Administration of education enterprise and gaps in the provision of needed information: The case of Pakistan

Abstract

This study is qualitative in nature and aims at assessing the information needs and seeking behavior of educational administrators and finding related problems. Interviews of a purposive sample and review of related literature are among the major research methods. The study is based on interviews of 13 educational administrators and 32 information professionals from Punjab province and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) of Pakistan. The results correspond with the previous studies conducted in other countries. The educational administrators' information needs and seeking behavior reflect a kinship with their work settings and information environment that highlights a need to understand problem situations as an ancestor to understanding how they seek and use information. The study has identified a gap in the provision of needed information which hinders the realistic planning and decision making process. It has also highlighted the need of a National Information System for educational administrators in Pakistan. As this is the first study on this topic in Pakistan, the results can be useful to design information services and facilities for educational administrators in Pakistan and other developing regions of the globe with similar conditions. © 2013 Elsevier Inc.