Research Proposal By Hina

1. Research Proposal
DEGREE OF HAPPINESS OF DISTANCE LEARNING STUDENTS LIFE
ACHIEVEMENTS: EVIDENCE FOR MUTUAL CAUSALITY IN
PROFESSIONAL MANNER
Researcher Supervisor
Hina Kaynat Dr. Nasreen Akhtar
Ph.D. Education
Session 2018-21
Department of Education
TheIslamiaUniversityofBahawalpur

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Table of Content
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................3
1.1 Review of Literature................................................................................................... 6
1.2 Purpose of the research.............................................................................................. 7
1.3 Objectives of the research......................................................................................... 7
1.4 Research Questions..................................................................................................... 8
1.5 Delimitation of the Study.......................................................................................... 8
1.6 Significance of the Research.................................................................................... 8
1.7 Research Methodology.............................................................................................. 9
1.7.1 Population ................................................................................................................. 9
1.7.2 Sample....................................................................................................................... 9
1.7.3 Research Instrument.................................................................................................. 9
1.7.4 Validity and Reliability of Tools .............................................................................. 9
1.7.5 Data Collection ....................................................................................................... 10
1.8 Statistical Analysis of Data..................................................................................... 10
1.9 Definition of Key Terms and Abbreviations ...................................................... 11
1.10 Time Schedual............................................................................................................ 12
1.11 References................................................................................................................... 13

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INTRODUCTION
Education is a key driver of monetary growth, principally the higher education sector. With
the higher education sector attractive an progressively modest marketplace, university student
satisfaction has develop an important component of quality assurance. Thomas and Galambos
(2004) argue that students are observed as patrons of higher education. University distance
learning students’ s happiness is important to institutional success in that effective institutions have
satisfied because this satisfaction provisions the enrolment of supplementary students. Scores of
distance student satisfaction are becoming more translucent and readily available. As a effect, most
universities around the world are constantly looking at how to improve the satisfaction of students
at their institution.
A graduate student is someone who has received a bachelor’s degree and is following
additional education in a specific field. Undergraduates are students of universities and colleges:
they've graduated from high school and have been accepted to college, but they haven't graduated
yet. If the under in undergraduate appears mystifying, that's because there are also graduate
students, students who have a college degree but are no longer undergraduates and are pursuing
an advanced degree, like a master’s or Ph.D. Lots of people say being an undergraduate was one
of the best times of their lives: it's an exciting thing to be.
Happiness is a multifaceted term and is sometimes used interchangeably with the emotion
of happiness, but they are indeed two separate concepts. Happiness is defined as one's assessment
of life as a whole, rather than the feelings and emotions that are experienced in the moment. Life
satisfaction is the way people show their emotions and feelings (moods) and how they feel about
their instructions and options for the future. It is a measure of well-being and may be assessed in
terms of mood, satisfaction with relations with others and with achieved goals, self-concepts, and
self-perceived ability to manage with daily life. It is having a satisfactory attitude of one's life as a
whole rather than an assessment of current feelings. Life satisfaction has been measured in relation
to economic standing, amount of education, experiences, and residence, as well as many other
topics.
Everyone has a number of goals during one’s life duration, but the definitive goal of life is
happiness, as frequent authors argue (Frey and Stutzer, 2002). Undeniably, each one of us is in the

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pursuit of happiness. In economics, income is looked at as a suitable substitution for human
welfare, although it is an incomplete substitution for eternity. Over time, the research on happiness
privileges that reported subjective wellbeing is a fitter measure instead of income for welfare. In
psychology, individuals evaluate the degree of their experience that affects them positively or
negatively. Psychologists, therefore, use a scientific term for explaining it. They call it: “Reported
subjective wellbeing.” There is a process to evaluate the extent to which one experiences ups and
downs in one’s life that affect happiness either directly or indirectly. The happiness, life
satisfaction and subjective wellbeing are constructs used distinctly and predict exactly. But
generally, these terminologies, such as life satisfaction, happiness and wellbeing are used
equivalently in the literature (Frey, 2008 & Easterlin, 2001).
The idea of subjective wellbeing provides basis for a better insight into human wellbeing.
Sound basis facilitates testing proposition and fundamental assumption of economic theory
pertaining to human behavior. The principle of utility is the foundation of the present work, but it
is important to explain happiness explicitly and know its meanings precisely at the outset. The
principle of utility means the principle that either endorses or censures every action and reaction.
This principle inclines to enhance or fade the happiness of those individuals whose interest is in
question. In other words, the principle of utility focuses on those things that either augment
happiness or decrease it among human beings. It not only refers just to the private actions or
behaviors of individuals, but it also captures the actions of every measure of government.
Basically, utility is the property that leans to generate benefits, happiness, advantages,
gains, goods or pleasure for the stakeholders. Conversely, it saves individuals from pain,
discomfort, evil, dissatisfaction or unhappiness. If we are concerned with the happiness of society
as a whole, then it translates into the happiness of the entire community, otherwise it would be
considered as the happiness for an individual. For the last few decades, there has been a growing
concern about the definition of happiness. It has been suggested that utility should be defined in
terms of happiness in economics. It has also been claimed that utility could be and should be
measured. The whole advancement has been stimulated by a growing plethora of evidence based
on real life observations and experimental inferences collected from laboratories.
According to psychological analysis, consumers might not behave rationally for their
consumption decisions for the lack of information on the available choices. In revealed preferences

