Saira Hanif Soroya, Sehrish Iqbal, Khalid Mahmood, Naif Radi Aljohani, Saeed-Ul Hassan and Raheel Nawaz
This study aims to provide guidelines for exploring the research landscape in developing countries by gauging the prospects of growth, research impact and innovation. This study…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to provide guidelines for exploring the research landscape in developing countries by gauging the prospects of growth, research impact and innovation. This study interrogates, analyses and visualizes the impact, nuances and evolution of stated research themes. For this purpose, this study presents an in-depth analysis of publications and citations indexed in Pakistani journals as a case study.
Design/methodology/approach
A bibliometric analysis of 46,034 publications published in Pakistan-based journals uncovers the research landscape of Scopus-indexed scientific literature – using various statistical and network-based approaches. Using VOSviewer and SPSS tools, the publication data has been analysed in relation to the open access status of papers, the number of authors, discipline, research theme and international co-authorship.
Findings
This study’s analyses reveal that while Pakistani journals are attracting international contributions from several countries, including India, Malaysia and Indonesia, no journal falls into the Scopus-defined top Quartile, i.e. the Q1 category. The analyses also highlight that only half (47%) of the publications received citations, whereas the other half remained uncited. Furthermore, open access publications received significantly higher citations than subscribed/traditional publications (print/online subject to toll access).
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first impact study of its kind that critically analyses the research landscape of Pakistani journals, especially in the context of the efforts of the higher education commission of Pakistan to promote research culture in the country. This study also provides analytical insights and policy guidelines for improving the quality of research published in Pakistani journals. This study can be replicated for other developing nations to provide guidelines and sustainable pathways for scientific growth in pursuit of uplifting nations by allocating resources for developing science and technology.
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Nazia Wahid, Nosheen Fatima Warraich and Muzammil Tahira
The importance of scientific publications has enhanced the research activities at all aggregate levels. The purpose of this paper is to conduct an in-depth review of studies…
Abstract
Purpose
The importance of scientific publications has enhanced the research activities at all aggregate levels. The purpose of this paper is to conduct an in-depth review of studies examined the factors that influence the publication productivity among researchers, institutions and countries.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses a systematic literature review approach that is based on relevant literature retrieved from two authentic and well-known databases named Web of Science and SCOPUS. Kitchenham protocol of systematic review was applied, and relevant studies were searched by selected keywords search. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were used to select high quality studies. A rigorous study selection procedure was designed.
Findings
Findings reveal that several factors play a significant role in the publication productivity growth. All of the identified factors were grouped into three categories. Most of the factors belong to personal category while two top dominant factors, funding and collaboration fall into situational category. Other most influential factors, time, academic rank and academic qualification are personal. Findings highlight that publication output at individual level is strongly influenced by personal factors while few environmental and situational factors also affect the number of publications. Publication productivity of institutes and countries is affected by environmental and situational factors.
Originality/value
This paper contributes by providing a detailed review to explore the influencing factors of scholarly publication of researchers, institutions and countries. This study will be supportive for researchers and policymakers for making strategies to stimulate the research publication practices at researchers, institutions and national level.
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Quang Huan Ngo, Thanh Tiep Le, Huu Phuc Dang and Bang Nguyen-Viet
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the attitudes, skills and knowledge-based researchers’ competencies (ASK-RC), academic affiliation (AA) and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the attitudes, skills and knowledge-based researchers’ competencies (ASK-RC), academic affiliation (AA) and knowledge management (KM) and its effect on promoting the growth of scholarly international publications (SIPs).
Design/methodology/approach
This research takes a quantitative approach relying on primary data gathered through a questionnaire-based survey. The study’s target population includes lecturers, managers and researchers involved in research activities in educational institutions. To operationalize the research framework, this study used social cognitive theory (SCT) and the academic community served as an empirical field of study.
Findings
The primary findings of this research are twofold: ASK-RC and AA are positively and statistically significantly associated with SIP; KM moderates the influence of ASK-RC on SIP.
Originality/value
This research adds to the current body of literature on research productivity by providing new information and empirical evidence on improving research productivity and international publication. Moreover, this research offers a new approach to the existing literature stream by operationalizing an underexplored framework from the lens of SCT. This study explains why scientific research productivity is becoming increasingly important to academia and stakeholders. Because scientific works are motivated by the goal of addressing general socioeconomic and environmental concerns, it is possible to address this concern based on SCT. Therefore, this research offers theoretical and managerial implications that may interest academics, professionals and policymakers.
