Assessment of the Current Status of Applied Research Policymaking at the National University of Humanities in Lebanon

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the current status of the dimensions and components of applied research policymaking at the National University of Humanities in Lebanon from the perspective of faculty members.

Methodology: This applied study employed a descriptive-survey design. The statistical population consisted of all 1,500 faculty members of the National University of Humanities in Lebanon. Using Cochran’s formula, 306 participants were selected through proportionate stratified random sampling based on gender. Eligibility required at least three years of academic and teaching experience at the university. Data were collected using a researcher-developed, closed-ended questionnaire rated on a five-point Likert scale. The instrument assessed strategic research orientation and prioritization; governance, policies, and research management; networking, interactions, and internationalization; research quality, processes, and standards; evaluation, feedback, and research policy improvement; and researcher empowerment, motivation, and utilization of research results. Convergent and discriminant validity were used to assess construct validity, while Cronbach’s alpha was employed to evaluate reliability. Data were analyzed in SPSS using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and one-sample t-test.

Findings: The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test indicated that all variables were normally distributed, with all significance values exceeding 0.05. One-sample t-tests against the theoretical midpoint of 3 showed that none of the applied research policymaking components differed significantly from the moderate level. All p-values exceeded 0.05, including research vision and mission, t(305) = -0.957, p = 0.339; prioritization and thematic concentration, t(305) = -1.210, p = 0.227; research governance structure, t(305) = -1.224, p = 0.222; and researcher empowerment, t(305) = -0.496, p = 0.620.

Conclusion: Applied research policymaking at the National University of Humanities in Lebanon was generally evaluated at a moderate level, indicating a need to strengthen strategic orientation, policy transparency, evaluation and feedback mechanisms, collaborative networks, and institutional mechanisms for translating research findings into practical outcomes.