Theorizing in Scholarly Works on Bangladesh Quality Assurance (2015 to 2023)

Introduction: This research was an off shoot of the authors’ earlier paper entitled: “Quality Assurance in Bangladesh Tertiary Education: A Review of Scholarly Works (2015 to 2023).” The earlier paper was a meta-review of scholarly works on quality assurance on Bangladesh Higher Education Institutions (HEI) produced from 2015 to 2023, analyzing these scholarly works in terms of publication date, publication place, authorship profile, research design, research method, and level of analysis. The present study extended from the analysis of the previous one. It sought to find out the theories and models utilized in the said scholarly works and the extent of theorizing in terms of theory building and theory testing. Objectives: The present study had the following objectives: (1) to find out the theories used in scholarly works on quality assurance during the specified period; (2) to examine the levels of theory building and theory testing in scholarly works on quality assurance; and (3) to explore new philosophical perspectives (other than the systems approach), if any, in scholarly works on quality assurance. Method: The study was quantitative and descriptive. It used Meta-analysis and content analysis as the methods. Colquitt and Zapata-Phelan Taxonomy on theoretical contribution was used as a guide for exploring the extent of theorizing. The study analyzed total of 55 scholarly works on quality assurance in Bangladesh from 2015 to 2023. Results: The study found that the most utilized theories and models were Resource-input model (29.09 percent), Satisfaction model (23.64 percent), Process model (14.55 percent), Goal and specification model (10.91 percent), Organizational learning model (9.09 percent), and Policy borrowing model (3.64 percent). In terms of theoretical contributions, the scholarly works were classified as: Reporters (81.82 percent), Qualifiers (9.09 percent), Testers (1.82 percent), and Builders (1.82 percent). It should be noted that there were no studies identified as Expanders. Acknowledgments: The authors would like to acknowledge the funding provided by the Bangladesh Accreditation Council (BAC) for this research project. Without their assistance and funding, this research work would never have been accomplished.