3. Research Design and Methodology
3.4 Research Design
practices. Within this framework, it was applied to the analysis of the written documents and transcriptions of interviews and it allowed me to determine the positions chosen by the university, each academic unit, and academics in relation to UrFU’s international dimension.
for differentiating among the various research methods is to classify the type of research question being asked”. Yin (2009, p. 13) also added that the case study method provides a distinguishing advantage in order to answer “a ‘how’ or ‘why’” question regarding a concurrent collection of events, which were not controlled by the investigator.
While a researcher has limited time and resources for answering their research questions, correctly conducted case studies allow for the generalization of the results over a broader sample. Silverman (2009) indicated that the generalizability of case studies can be obtained in several ways which include various methods: targeted sampling taking into account time and resources or theoretical sampling, as well as analytical models assuming the presence of generalizability in all cases.
Other ways to ensure the generalizability of case studies could be found in
Hammersley’s (1992) work, in which the author suggested several modes for each single case study: gaining information about the relevant issues of the case study population and
comparing the studied case to them, using a survey on a random sample of case studies, or carrying out ethnographic studies.
For the purposes of the present research, case studies were constructed with the use of four different methods: analysis of institutional context, document analysis, thematic analysis of interviews, and questionnaire for rationale prioritization. The present research did not set a goal to ensure the generalization of its results to other universities since various factors influence the internationalization processes of universities around the world, as shown in sections 2.3.2 and 2.4. The implementation of excellence initiatives also varies from country to country. Nevertheless, the results could be helpful for regional universities in Russia and abroad, as well as for universities in developing countries which aim to improve their global positioning and internal processes of internationalization. This research illustrates how articulated international positioning could be changed in the medium term, which strategies
of internationalization have been successful for the university and its various academic units and why. Other institutions may consider three different approaches to repositioning within the context of a growing internationalization, which are described in chapters 5, 6, and 7. The outcomes could also be taken into account by the stakeholders of universities which are facing a rapid internationalization.
The use of multiple methods led to a combination of inductive and deductive reasoning in the present study. The analysis of context was carried out in line with an inductive approach since the analysis of the respective data sources (see their list in section 3.6.1) was followed by the identification of trends which led to the conclusions. The thematic analysis of interviews was also performed in accordance with inductive reasoning via open-ended interviews and an open coding procedure. In contrast, document analysis was a deductive method as it included predetermined themes and rubrics (see respective tables in sections 5.2.1, 6.2.1, 7.2.1) and followed the idea of an increasing importance of international positioning for the academic units. RPE was also accomplished deductively based on a close-end questionnaire. Table 7 illustrates how the four methods were used to answer the research questions and construct the case studies. Positioning theory was applied as an analytical tool to interpret the data in both research questions.
Table 7
Triangulation of Research Methods in Relation to the Research Questions
Research question Research methods
Level of
analysis Analyzed data Reasoning
1) In what way has participation in Project 5-100 strengthened the international positioning of UrFU and its three academic units?
Analysis of context
Institution Official UrFU website and university documents dedicated to:
• History of UrFU and its internationalization
• UrFU mission and vision
• Transformation of organizational structure
• Dynamics of 5-100 KPI performance
• Evolution of international positioning
Inductive
Academic units
• Transformation of academic units' organizational structure
• Dynamics of 5-100 KPI performance
Inductive
Document analysis
Academic units
Speech-acts of strategic documents related to international positioning of academic units
Deductive
2) How has
internationalization of research and education at UrFU and its three academic units been repositioned during Project 5-100 with regard to… rationales,
RPE Institution RPE responses by university leadership and middle management
Deductive
Academic units
RPE responses by faculty members of academic units
Deductive
Thematic analysis of interviews
Institution, academic units
Speech-acts of interviews related to rationales of internationalization
Inductive
… research and educational strategies,
Thematic analysis of interviews
Institution, academic units
Speech-acts of interviews related to research and educational strategies of internationalization
Inductive
Analysis of context
Institution, academic units
Fact-checking of specific data provided during interviews
Inductive
… services? Thematic analysis
of interviews
Institution, academic units
Speech-acts of interviews related to services
Inductive
Analysis of context
Institution, academic units
Fact-checking of specific data provided during interviews
Inductive
Due to time constraints and limited resources for completing this thesis, specific parameters were set for constructing the case studies. The research focused on the strategic level of internationalization and included the analysis of individual study participants’ self-positioning in relation to internationalization, and more specifically, their active or passive roles in this process. This complemented the institutional side of the study. The research took into account facts and figures from questionnaires and officially published information, as well as interviews with administration staff and academics of the university. The perceptions of the students or the assessment of student satisfaction on international education in the universities were not included into the research scope since my research interest lies in understanding why certain choices have been made and how they have been
implemented. Details on the types of data for each of the four research methods are provided in sections 3.4.2 – 3.4.5.
