Institutional performance in higher education : is quality a relevant concept?

Document Type

Journal article

Source Publication

Quality Assurance in Education: An International Perspective

Publication Date

1-1-1999

Volume

7

Issue

3

First Page

156

Last Page

163

Publisher

Emerald Publishing Limited

Keywords

quality, organizational effectiveness, higher education, performance measurement, behaviourally‐anchored ratings scale

Abstract

Over the past two decades, institutions of higher education worldwide have come under pressure to demonstrate effective performance. Their response has been to borrow the quality concept from industry and place it at the centre of institutional performance assessment in higher education. This article describes a Hong Kong study which developed valid and reliable organisational effectiveness self rating scales for higher educational institutions. In the course of developing these scales, the relevance of quality to institutional performance assessment was examined. In failing to produce a valid and reliable effectiveness scale for a quality dimension, the study highlighted the shortcomings of the quality concept particularly as a basis for the comparative assessment of institutional performance. The study also indicated a methodology for identifying concepts which may provide a firmer base than quality for such comparisons.

DOI

10.1108/09684889910281719

Print ISSN

09684883

E-ISSN

17587662

Publisher Statement

Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.

Full-text Version

Publisher’s Version

Language

English

Recommended Citation

Pounder, J. (1999). Institutional performance in higher education: Is quality a relevant concept? Quality Assurance in Education, 7(3), 156-163. doi: 10.1108/09684889910281719

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