Abstract

Globalization has many advantages and disadvantages, and technology, advancements, and societal shifts have all influenced education. In today's world, research is a source of success and development. The study's objective was; to find out scholars' research intends and trends at the tertiary level. The study included all MS/M.Phil. Scholars in public and private universities of Punjab province. The study sample includes 341 researchers from four prestigious universities in Punjab. The researchers developed a questionnaire to gauge research scholars' intends and current research trends at the tertiary level. The study concluded that the libraries in universities do not have up-to-date material for research scholars. University teachers inspire and motivate their students to do research. It is suggested that Universities may hire curriculum developers to design an inspiring and motivating curriculum that will instill a research-oriented attitude and culture among university students.

Key Words

Research Intends, Trends, Universities

Introduction

Globalization has several pros and downsides, and technological improvements, as well as societal shifts, have all had an impact on educational opportunities. A school or university should provide an opportunity for pupils to thrive in athletics while also teaching them excellent behavior, which has been lost in the drive to be first in many cases. In many cases, schools are unconcerned with the quality of their curriculum or the qualifications of their faculty members. Furthermore, many students suffer later because government-owned colleges offer authorized degrees but poor quality education, which is another big concern. The problem is that everyone learns differently from the next person. The field of education is powerful in terms of research and development. Many research institutes are complicated places to work, but our educational system might improve. Our approach must develop artificial intelligence, which can assist teachers in focusing on pupils rather than paperwork and students by functioning as a learning partner for the latter group. Students learn more visually and engagingly when using a computer-aided instruction system (CAI). Students can envision what they read, which helps them recall information better than if they just read a book. Students can also learn at their own pace because of the integrated learning approach, which makes them feel rushed. They are ideal for students who are constantly on the move.

A great deal has been written about the current state of social science research in the literature. The researchers have observed that the HEC has tended to be governed by scientists who advocate for more concentrated development in pragmatic parts of experimental research rather than theoretical aspects. Indeed, as indicated by the allocation of research money, the HEC has favored these fields over the social sciences and the arts in recent years. Researchers Naveed and Suleri (2015) discovered that "the analysis and evidence given in this research imply that formal knowledge structures for policymaking—think tanks and universities—are founded on a weak foundation of social sciences in the country," according to their findings. If current higher education changes enhance the foundations of knowledge, it is necessary to eliminate the inherent bias against social sciences.

Both rich and developing countries concentrate their attention on educational technology policies in the twenty-first century. Using modern technology in teaching has been increasing steadily for decades now. In order to better educate and provide their researchers with access to educational research materials online, they have created this website. Governments, colleges, and society can use the information and communications technology to improve collaboration, communication, and new goods. Fatima, Abbas, Ming, Zaheer, and Akhtar (2017) evaluated the academic research trends in China using university digital resources and electronic commerce, and their findings were published in the journal Academic Research Trends in China. They conducted a bibliometric study and collected data from digital libraries between 2010 and 2015 to better understand current academic trends in higher education. According to the findings, the study discovered that, as a result of the Chinese government's five-year electronic commerce policy or strategy to promote information technology culture in Chinese society, electronic commerce is a promising research subject in the country. The United States is home to the world's most extensive conventional library, containing 120 million manuals (on paper) in more than 460 languages. The digitalization of resources is a relatively recent concept. Digital resources, as predicted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1965, will be highly innovative, with separate access and application compared to traditional resources such as conventional libraries. The academic study literature demonstrates the progress made in the digitalization of business processes. It is demonstrated by digital resources (e-resources). The 1990s saw the emergence of a new area of investigation: resource digitization. The transformation of manual or print resources into digital resources was the initial step in the digitization process. The Vatican Library is accessible from anywhere in the world. In addition to the Vatican Library's printed documents and books collection, three partner groups from Brazil, Italy, and the United States assisted with digitizing the collection (Fatima et al., 2017).

Universities and educational institutions are now considered human development corporations in today's globe. Nowadays, research is an essential aspect of achieving success. In the words of Linn (2003), designers are inspired to create flexible learning environments by a variety of textbooks and standards and local scientific phenomena and student interests. Students are motivated to address local concerns when they are in an environment that is rich in research. The challenges of society expose the research interests of professors and students. Furthermore, Linn (2003) analyses the positive effects of information and communication technology (ICT) on science teaching and learning.