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theory, however, people are assumed to be well informed and to roughly discount their future also.
Moreover, the subjectivity of utility theory provides the solid grounds to economists for
having a better insight and studying individuals’ wellbeing. Simply put, the Subjective Wellbeing
(SWB) is an extensive concept as compared to the decision about utility. The experienced utility
and procedural utility are included in SWB. The procedural utility is derived from the ordinary
acts of engaging others in activities they prefer, while the individuals’ experiences related to
consumption or the events that occurred in the past are treated as experienced utility. That is why,
more or less, everyone considers happiness as an ultimate goal of life. The fact of the matter is that
we do not want anything else besides just giving us the possibility of making us happier
(Powdthavee, 2007).
Although happiness is considered as a universal human aspiration but to define and explain
happiness is much tricky. Happiness has become impossible to pursue with gaining material
possessions only. The Gross Domestic Product is often used as a proxy for measuring the
wellbeing of individuals in a common paradigm. It has been mentioned by many that Gross
Domestic Product takes no notice of the environmental factors that are prevailing in numerous
countries of the world. It also closes eyes from those variations of wealth that are creating
difference among poor and rich and all other elements which are influencing the individuals’
happiness e.g. personal safety, public relations and psychological health (Fleurbaey, 2009, Layard,
2005, Dusgupta, 2001, Anheier et al., 2004).
University students' happy with their institution has individual, institutional and social
implications. From an institutional point of view, satisfied students are more likely to continue in
their studies (retention) and are more likely to succeed academically and this is likely to enhance
the financial position and reputation of the institution. Satisfied students also make effective public
relations agents. High student satisfaction helps in attracting and retaining high achievers who in
turn increase the reputation and standing of the university.
Maintaining and improving students’ satisfaction has been considered an important goal of
education and universities with the assumption that student satisfaction is indicative of institutional
effectiveness. A key factor of student satisfaction is the quality of the teaching staff. As a result,
the use of student rating scales as an evaluative component of their teaching system has increased.
The majority, if not all, teaching staff at most universities have been required or expected to

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administer some type of teaching evaluation form to their students during each course offering for
some time.
Assessing student happiness level of student’s achievement provides a way that universities
can focus directly on issues of quality development in order to ensure that educational standards
are high (Wiers-Jenssen, Stensaker, & Grogaard, 2002). Measures of student satisfaction can also
assist in identifying and implementing areas for development.
1.1 Review of Related Research
Happiness is the way people show their emotions and feelings (moods) and how they feel
about their directions and options for the future. It is a measure of well-being and may be assessed
in terms of mood, satisfaction with relations with others and with achieved goals, self-concepts,
and self-perceived ability to cope with daily life. It is having a favorable attitude of one's life as a
whole rather than an assessment of current feelings. Life satisfaction has been measured in relation
to economic standing, amount of education, experiences, and residence, as well as many other
topics.
Universities initially set up life achievements surveys to serve two purposes: to help
administrators monitor teaching quality and to help teaching staff improves on their teaching.
University distance learning student satisfaction surveys are being used today in more ways than
ever before (Kulik, 2001). For example, to evaluate the quality and availability of the library
resources, to assess whether there is sufficient IT assistance and support for students and to
consider student opinions on the social aspects of university life to name a few.
Many teachers approve of the increased use of satisfaction surveys in universities.
Teaching staff view these surveys as reliable and valid measures that bring methodical precision
to the evaluation of teaching. However, not all teachers share this view. Some teachers view
students’ happiness surveys as meaningless quantification. Teaching staff fear that students too
often abuse this anonymous power to get even or get back at teaching staff and warn that
satisfaction surveys may turn the evaluation of effective teaching into a personality contest (Kulik,
2001).