The analysis is carried out on two levels: the university as a whole, represented in chapter 4 Institutional Context, and the academic units as represented in three case studies in chapters 5-7. The rationale for choosing these academic units is presented in section 3.5.
Since the methods of collecting and analyzing data were identical for all three case studies, these share a high level of comparability and are ideal for obtaining answers to the research questions.
3.4.2 The Analysis of Context for the Institution and Academic Units
UrFU, as any other organization, acts in a historical, sociocultural, economic and political context which has shaped the norms, values and expectations of the processes which take place in the organization (Suddaby et al., 2010, p. 1235). The institutional context is also responsible for “strengthening the organizational characteristics, for maintaining patterns of continuity” (Dopson & Fitzgerald, 2005, p. 79).
For the purposes of this research, four dimensions of the institutional context were analyzed:
• history
• governance and university structure
• organizational re-structuring as a result of participation in Project 5-100
• internationalization process
The financial dimension was not included within the scope of the research since the present work aims to study the impact of Project 5-100 on the university and its academic units rather than analyzing the efficiency of the excellence initiative funding allocation.
In terms of academic units, the following dimensions of context were included into the research scope:
• history
• organizational restructuring
• academic unit structure
• internationalization of education during Project 5-100
• internationalization of research during Project 5-100 3.4.3 Document Analysis
Document analysis was chosen to systemize “a procedure for reviewing or evaluating documents—both printed and electronic (computer-based and Internet-transmitted) material”
(Bowen, 2009, p. 27). The method has often been used together with other qualitative research methods as a tool for triangulation, which is “the combination of methodologies in the study of the same phenomenon” (Denzin, 1970, p. 291). The analysis of documents proved useful for answering both research questions and allowed me, first, to track how the international positioning of Ural Federal University evolved and, second, to show how
internationalization was repositioned over time. In this research, document analysis pursued several goals.
The first was to obtain background material for holding further interviews. Indeed, the collection of information during the background analysis not only helped to develop the structure of interviews and questions, but also to identify preliminary answers on the development of internationalization as a result of Project 5-100.
The second aim was to achieve a historical perspective of each academic unit’s development. The document analysis contributed to the investigation of the role of Project 5-100 and its level of internationalization when the excellence initiative was in its infancy. It also helped to determine the positioning of each academic unit at the launch of Project 5-100 and it allowed me to follow the evolution of the storylines connected with the international dimension during the years of the excellence initiative. The analysis also defined the current international positioning of the academic units.
Finally, the analysis was a verification tool as it allowed for the cross-check of the interviews’ outcomes and questionnaires on rationales prioritization. Bowen (2009, p. 28) wrote that qualitative researchers usually employ multiple (at least two) sources of evidence through the application of various data sources and research methods in order to seek validation and convergence. This could include not only documents, but also interviews, observation and physical artifacts (Yin, 2009). The purpose of triangulation is “to provide a confluence of evidence that breeds credibility” (Eisner, 1991, p.110). Document analysis has been considered to be particularly applicable in qualitative case studies (Stake, 1995; Yin, 2009). The description of the stages of document analysis in the present study is given in section 3.6.2 Data for Document Analysis.
As I was attempting to describe the public self-positioning of the academic units, I came across public documents in my analysis, and namely, strategic plans that reflected the
official existing and desired positioning strategy in all the aspects addressed in the present work: international positioning of UrFU, rationales of internationalization, research and educational strategies of internationalization and international services. The document analysis of this research includes the following records available in open sources:
1. Strategic plans of each academic unit issued in 2011 prior to Project 5-100.
2. Strategic plans of each academic unit issued during Project 5-100, in the years 2016-2018. In case an academic unit did not elaborate a strategic plan in this period, other strategic documents of the same years were analyzed.