MPhil degrees are the foundation of graduate schools and are vital to their success, but national Ph.D. programs are already faltering due to the lack of research money and infrastructure. Some Pakistani universities have recently focused on distance education and established M. Phil./MS programs at those institutions. The M.Phil. and MS programs are research-based, and students are expected to use information and communication technology (ICT). The administration concentrates on developing a national higher education agenda (Chow and Loo, 2015). Information and communications technology (ICT) is currently required for research-based initiatives. The research cultures of these organizations influence students' views about research. In order to achieve this goal, the researchers established three benchmarks: the university's research culture, research goals, and research resources. The study's findings will aid in the development of indicators to promote university research culture.

These findings for adolescents and young adults are summarised in this section. According to Griffiths (2005) and McMurran (2005), the conceptual model is integrative and adaptable (1994). The lens through which this review examines empirical longitudinal research on the IU/PIU continuum is a combination of two frequently utilized conceptual models. The first model is concerned with the development of behaviors along a continuum due to individual and contextual influences (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). During a longitudinal study, the interaction of individual and contextual factors is considered over time. Douglas' Internet Addiction Model (IAM) was employed in this study due to his findings (Douglas et al., 2008).

Understanding the broader trends and practices of research projects in tertiary education might aid in the identification of potential problems in postgraduate thesis writing. Although several studies have been conducted on various areas of postgraduate research, little or no empirical research has been conducted on students' research patterns (Kamler & Thomson, 2006). According to their findings, Madrassah students in Pakistan lack motivation and excitement for research since they do not have access to the latest research equipment, according to Habib and Ali (2017) in their research. As a result, madrassahs lag in terms of research and development. The madrassahs have libraries. However, they are not up-to-date with modern technology. According to Habib and Ali (2017), madrassah professors can no longer motivate their pupils to conduct research. Despite the advancement of technology, most madrassahs continue to teach and study traditionally. At the university level, research students are formally honored for their contributions to the field. If they want to complete the program, they must meet with an advisor in their lab regularly to discuss their progress and provide a final deliverable that showcases their study. All of these exercises will assist students in improving their ability to communicate with potential peers about their research experience. After completing this exercise, you will receive a transcript proving that you were actively learning.

Research Procedure

Numbers are collected and evaluated in quantitative research to understand, forecast, and control the occurrences of many phenomena (Gay, Mills, and Airasian, 2012). According to the current study's findings, researchers combined a quantitative research design with descriptive research to examine university research scholars' perceptions of research interest and trends in Punjab province's universities. In contrast to experimental research, descriptive research provides a "portrait" of the event or action under inquiry (Bickman & Rog, 1998). Although the study population comprised all research scholars in the universities of Punjab province, the target population included only research scholars in the faculty of social science from the universities, which included (Bahauddin Zakariya University, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Burewala-Vehari Campus and The University of Lahore). The researchers used a straightforward random sampling procedure to select a sample of individuals. The following is a breakdown of the information gathered by the researchers from the four colleges indicated above:

 

Table 1. Sample Distribution

S. No	Category	Number of Items
1	Bahauddin Zakariya University	85
2	The Islamia University of Bahawalpur	85
3	University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Burewala-Vehari Campus	85
4	The University of Lahore	86
Total		341

 

So, researchers decided to collect data from three hundred and forty-one respondents through a questionnaire. Researchers decided to use a questionnaire for a descriptive study, and the questionnaire was comprised of two parts: demographic information and closed-ended questions. The description of the questionnaire is as follows:

 

Table 2. Questionnaire Item Distribution

S. No	Category	Number of Items
1	Demographic Information	07
2	The research intends and trends	18

 

Researchers distributed more than 500 questionnaires among the respondents through personal visits, and three hundred and forty-one questionnaires were collected successfully. The data were collected and entered into an Excel sheet before being transferred to SPSS for analysis. Simply, frequency statistics are found and interpreted.

Descriptive Statistics

Table 3. Respondents’ Responses

S. No	Statements	Responses
		SA	A	UD	DA	SDA
1	University promotes a research culture.	60	162	20	93	06
2	Teacher inspires students through research behavior.	170	146	11	09	05
3	A researcher knows about research methods/tools.	106	180	05	37	13
4	The university provides modern research trends to help a researcher.	100	201	15	20	05
5	Research-based knowledge is authentic.	120	185	15	06	15
6	Departments provide basic research facilities to researchers.	03	192	27	38	81
7	University teachers inspire students to participate in research activities.	158	160	10	05	08
8	Researchers benefit from research to foster creativity.	142	100	19	11	69
9	The research provides financial benefits and other rewards.	05	05	38	157	136
10	Research facilitates problem-solving activities.	181	138	07	11	04
11	Students feel interested in research-based activities.	61	137	58	71	14
12	Students' research benefits society.	74	156	40	60	11
13	Researchers’ collaboration promotes research.	97	209	13	08	14
14	Universities can enhance their libraries in order to serve research scholars better.	32	138	27	109	35
15	Students are motivated to research because of the curriculum.	18	56	70	108	89
16	Researchers at universities have access to research databases, which they can use to conduct their studies.	27	102	62	90	60
17	The availability of an internet connection is critical in creating a research culture at a university.	134	166	10	20	11
18	In today's institutions, research assistance desks are an absolute necessity.	103	165	38	11	24

