World-class universities: past and future
International Journal of Educational Management
ISSN: 0951-354X
Article publication date: 25 February 2022
Issue publication date: 22 March 2022
Abstract
Purpose
In recent years, though a growing body of research has emerged on world-class universities (WCUs), studies in this field remain limited. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the research gap and provide a future direction for WCU research. This paper highlights the key theoretical approaches, methods, journals, unit analyses, authors, themes, countries and papers in this field. It also outlines the antecedents and consequences of WCU status.
Design/methodology/approach
This study collected all research related to WCUs published from 2004 to 2020. In total, 47 studies of the 435 found on Scopus and Web-of-Science are included in the review.
Findings
The results show that though the body of WCU literature is growing, it is fragmented in terms of theoretical frameworks, methodology, countries studied and unit analyses. This study also found that national, organisational and individual factors are among the antecedents and organisational and individual consequences of WCUs.
Originality/value
This study investigates existing gaps in the WCU literature and identifies new research directions for future research. Further, this study scrutinises existing studies to determine how universities have used a variety of methods and theories to achieve WCU status across numerous countries and settings. Finally, this study develops an antecedents and consequences WCU framework to synthesise existing studies.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: Funding from Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, Culture, research, and Technology, Republic of Indonesia (Award Number: Dissertation Research Grant 2020-2021) is acknowledged by the authors.
Citation
Mudzakkir, M.F., Sukoco, B.M. and Suwignjo, P. (2022), "World-class universities: past and future", International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 36 No. 3, pp. 277-295. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-07-2021-0290
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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