3. Strategic plans issued in 2020 by the end of Project 5-100, if present. In case an academic unit did not elaborate a strategic plan during this period, data from the official website from the 2020/2021 academic year were used.
4. Official websites of academic units as of 2020/2021 academic year in Russian and English.
3.4.4 Rationale Prioritization Exercise
For the analysis of rationales, I used the Rationale Prioritization Exercise developed by Lewis (2007) in order to determine the rationales for internationalization in higher education institutions. The exercise was a constant sum questionnaire which allowed the study participants to estimate the value of each group of rationales for the internationalization of their university and distribute 20 points across the following (Lewis, 2014, pp. 1-2):
1. Prestige rationale […] enhancing the international profile of a university and reputation as a world class institution.
2. Academic rationale […] ensuring that a global outlook permeates all areas of academic activity of a university – from research to the curriculum.
3. Economic rationale […] generating significant income from international sources.
4. Social rationale […] equipping all its students and staff (and the institution itself) to make an effective and informed contribution in a world where borderless careers and cross-cultural interaction are the norm.
At the beginning of each interview, I ensured that the study participants were aware that each listed point represented a group of rationales and implied quite a broad
interpretation, but if they saw that another rationale was not listed, they would be able to indicate it later in the conversation. Each of our interviews started with a discussion on the rationales of internationalization after filling out the questionnaire. Moreover, I realized that some rationales overlapped and we discussed this with the study participants as well.
Lewis (2007, p. 1) recommended using the RPE as part of strategy development which helps clarify the rationales for internationalization and identify the gaps between reality and aspirations. The exercise could also be used as an integral part of a reviewing strategy. The RPE questionnaire is presented in Appendix B.
In this thesis, the RPE was used for answering the second research question on the repositioning of internationalization and provided data triangulation together with a thematic analysis of interviews. I analyzed the perception of rationales both at the institutional level, where I compared responses from UrFU leadership and middle management, and within three case studies, for which I analyzed responses of each academic unit’s study participants. This allowed me to compare the perception of rationales across three groups of study participants:
university leadership, middle management administrators and faculty members, as described in section 8.2.1.
3.4.5 Interviews
Qualitative interviews were chosen as a central research method for constructing the case studies of four universities. The term interview in this contribution refers to in-depth, semi-structured interviews held face-to-face under the form of a conversation.
The interviews were chosen as the main element of the research design in order to understand the perceptions of universities’ academics and staff which were necessary to answer the research questions. The data required to formulate the answers was not available in any other form, hence why talking to universities’ representatives in the form of semi-structured interviews was the only way to generate it.
Holding the interviews not only allowed me to build a comprehensive picture and provide opportunities of further thematic analysis, but it also provided the interviewees with a chance to “speak in their own voice and express their own thoughts and feelings” (Berg, 2007, p. 96).
The interviews were also chosen as a key data collection method due to the fact that interviewees may have interpreted the research questions differently had methods such as surveys or open-ended questionnaires been employed. Kvale (1996) considered interviews a more effective tool for originating narrative data compared to questionnaires since the former allows us to study people's views in greater depth. The collection of people’s opinions via interviews enabled me to answer the research questions in accordance with my ontological position on the socially constructed and subjectively experienced world (see section 3.2 for details).
Dörnyei (2007, p. 143) noted that the presence of an interviewer helps establish mutual trust with study participants. This is explained by the fact that the interviewer may reformulate or simplify questions that were not understood by interviewees. As a
consequence, more precise answers and more accurate data can be collected by the researcher.
The interviews were held personally with university leadership and administrative staff and in groups with faculty members. Initially, I had planned to hold all the interviews as offline meetings. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, part of the interviews was held online in full accordance with the interview methodology. The list of interviewees can be found in
Appendix C, for more details see section 3.6.4.
The research focus and boundaries of the case studies led to the creation of interview guides with a list of open-ended questions that were aimed at addressing the key research questions. A specific interview guide was elaborated for each group of study participants (see Appendix D).
The questions in the interview guides were arranged in a given order that defined the flow of conversation. At the same time, the questions left enough free space for the
interviewees to give their own opinion on the object of study. The list of interview questions allowed the conversation to be natural and did not imply that the researcher would get correct responses.