Abstract
Ph.D.
The nature of private higher education institutions in South Africa and their
contributions to national higher education and the broader development goals
continue to be a subject of much debate. Unfortunately, while many commentators are
quick to offer opinions on this matter, such views are often based on unsubstantiated
speculations and perceptions, rather than sound or defensible empirical evidence.
This study hopes to make a contribution towards framing an informed understanding
of the nature and role of private higher education institutions in South Africa.
The stimuli for this study derived from two primary sources. Firstly was the felt need
to make a contribution towards providing a basis for an informed understanding of the
South African private higher education subsector. The second was the urge to build
on the researcher’s own knowledge and experience of this subsector, as well as of
sector-wide quality assurance practices, so as to advance the nuanced understanding
of different types of institutions needed to advance national goals. In response, the
study set out to interrogate the culture of a South African-based for-profit private higher
education institution (codenamed SAPHEI) and the ways in which its culture might
influence the institutional effectiveness of the institution.
Rooted in a pragmatic research paradigm, this study used an explanatory sequential
mixed-methods design to address the set research questions. The first phase of the
empirical study was primarily quantitative and used two surveys to analyse (i) the
institutional culture as perceived by the staff and management of the institution, and
(ii) institutional effectiveness as perceived by the students. The second phase was
entirely qualitative and used focus group discussions to further explore the initial
findings from the quantitative phase. The study used the Competing Values
Framework as an organising mechanism for analysing institutional culture in relation
to institutional effectiveness...