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Shawana Fazal, Muhammad Ilyas Khan and Muhammad Iqbal Majoka
Teacher Education has been transforming throughout the world to cater to the emerging needs of quality education. Significant developments have taken place nationally and…
Abstract
Teacher Education has been transforming throughout the world to cater to the emerging needs of quality education. Significant developments have taken place nationally and internationally in political, economic, and cultural fields, influencing education in general and teacher education in particular. The quality of education depends to a great extent on the quality of teachers. And, the quality of teachers depends on the way they are educated and trained. Pakistan has a vast education sector and a huge teaching force but teacher education in the country has not been keeping pace with modernization and development globally. Teacher education curricula, dissemination, evaluation and implementation revolved around traditional models for decades. However, there has been a growing realization to reform the teacher education system lately. The education policy (2009) of Pakistan indicates such realization on the part of the stakeholders. This chapter reports on an important teacher education reform program, which is based on collaboration between the government of Pakistan and the USAID. The Teacher Education Project (TEP), assisted by USAID, is a reform initiative that aimed at restructuring and modernizing teacher education in Pakistan. This chapter aims to provide insights into the objectives, importance and achievements of the project in terms of shaping the future direction of teacher education in Pakistan. It reports on the substantial structural and policy changes that took place in teacher education under the project. This chapter also highlights the possible challenges in the way of useful implementation and sustainability of this and similar education reform initiatives in Pakistan.
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A model for household demand for energy in Pakistan is developed on the basis of stock of fuel‐consuming appliances and their rate of utilisation. Income and price elasticities of…
Abstract
A model for household demand for energy in Pakistan is developed on the basis of stock of fuel‐consuming appliances and their rate of utilisation. Income and price elasticities of fuels are estimated by the OLS and GLS methods. These elasticities are found statistically significant and consistent with a priori knowledge of economic theory. Several policy implications are pointed out and suggestions are made for improvement in future estimation.
Shahid Ali, Fazli Rabbi, Umar Hayat and Naveed Ali
– This study is an attempt to examine the role of sub categories of government expenditures under democratic and military regimes in Pakistan for the period of 1972-2009.
Abstract
Purpose
This study is an attempt to examine the role of sub categories of government expenditures under democratic and military regimes in Pakistan for the period of 1972-2009.
Design/methodology/approach
This study exercised autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model.
Findings
The results show that contractionary fiscal expansion occurs in Pakistan. Moreover, the coefficient of development expenditure positively affects economic growth. It supports the public capital hypothesis that states that public and private investments are complements to each other. The results also show that current expenditure does not contribute to economic growth.
Practical implications
The study recommends that for the purpose of macroeconomic stability, government should reduce its unproductive expenditure and should enhance its resource mobilization.
Originality/value
This study is an attempt to examine the dynamic relationship between the composition of government expenditures and economic growth for Pakistan over the period of 1972-2009. The work is different from already existing literature in Pakistan. The authors' investigated the impact of different categories of government expenditures on economic growth, which has not been studied previously. Moreover, this study included a set of control variables by performing sensitivity analysis which is a significant contribution to the existing literature.
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Robertas Damaševičius and Ligita Zailskaitė-Jakštė
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly impacted society and academic life and research practices. This study is an attempt to comprehend whether a global…
Abstract
Purpose
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has greatly impacted society and academic life and research practices. This study is an attempt to comprehend whether a global emergency of COVID-19 pandemic has an impact on researcher international collaboration. The authors analyze the research collaboration before and after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to understand how scientists collaborated within their own nation's borders and beyond.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors analyze the research collaboration before and after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to understand how scientists collaborated within their own nation's borders and beyond. The authors collected a dataset of research publications published in journals in the research area of business and economics and indexed in the WoS Core Collection database by researchers from 11 countries (Austria, Denmark, Greece, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Korea (South), Mexico, Pakistan, Romania and Vietnam). In total, 14,824 publication records were considered for the literature analysis. This study presented the scientometric analysis of these publications using bibliometric, statistical, factor analysis and network analysis methods. The results are evaluated and interpreted in the context of the Hofstede's model of cultural dimensions. The results of this study provide evidence to research management to properly allocate their efforts to improve the researcher cooperation during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and to overcome its negative outcomes in the years to come.
Findings
The results of our study show that uncertainty avoidance as the cultural factor defined by the Hofstede's model has significantly influenced the properties of research collaboration networks in the domain of business and economics. Uncertainty avoidance focuses on how cultures adapt to changes and cope with uncertainty, while the global COVID-19 pandemic introduced a lot of change and uncertainty all levels of society around the world.
