faculty in the universities by improving their emotional intelligence and job performance. This research intends to construct a model for investigating the relationship between Emotional Intelligence and its key dimensions and job performance in public sector management schools of Pakistan. In Pakistan, there are 77 management schools with 1247 regular employees. The proposed model has one primary and four secondary hypotheses. In this proposed model, stratified random sample is employed. The teaching faculty is divided into 4 strata: professor, associate professor, assistant professor and lecturer. Data was collected from 305 randomly selected respondents from the target population through personally administered and officially emailed questionnaires in order to test the hypothesized model. In the study, regression model is employed using SPSS 2.1 software to test the hypotheses. Results shows positive and significant relationship of Emotional Intelligence with its four dimensions: Self-Emotion Appraisal, Other-Emotion Appraisal, Self-Emotion Regulation, and Other Emotion Regulation, with Job Performance. The research has addressed the existing gap on scarcity of research on Emotion Intelligence with its key dimensions, in the public sector universities and the management schools as a target population. Moreover, this research also has some limitations. The research findings have both theoretical and practical implications. In order to foster job performance, the study recommends the creation and promotion of an organizational environment wherein faculty members could share their workplace emotions with ease and interest. Lastly, suggestions for further research are provided.

EXPLORING THE TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP & ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH TEACHERS’ MOTIVATION

This study investigated the correlation between transactional leadership and teachers' motivation at university level, focusing on two public sector universities hailing from Punjab (BZ University, Multan, Islamia University Bahawalpur) and two universities from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan and University of Science and Technology Bannu). With a total population of 1477 teachers, a sample of 147 teachers was selected using Gay's (1987) recommendation of 10% sample size. Data was gathered through questionnaires, a commonly used tool in the social sciences, particularly in education (Taherdoost, 2016). Descriptive statistics such as mean and percentage were employed, alongside the inferential statistics including correlation, t-tests, and ANOVA. Findings indicated a significant relationship between transactional leadership and teachers' motivation at the university level. The results are significant and offered some recommendations to policy-makers along with certain clues for the future researchers about the application of transactional leadership in the higher institutions.

An Investigation to Study the Relationship of Multiple Intelligence and Students’ Learning Styles

This research was planned to assess and identify the impact of multiple intelligences on students’ learning styles at university level in public sector universities Rawalpindi. The research used two approaches about theoretical frameworks for conducting this study. One was based on multiple intelligences given by Gardner (2011) which was consist of 9 sub dimensions named as linguistic, logical, musical, bodily, kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, naturalistic and existentialist. The second theoretical framework was based on students’ learning styles given by Grasha-Riechman (2002) which was consist of six sub dimensions named as, Independent, avoidant, collaborative, dependent, competitive and participatory. The researcher used quantitative approach to conduct the study. The researcher adopted two questionnaires based on theoretical frameworks. One was based on multiple intelligences given by Gardner (2011) which was consist of 9 sub dimensions named as linguistic, logical, musical, bodily, kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, naturalistic and existentialist. There were total 45 items, each dimensions were consisting of 5 items. The second theoretical framework was based on students’ learning styles given by Grasha-Riechman (2002) which was consist of six sub dimensions named as, Independent, avoidant, collaborative, dependent, competitive and participatory. Each dimensions were consisting of 10 items and there were 60 items in total. This research was planned to assess and identify the impact of multiple intelligences on students’ learning styles at university level in public sector universities Rawalpindi. The research used two approaches about theoretical frameworks for conducting this study. One was based on multiple intelligences given by Gardner (2011) which was consist of 9 sub dimensions named as linguistic, logical, musical, bodily, kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, naturalistic and existentialist. The second theoretical framework was based on students’ learning styles given by Baneshi, Tezerjani, and Mokhtarpour (2014) which was consist of six sub dimensions named as, Independent, avoidant, collaborative, dependent, competitive and participatory. The researcher used quantitative approach to conduct the study. The researcher adopted two questionnaires based on theoretical frameworks. One was based on multiple intelligences given by Gardner (2011) which was consist of 9 sub dimensions named as linguistic, logical, musical, bodily, kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, naturalistic and existentialist. There were total 45 items, each dimensions were consisting of 5 items. The second theoretical framework was based on students’ learning styles given by Baneshi et al. (2014) which was consist of six sub dimensions named as, Independent, avoidant, collaborative, dependent, competitive and participatory. Each dimensions were consisting of 10 items and there were 60 items in total. Convenient sampling technique was used to collect the data. After collecting data, the researcher used SPSS to enter the data and run test according to the objectives. The researcher used individual scores and regression analysis in SPSS to achieve the targeted objectives. It is recommended that teachers should encourage students to explore and develop their multiple intelligence in ways that align with their personal interests and strengths. This can help students to become more self-aware and confident learners.