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The concept of happiness focuses only on economic growth that leads to an unsustainable
way of life, whereas in reality individuals’ happiness may get affected by their relations,
environment and all other social and economic factors. There are a plenty of intangible factors that
can affect the wellbeing of individuals (McAllister, 2005). The immaterial factors consist of
personal relations that affect the wellbeing (Helliwell and Putnam, 2004). The employment status
also affects the satisfaction level of individuals (Layard, 2005). Layard (2002) also highlighted
seven other factors that affect the level of happiness. The other important non-material factors are
demographic and situational factors that emerge while analyzing wellbeing (Hoorn, 2007).
Helliwell (2002) uses multivariate regression to analyze the data of world values survey for 46
countries. The study concluded that there exist a strong and positive relationship between
education and overall life satisfaction. This relationship disappeared, however, with the inclusion
of individual and state variables. The importance of relative income was studied by Carbonell
(2005).
1.2 Purpose of the Research
Maintaining and improving students’ happiness of life achievement will consider an
important goal of education and universities with the assumption that distance learning student
achievement is indicative of institutional effectiveness. There is need to insure the quality of
education at university level in accordance to the need of students and their happiness. So, in the
light of background cited it is very important to evaluate degree of student’s happiness of life
achievement in their professional manner. The study will title as “Degree of Happiness of Students
life achievements evidence for mutual causality in professional manner”. In this study researcher
will try to focus to find out problems related to degree of student’s happiness of life achievements
at University level and will try to possible suggestion regarding the topic cited above.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The objectives of the following study will:
1. To identify student’s level of happiness of life achievements at university distance level.
2. To find out the problems related to happiness of life achievements of students at university
distance level.

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3. To suggest possible measures to enhance professional skills manners of students at
university distance level.
1.4 Research Questions
The research questions of the study will as under:
1. What are the levels of happiness of life achievements of university distance learning
students?
2. What are the problems related to happiness of student’s life achievements at university
distance level?
3. What can be the possible suggested measures to enhance professional skills manners of
students at university distance level?
1.5 Delimitation of the Study
Keeping in view the limited sources and time, the study was delimited to Allama Iqbal
Open University and Virtual University.
 Only university distance learning students
 Only the students of AIOU and VU
1.6 Significance of the Research
The study will be helpful for the improvement of the quality of university education in
accordance with degree of happiness of student’s life achievements at university level. It may
facilitate the educational administrators with skills which will be helpful for the continuous
improvement and progress of university level education programs regarding possible measure to
enhance professional skills manner of university students at their institutions. The study may be
significant because its findings will provide the guidelines to policy makers, educational planners,
and educational administrators to check and to improve level of life satisfaction of university
students. At the same time, the study also benefits quality assurance and standards units in

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university to sort out and eliminate problems related to life satisfaction of university students. The
study will also be valuable for the students carrying out studies in this area of education.
1.7 Research Methodology
The study will Mixed method in nature. Survey method of research was adopted to
complete the study.
1.7.1 Population
The Population of this study will be including all the students of The Islamia University of
Bahawalpur, enrolled in all programs and studying in different departments the university.
1.7.2 Sample
This study will delimit to The Islamia University of Bahawalpur. Convenient sampling
technique will used to select the sample for this study. There are total 36 departments in the Islamia
University of Bahawalpur. From all the departments of the university 10 students (5 male and 5
female) will select conveniently, so total sample will be 360.
1.7.3 Research Instrument
Questionnaire and Interview will use as a tool for data collection. After reviewing the
relevant literature, a questionnaire and interview will conduct. Close ended items were asked on
five-point Likert scale (from never to Always). Eight subscales were included in the questionnaire
are (1) Working Conditions, (2) Quality of Education (e.g. relating to teacher capability), (3) Social
Life (involvement in social activity), (4) Recognition (social belonging), (5) Policies and
procedures, (6) Academic aspects (7) Amenities and services and (8) Peers. Personal information
will also be asked in the beginning of questionnaire.
1.7.4 Validity and Reliability of Tools
After construction of questionnaire and interview, it will validate through experts’
judgment. The questionnaire will give to some experts for having their opinions on it. In the light
of experts’ suggestions, the questionnaire will be revised and finalized. Reliability of each
questionnaire will statistically computed computing Cronbach Alpha.

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1.7.5 Data Collection
Data will collect through a self-developed questionnaire. The questionnaires will deliver
personally to selected students and interview will conduct with each student. During the collection
of data researcher will present to guide the respondents. Collected data will arrange and present in
tabular form.
1.8 Statistical Analysis of Data
Data will analyze by using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). For item
analysis, the researcher will calculate frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation of each
item. Comparison of opinions about different groups will made by applying t-test of independent
samples.
1.9 Definition of Key Terms and Abbreviations
 Life: The condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including
the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding
death.
 Happiness is a sense of well-being, joy, or contentment. When people are successful, or
safe, or lucky, they feel happiness.
 University: A high-level educational institution in which students’ study for degrees and
academic research can be done
 Achievement: An achievement is something which someone has succeeded in doing,
especially after a lot of effort. Reaching this agreement so quickly was a great achievement.
 Professional Manners: Having good manners will serve you well, not just around friends
and families, but also in a work environment. Many of the things you do to be polite in
casual settings are just as polite in work situations.

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Time schedule / work plan
ResearchActivities Estimated Timeline
ProposalSubmission 17 January 2019
Finalizing of Research tool 5 July 2019
Data collection 10 September 2019
Data Analysis and its
interpretation
3 June 2020
Reporting Results 10 December 2020
Final Activities 1st July 2021

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