Research limitations/implications
The study exclusively examines 14,824 research outputs which have been indexed in the WoS Core Collection database from 2019 till 15 November 2020 and only covered one research area (business economics). Thus, documents published in any other different channels and sources which are not covered in WoS are excluded from this study. The authors have analyzed the publications from just 11 countries, which represent a small part of the global research output. Also, the Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model is not a unique way to study cultural characteristics at the national level.
Practical implications
The results of this study will provide evidence to research management to properly allocate their efforts to improve the researcher cooperation during the still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and to overcome its negative outcomes in the years to come.
Originality/value
Considering the global impact and social distress due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, this study is significant in the present scenario for identifying the changes in the characteristics of research collaboration networks of 11 diverse (in terms of geographical distribution and cultural differences in terms of the Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model) countries between 2019 (the year before COVID-19) and 2020 (the year of COVID-19), which has not been done before.
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Qadar Bakhsh Baloch, Sourath Maher, Nadeem Iqbal, Syed Naseeb Shah, Muhammad Sheeraz, Faryal Raheem and Kanwal Iqbal Khan
Therefore, this research study investigates the impact of business environment on the performance of the business organizations. (1) To understand the importance the environment…
Abstract
Purpose
Therefore, this research study investigates the impact of business environment on the performance of the business organizations. (1) To understand the importance the environment in the success of the business entrepreneurship. (2) To explore the environmental factors that can affect the success of business entrepreneurship in Pakistan. (3) To establish relationship between the environmental factors and the sustained organizational performance of business entrepreneurships in Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
Drawing from the person–environment fit (PE fit) and the self-determination theory literature, this survey research study seeks to determine the impact of organizational environment upon sustained organizational economic performance. The main independent variable of the study encompasses its main three dimensions, i.e. leadership capacity, organizational culture and organizational politics. The dependent variable comprises the sustained economic performance of the organization. The research study hypothesized and tested a model in which the organizational environment (organizational culture, organizational politics and leadership) interplays with the organizational sustained performance.
Findings
Keeping in view the outcomes of this research work the following implications can be drawn. A leader can yield maximum productivity of employees, if he/she has leadership capacity to provide directions, skilled to minimize the stress level of the employees and able to motivate them in achieving organizational goals. Therefore, capacity of leader to handle difficult situations and develop PE fit is the key to organizational success in current scenario. The study also revealed a positive effect of organizational culture on organizational performance. The culture of the organizations provides an environment of openness to think, share and contribute toward goals of the organization. It enables employees to express themselves, develop person-organization common goals with self-determination. The PE fit provides a platform to feel free, express their feelings and opinions, and contribute in the decision-making process of organizations. The involvement in organizational activities provide a sense of responsibility, ownership and motivation to produce better results for the organizations.
Originality/value
PE fit perspective postulates that matching individual psychological needs and environmental supplies (provided by organization and society) generates positive attitudes and behaviors (Tepper et al., 2018). The effect between individuals and their environment is inherently reciprocal rather than a one-way effect (Goetz et al., 2021). The fundamental postulation support that the fit certainly improves performance, commitment and satisfaction of individuals in the context of organizations (De Cooman et al., 2019; Rau vola et al., 2020). Moreover, self-determination theory (SDT) is another perspective that emphasizes the attainment of autonomy, competence and relatedness in employees to outperform (Deci and Ryan, (2010). The self-determination theory revolves around the social-contextual conditions that support or obstruct the integral courses of self-motivation and psychological development, which will contribute toward organizational performance (Nazir et al., 2021).
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Amir Mahmood, Xiao Huang and Nadia Rehman
In 2002, Pakistan made a notable advancement toward inclusive education by approving the national policy for people with disabilities (Durrani et al., 2017). This policy, advised…
Abstract
Purpose
In 2002, Pakistan made a notable advancement toward inclusive education by approving the national policy for people with disabilities (Durrani et al., 2017). This policy, advised by the Ministry of Women’s Development, Social Work, and Special Education, aimed to integrate students with special needs into mainstream schools, emphasizing the significance of inclusive learning environments (Ashfaq and Rana, 2015). Despite these efforts, the practical application of this policy in high schools has encountered numerous obstacles. Effective integration of students with special needs requires more than just policy implementation; it demands effective educational practices. Teachers are crucial in this process as they are the primary facilitators of learning and significantly influence these students’ academic and social adaptation. Administrative support is essential in fostering an environment conducive to including and adapting students with special needs. This study aims to investigate these dynamics in high schools, focusing on the role of teacher interactions and administrative frameworks in supporting or hindering the adaptation process for students with special needs. Understanding these relationships is crucial for identifying gaps, challenges and opportunities within the current educational system, thereby contributing to the development of more effective strategies for inclusive education in Pakistan.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a correlational research strategy to investigate the effects of administrative and teacher support on the adaptation capabilities of high school students with special needs. The correlational design was chosen to explore the relationships between different types of support and students’ adaptation capabilities without manipulating any variables (Seeram, 2019). The study involved 230 participants, comprising 170 educators and 60 support staff. Stratified random sampling ensured that the sample represented various school types and experience levels (Sharma et al., 2017). This sampling method helps provide a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of the population under study. The demographic characteristics of the sample are summarized in Table 1. Participants were categorized based on sex, level of education, age and experience level to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the sample’s diversity.
