IMPACTO DEL CONFLICTO ARMADO EN LA POBLACIÓN

With research of this nature a number of limitations are evident. Regarding the results of the Massey University enrolment data it must be remembered that no two universities are the same. While universities are generally configured along similar lines in terms of disciplinary structure, the development of each university occurs as a response to unique factors (Niland, 2012). As such, the results of an analysis of enrolment data at one university cannot

necessarily be extrapolated to other universities. This is also true of the national enrolment figures. The tertiary system for each country is also distinct and therefore the results of the national enrolment data can only be applied to the case of New Zealand.

Possibly the greatest limitation for this research is in the codification of liberal arts subjects. As noted earlier, Blaich et al (2004) argue that there is no generally accepted formal definition of what subjects constitute the liberal arts. Neither is there a generally accepted understanding of what should qualify a subject as belonging to the liberal arts. Some have gone so far as to argue that the liberal arts is not able to be codified into specific subjects or programmes at all (Iverson, 1985). Other research which quantifies liberal arts subjects enrolments employ a codification schedule based on a specific rationale. However, these rationales are never identical and can vary greatly in what subjects they include. For this research I employ a codification subject schedule based on a specific understanding of the liberal arts. Therefore the results I obtain in this research are only applicable to the classification schedule I have used in this research. Should a different classification schedule be used with the data enrolment I have obtained then the results will vary accordingly.

Also an issue in this research is that the structure of academic programmes and papers are not necessarily static over time. For example, Massey University enrolments in 133.xxx (Music) drop from 2175 in 2005 to 186 in 2006. This decline occurred as a result of Massey University merging the majority of its music programmes with Victoria University’s music programmes to form the New Zealand School of Music. Similarly some subjects begin, and end, within the 2001 to 2010 timeframe. For example Maori Performing Arts (205.xxx) ceases to show any enrolments in 2006, while English Language Studies (192.xxx) begins to take enrolments in 2003.

4.8 Conclusion

The methodology used in this research has been constructed around the best possible way of addressing the research question of whether enrolments in liberal arts subjects have decreased in New Zealand for the years 2001 to 2010. The acquisition and nature of the data, the population from which this data was obtained, the codification schema and rationales utilised, and the manner in which analysis occurred have been described in the preceding. While every effort has been made to ensure the requisite rigour of this research, some unavoidable limitations are existent. As with all research involving human participants ethical considerations are a priority and these considerations have been addressed in this research. In the chapter which follows the methodology outlined in this chapter will be employed to consider the nature of trends within liberal arts enrolments, and will determine whether enrolment trends cohere to the predictions made by some scholars.

Chapter Five: Results

5.1 Introduction

This Chapter presents the findings of the analysis of enrolment data which seeks to determine whether enrolments in liberal arts subjects experienced a decline, either in relative or absolute terms, between the period 2001 to 2010 in New Zealand. In order to test whether changes in enrolment patterns occurred over the years 2001 to 2010 I have collected, codified, and then graphed enrolment data from Massey University, and the New Zealand database of aggregated university enrolments. The Massey University data consists of a total of 1,575, 835 unique enrolments from 2001 – 2010 obtained from the HEMI (Headcount and EFTS Management Information) system maintained by Massey University. The nationally aggregated data is comprised of 8,753,380 unique enrolments over the same period obtained from the Education Counts website (www.educationcounts.govt.nz) maintained by the New Zealand Ministry of Education.

The national figures include Massey University’s figures. The disaggregation of these figures was not possible due to the complexity of the codification schedule used in the national figures. The analysis of the Massey University data allows for a more detailed understanding of which subjects demonstrated the greatest change over the timeframe, and the more thorough application of the codification schedule used in this research to define liberal arts subjects. The national data was already aggregated into broad fields of study meaning that I could not apply the liberal arts codification schedule in exactly the same manner as the Massey data. However the inclusion of enrolment data from all of the universities in New Zealand has meant that the results are more generalisable than if I had used the Massey University data alone.

I begin by examining the percentage of liberal arts enrolments at Massey University, and across all universities in New Zealand between 2001 and 2010. I then examine liberal arts enrolments in absolute figures. The total enrolment counts between the years 2001 and 2010

are presented. I conclude by looking at the trends of the fields of study within the nationally aggregated university figures.