 

The responses to the survey question about scholars' research intentions and trends at the university level are shown in Table 3. In this context, the scholars' responses to the 18 items are categorized in frequency ratings, displayed on a graph. According to the survey results, the respondents (SA = 60 + A = 162) believe that universities encourage research culture and that university lecturers inspire students through research behavior (SA = 170 + S = 146). We learned from the responses (SA = 106 + S = 180) that research scholars are knowledgeable about research methodologies and tools. The majority of respondents (SA = 100 + S = 201) stated that universities allow scholars to interact with current research trends and methodologies. The respondents affirm the authenticity of research-based knowledge (SA = 120 + S = 185), while the respondents (SA = 03 + S = 192) declare that the department provides them with basic research facilities through their responses. Furthermore, professors encourage their pupils to participate in research activities (SA = 158 + S = 160, respectively). The theoretical point of view was expressed by the scholars (SA = 142 + S = 100) who responded that research helps to foster creativity among scholars. In contrast, the paradoxical point of view was expressed by the scholars (SA = 136 + DA = 157) who disagreed with the statement "the research provides financial benefits and other rewards." The statement, "Research facilitates problem-solving activities," demonstrates that the vast majority of respondents (SA = 181 + S = 138) agree with the statement in its entirety. Another essential feature is that students' research benefits society, as stated by the respondents (SA = 74 + S = 156), another crucial component. The research partnership is a wonderful source to promote research in academic circles, according to the respondents (SA = 97 + S = 209) who were polled on the topic of research promotion.

Regarding research databases, the respondents (SDA = 60 + DA = 90) were divided on whether or not universities have access to research databases that can assist them in their study. As a result, they believe that they have difficulties in this area. It was acknowledged by the majority of respondents (SDA = 89 + DA = 108) that the curriculum is not a powerful motivator for scholars to conduct research. In order to foster a research culture at the university level, the respondents (SA = 134 + S = 166) agree that the availability of an internet connection is essential, and they (SA = 103 + S = 165) also emphasize the need for research support desks at the university level.

Conclusion

According to the study's findings, researchers at the tertiary level in Punjab have research aims and trends that they want to investigate. By offering facilities and physical resources to researchers on the university grounds, universities help to foster a research-oriented environment. Students are encouraged to participate in research activities by university lecturers, according to scholars, because they are familiar with the research technique and tools. Researchers, as a result, are more engaged in research processes and procedures because the research process motivates them to be innovative in the way they do or execute things and because the research method aids the scholars in problem-solving activities. In addition, the study discovered that scholars' research has a good impact on society at all levels and that collaboration in research has resulted in a considerable expansion in life circles for the participants. According to the scholars who disagreed, universities can grant them access to research databases. As a result, they are falling behind in research because the vast majority of good research has paid content, universities are in a position to grant them access to research databases. University administrators may decide to prioritize their libraries as a source of current information to increase the possibility that students would become interested in research activities in the future due to this decision.

On the other hand, research experts argued that colleges do not have up-to-date materials in their libraries, which they believe is incorrect. To encourage students to pursue further research in their various fields of study after they graduate, universities have failed to design an inspirational and stimulating curriculum for them. A decent internet connection is the most challenging impediment to completing a successful research project in today's technology environment. Academics require research support desks at the university level because all of these resources contribute to making the research process more robust. 

Policy Implications

Following the study's findings, universities may give scholars current knowledge and printed materials in their respective fields or research areas. There is no restriction on when or when students can access the internet because it is available 24/7 throughout the state. Schools and universities may hire curriculum developers to create an exciting and motivating curriculum that will inculcate a research-oriented attitude and culture in the minds of undergraduate and graduate students. A recommendation made by the committee may be that research scholars be given cutting-edge technical instruments that are suited for the current needs of knowledge distribution and scientific exploration.

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