Evaluation of stroke awareness and risk factor prevalence among students at a public sector university in Quetta

Background and Objective:
 Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability. Improving stroke knowledge among medical students will help to improve stroke care and its prevention. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of risk factors and stroke awareness among university students.
 Methods:
 This cross-sectional study was conducted among students at Sardar Bahadur Khan Women's University in Quetta. An eleven-question multiple-choice survey was administered to assess participants' knowledge of stroke-related concepts. The initial study was conducted using descriptive statistics. Additionally, a supplementary screening for common risk factors linked to stroke was included in the study, which involved blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol measures. Data were coded, entered into SPSS, and screened for missing values and outliers. Descriptive analyses were conducted, including frequency tables and graphical representations using pie charts.
 Results:
 In our survey of 255 female students, the vast majority (94.9%) correctly classified stroke as a brain disease, whereas a lesser percentage (1.6%) confused it with heart (0.8%), kidney (0.8%), or lung diseases (0.8%) problems. Notably, 74.1% of participants were aware of the precise cause of stroke, but 58.8% identified arm and leg weakness as a symptom. Other symptoms that were recognized by participants included difficulties speaking (25.5%), headache (9.8%), vertigo (2.4%), and chest pain (3.4%). Moreover, 94.9% of participants recognized that stroke is preventable. The most often diagnosed risk factor was hypertension (58.4%), which was followed by high cholesterol (11.8%), diabetes (9.0%), migraine (8.2%), advanced age (7.8%), and smoking (4.7%).
 Conclusion
 Our study shows a very good knowledge about stroke among the students at Sardar Bahadur Khan University but our results are biased due to addressing only an educated group of people.

Cyber-Bullying at Workplace and its Mental Health Outcomes: A Linguistic Analysis

Background: Cyberbullying is a growing concern in educational settings, but recent evidence indicates that it has become prevalent in professional environments as well. With the advent of digital communication, employees have become vulnerable to cyberbullying not only during work hours but also in their personal time. This study focuses on understanding the psychological impacts of cyberbullying in the workplace. Objective: The primary aim of this research was to investigate the lived experiences of cyberbullying victims in the workplace, to comprehend the depth of its psychological implications, and to identify coping mechanisms employed by victims. The study also aimed to examine the patterns of cyberbullying across different hierarchical levels within an organization. Methods: A qualitative, phenomenological approach was adopted, involving semi-structured interviews with eight employees from a public-sector university in Lahore, Pakistan. Participants were selected through purposive and snowball sampling techniques, and thematic analysis was utilized to interpret the data. Results: Participants reported experiencing stress, embarrassment, and anger due to cyberbullying, with these emotions stemming from a sense of vulnerability and public exposure. Cyberbullying incidents occurred through emails, social media, and text messages, often leading to a need for self-preservation and coping strategies. The study found that aggressors included not just superiors but also peers and subordinates. Conclusion: The study concluded that workplace cyberbullying is a multifaceted issue that affects individuals across different levels of employment. It causes significant psychological distress, necessitating effective strategies for prevention and intervention. Future research should explore the role of organizational leadership in addressing workplace cyberbullying and aim for more generalizable findings through quantitative research.