THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITY IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – THE CASE OF CROATIA
Jelena Legčević , University of Josip Juraj Strossmayer, Osijek, Croatia
ABSTRACT
Higher education, research and innovation play a crucial role in supporting social cohesion, economic growth and global competitiveness. Broader access to higher education by linking with the economy is an opportunity for higher education institutions to make use of a new richness of diverse individual experiences for empowering the development of the local community. Institutions in the higher education try to provide best quality services because they need to compete for their students. Measuring quality of their services is therefore an important task of those institutions that give feedback on the dimensions of quality that need to be taken care of and offers institutions the possibility to gain significant compatitive advantage in knowledge market. Main purpose of this paper is to investigate has the perceptions of the main stakeholders of educational process, students, changed in two waves of measuring their satisfaction (years: 2009 and 2014). Reliable and validated KVALIMETAR measuring instrument has been used to compare perception results, among students. By comparing the results of the research it will be detected critical points in the quality management system as well as to ensure quality guidelines for increasing the level of satisfaction of all stakeholders as well as the overall quality level of the University in the regional economy.
Keywords: regional economy, economic growth, knowledge based economy, satisfaction, quality
1. INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, while considering the educational issues and the discussions and debates concerning the education, "knowledge society" has become the inevitable phrase. The knowledge and the knowledge society is a topic discussed nowadays more than ever, but it unfortunately does not mean that the knowledge gained value in society. On the question of whether knowledge is of economic value, i.e. does the society recognize it as a value, there is no definite answer. The society is not homogeneous, but differentiated entirety, and one can say that it consists of three segments: the political elite, i.e. elites; of economic elites; and of social classes that make non-elite: the people, the demos, or whichever term one uses for it (Škare, Lacmanović, 2013). The answer depends on how the three segments of society value knowledge, and valuation is performed at the level of attitudes and actual behavior. According to some authors, one may argue that this self-proclaimed knowledge society has actually given itself to the lack of education, no matter how much knowledge may have been accumulated and stored (Liessmann, 2008). Expectations by the local economy and society representatives raise new assignments and challenges for the modern universities. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that the universities reassess their role in the regional development in order to become more ready to meet the needs of the regional economy and the society as a whole. Consequently, the wider approach to higher education through connecting with the economy presents an extraordinary opportunity for the institutions of higher education to empower the local community's development through the profusion of various individual experiences. On the other hand, it is possible that a region can also receive long-term economic benefits from having a university in its location through the knowledge effect, reffering to the knowledge production and technology transfer function of university (Hui-chen Wang, 2010). Another source of knowledge effect is the education function of the institutions, namely, the production of human capital. Because universities are producers of educated workers, an area located around the university is likely to have a higher concentration of skilled workers. The higher earnings of faculty graduates would add to the regional income, and the better-trained workers may have a higher potential to start-up or attract new firms. An increase in the supply of highly educated labor may also lead to increased productivity, increased capacity to perform research and development activities, and increased absorption capacity (Smith, Drabenstott, 1999). The role of human capital in economic development is significant, and one way of assesing the level of development of human capital is based upon the level of educational attainmant of the population in question. According to the Guisan & Neira (2006), development can also be achived for the less developed countries by virtue of human capital in international cooperation. Creating a high level of human capital leads to an accelerated increase in educated population and the growth potential of a specific population. Universities in the round have potentially a pivotal role to play in the social and economic development of their regions. They are a critical ‘asset’ of the region; even more so in less favoured regions where the private sector may be weak or relatively small, with low levels of research and development activity. Successful mobilisation of the resources of the university can have a disproportionately positive effect on their regional economies and achievement of comprehensive regional strategies. In order to effectively engage universities, public authorities need to understand the principles underlying why universities can be important agents in region al development. There is also a range of mechanisms available to support engagement, many of which are already being deployed. However it is the strategic coordination of these within a wider policy context that will produce the maximum impact (European Comission, 2011). Academic research has become endogenised and integrated into the economic cycle of innovation and growth. The university has been considered as a key contributor to wealth generation and economic development. Within the current knowledge based economy, the university acts as both “a human capital provider ” and innovation (Dooley and Kirk, 2007).
2. METHODOLOGY
With the aim of conducting a research, a reliable and valid measuring instrument named KVALIMETAR was used on the sample of students at University of Osijek in two measuring periods; 2009 and 2014, in order to examine the similarities and differences among students perceptions. KVALIMETAR measuring instrument (Legčević et al., 2011, 275) consists of 31 statements grouped into five dimensions: teaching staff (deals with motivation, competence, and communication of the scientific staff, usage of teaching aids and modern technology, regular lectures, valid and objective knowledge grading, courtesy during office hours), administrative staff (includes availability, decent attitude towards the students, duly handling of the students' requests and inquiries, reporting on new changes in the schedule, and precise handling of students' documents), image (includes the reputation of the faculty, qualified teaching staff, finishing the education with the ability to transfer knowledge and skills), environment and equipment (includes the environment and the equipment necessary for learning and teaching, which are: libraries, laboratories, workshops, IT classrooms, lighting and classroom cleanliness, adequacy and accessibility of the literature) and programs of studying and teaching syllabus (includes clear objectives and guidelines, various programs of studying intended for student education). Encompassed research is a part of a project approved by the University J. J. Strossmayer named: KVALIMETAR with the function of improving the quality in educational sector. The research was conducted using the web application www.surveymonkey.com where the official notifications concerning the conduct of the research were forwarded to the presidents of the Quality Committee on each faculty of the University via Center for Quality. The research was conducted through January, February and March 2014. A self-administered, structured questionnaire was pre-tested to a sample of twenty five (25) students. Adjustments were made based on the pre-test to get a more effective instrument. After that the questionnaire was finally administered through above mentioned web link. Since high predictive validity was a major concern, a five-point Likert scale was used. The Likert scale ranged from strongly disagree to strongly agree for students rating of all defined statements of the questionnaire.
