Do ranking systems reflect competition among HEIs through variability? Probing global university ranking systems for an answer and implications
Mesay Barekew Liche
Published 2023-06-22
Keywords
- ranking,
- competition,
- score and rank variability,
- HEIs
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2023 Mesay Barekew Liche
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Abstract
Many stakeholders of higher education systems consult global ranking systems to make decisions. In the meantime, their validity and dependability for the same purpose are frequently questioned. In this research, the rank and score variability of 122 institutions from the Academic Rank of World Universities (ARWU) and 142 universities from THE times that were ranked among the top 100 between 2011 and 2019 were tested using Friedman's ANOVA and repeated ANOVA. The result indicated that there is no significant variability of rank in both systems. Hence, annual rank result don’t indicate significant variability and by extension competition. These ranking methods also employ measures that omit HEIs in developing nations, such as Ethiopia, and the current dynamics in institutions' research and innovation missions. The implications of ranking systems for further research and use by stakeholders are highlighted at the conclusion.