Findings
This study reveals that teacher and administrative support significantly impact students’ adaptation capabilities. Teacher support emerged as a strong predictor (ß = 0.502, p < 0.001), highlighting its crucial role in enhancing students’ adaptability. Administrative support also showed a positive and significant effect (ß = 0.211, p < 0.001), and its interaction with teacher support (ß = 0.102, p < 0.001) suggests that administrative support amplifies the positive effects of teacher support. These findings underscore the importance of a holistic support system within schools. While teachers provide direct instructional support and foster an inclusive learning environment, administrative support ensures teachers have the necessary resources and institutional backing to support students effectively (Carter et al., 2022). The interaction between these forms of support suggests that administrative efforts to support teachers can significantly enhance the overall adaptation capabilities of students (Gibbs, 2023b).
Research limitations/implications
Several limitations should be considered when interpreting the findings of this study. First, the data were collected using self-reported questionnaires, which may be subject to biases such as social desirability or recall bias. Second, the study’s cross-sectional design limits the ability to establish causality between the variables. Longitudinal studies would be beneficial in exploring the causal relationships between teacher and administrative support and students’ adaptation capabilities. In addition, the study was conducted within a specific context and population, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other settings. Future research should aim to replicate this study in different educational contexts to validate and extend the findings.
Practical implications
The practical implications of these findings are significant. Schools should prioritize developing comprehensive support systems that include robust teacher support mechanisms and strong administrative backing. Professional development programs should focus on enhancing teachers’ skills in differentiated instruction, formative assessment and the use of technology in the classroom. Moreover, administrative policies should aim to provide continuous support for teachers through resources, training and collaborative opportunities. This dual approach ensures that teachers are well-equipped to address the diverse needs of students with special needs and that students receive consistent, high-quality support across their educational experience.
Originality/value
This study uniquely explores the combined effects of administrative and teacher support on the adaptation of high school students with special needs in mainstream education, highlighting the synergistic relationship between these support systems. Using a robust correlational design and stratified random sampling, it provides valuable insights into the dynamics of inclusive education within a Pakistani context. The findings emphasize the critical role of holistic support systems, offering practical implications for enhancing educational policies and practices. By addressing gaps in existing research, this study contributes significantly to the discourse on inclusive education and the development of effective support frameworks for special needs students.
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Nasra M. Shah and Samar Quddus
The purpose of this study is to examine the association between international migration and utilization of reproductive health care among women left behind in Pakistan by male…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the association between international migration and utilization of reproductive health care among women left behind in Pakistan by male migrants, in comparison with women in non-migrant households.
Design/methodology/approach
From the nationally representative Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 2017–2018, 8,158 currently married women who had delivered a child during the five years before the survey were included. Among the 8,158 women, 811 lived in a household that had at least one international migrant, while 7,347 lived in households without migrant. Descriptive statistics as well as logistic regression was used to analyze reproductive health care. Satisfactory reproductive health was defined as: 4+ antenatal visits; 2+ tetanus injections; delivery in a health-care facility; and delivery by a skilled birth attendant.
Findings
Logistic regression indicates that women in migrant households had a significantly higher utilization of all four health-care services, after controlling for their autonomy level. However, once background characteristics (woman’s age, education, rural-urban residence and wealth status) were factored in, women in migrant households were not significantly different from those in non-migrant households, except for delivering in a medical health-care facility, the former being 1.3 times more likely to deliver in a health facility than the latter. A higher level of autonomy was associated significantly with greater utilization of reproductive health services.
Originality/value
This study adds the dimension of international migration to the existing knowledge on utilization of health-care services, a subject that is relatively under researched in Pakistan.