3. RESULTS
The first sample of students (n=1494) was examined in the summer semester of the 2008/2009 academic year with the goal of measuring the perception of quality during their study. This preliminary research which had already been conducted at the level of the educational components of the University in 2009 on the sample had shown the interest of the students who had, in significant numbers, emphasized that the attempt of quantifying the quality of the educational service urges them towards a more whole contemplation on the topic and had expressed a critical attitude towards the quality of study. The second sample of the students (n=732) was examined in the period from January to March 2014 with the goal of measuring the similarities and differences in perceptions with the regard to the first sample of students with the goal of defining the areas for possible improvement, total satisfaction of students and current contribution of the high education to the economic development of the region according to the differences in results. The first sample was comprised of 66% of male and 34% of female participants, by which the biggest group of examined students was comprised of those aged 18-21 (48,5%) while less than 1% of the students were above 27 year of age. The biggest part of the students was enrolled in second academic year (35%) and fourth academic year (30,3%). Half of the respondents (57,8%) had attended more than 75% of the classes, which is, cumulatively, 82,1% of the students who regularly attended classes out of which in 45% of the examined students, the most frequent grade in the student’s book was good (3). Out of the total number, 69,5% of the examined students studied as regular students with the Ministry of Education and Sports' grant.
The second sample of students was comprised of 69% of female and 31% of male participants, by which the biggest group was comprised of those aged 18-21 (43,7%) and 22-24 (41,7%) who were equally represented in all academic years of studying; I – 24,6%, II – 19,4%, III – 22,1%, IV - 14,9%, V - 18,4%. The regularity of classes attendance (more than 75%) is in high quota, which confirms that the requirements of highly proclaimed Bologna system are being fully performed, which is supported by the fact that the average grade of the examined students (good – 37%; very good – 35%) by which the most respondents (61%) were regular students.
After comparing the samples in two measuring periods (2009, 2014), the results show that the demographic structure of the respondents was mostly similar, and in order to compare the samples more detailed and answer the research goals with the intention to conclude on the effect of the university on economic development, i.e. to answer the question how to make education stronger impeller, promoter and stimulator, we have examine the factor structure of the students in both samples with the goal of determining the similarities and differences in perceptions in 2014 with regard to 2009.
Table 1 Factor analysis of the KVALIMETAR measuring instrument on the second sample of students (2014.)
STATEMENTS / FACTORSF1 / F2 / F3 / F4
Administrative staff is available and ready to provide students with assistance. / ,853
Administrative staff treats students with respect and dignity. / ,844
Administrative staff deals with students’ enquiries in a prompt and professional manner. / ,820
Administrative staff helps students with respect to providing information on the study, curriculum and majors... / ,700
Students’ applications and enquiries are timely and accurately dealt with. / ,653
Student office keeps records of students properly and precisely.
Students are timely informed by the faculty on current changes of course schedule, time of examination and delayed/cancelled lectures... / ,495
Professors and teaching assistants give an impression of love and enthusiasm for their course. / ,536
Professors and teaching assistants are highly motivated for doing their job and conscientiously fulfil their obligations. / ,505
When teaching, professors and teaching assistants seem to have proper knowledge of the matter and demonstrate it in a clear and comprehensible manner. / ,501
Using teaching tools and modern technology, professors and teaching assistants raise the level of teaching quality. / ,388
Professors and teaching assistants hold classes, seminars and practices regularly and in time. / ,489
Professors and teaching assistants encourage students to actively participate in classes and to take responsibility for studying. / ,627
Professors and teaching assistants assess students’ performance appropriately, objectively and fairly. / ,785
Professors and teaching assistants are available and friendly to students. / ,740
Professors and teaching assistants possess proper communication skills and create pleasant working atmosphere. / ,791
Professors and teaching assistants are available and willing to receive students during office hours. / ,731
Professors and teaching assistants can also be reached after classes. / ,454
Faculty is characterized by its professional image. / ,475
Faculty includes adequately qualified teaching staff. / ,706
After the studying, students are capable of transferring acquired knowledge and skills. / ,739
Faculty possesses appropriate equipment necessary for organization of classes, seminars and practices... / ,818
Faculty manages with adequate rooms for teaching and studying (libraries, workshops, laboratories, IT classrooms...) / ,647
Illumination and cleanliness of classrooms are also adequate (halls, classrooms, laboratories...). / ,793
Faculty owns teaching tools as well as adequate and available literature. / ,744
Student access to faculty classrooms/rooms is at a proper level / ,620
Student access to IT classrooms is at a proper level. / ,622
Curriculum and teaching plans contain clear goals and guidelines comprehensible to both professors and students. / ,765
Curriculum standard matches the acquired level of qualifications. / ,705
Faculty as an entity offers various curriculums (majors) intended for advancement of students. / ,640
Based on the factor analysis (Table 1) conducted on the sample of the students examined in 2014, four interpretive, reliable factors were extracted. The first factor encompasses the items which match in content the dimension “Administrative staff“, the second factor matches the dimension “Teaching staff“, third factor encompasses the items of other two dimensions of KVALIMETAR measuring instrument, “Image“ and “Programs of study and teaching syllabi“, hence the title of the factor, “Assuring the quality“, while the fourth factor stayed in its main structure of “Environment and equipment“. All of the items showed correlation with the total result above ,50, while the Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficients for individual factors were in order ,93, ,88, ,79, ,75.