This research develops a process for understanding faculty leadership in the Libyan contexts, the Libyan Collective Leadership process (LCL). This process makes substantial contributions to knowledge especially as regards: a) deeper understanding of situated leadership styles and performances of faculty leaders; b) the knowledge that faculty deans enact a family-oriented leadership through mainly transformational and transactional leadership styles, and exhibit characteristics of related leadership styles such as distributed, democratic and collaborative leadership. This research uses semi-structured interview of faculty deans in addition to Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ)-based surveys of faculty staff regarding the leadership practices and performances of the deans, to explore the perceived leadership styles of faculty deans in selected Libyan universities. The field study consists of 20 deans/faculties in 3 universities. The research methodology is mainly qualitative and is based on the interpretivist paradigm, since the research aims to elicit the subjective opinions and understandings of faculty deans and staff regarding the leadership styles and performances of the deans. The data analyses consist of two main approaches: a) a qualitative analysis of the deans' responses to the interview questions, using NVIVO software to implement a General Inductive Approach for analysing qualitative data; and b) use of arithmetic mean scores of faculty staff Likert ratings of the deans' leadership characteristics to analyse the MLQ responses from the faculty staff, using SPSS software. These findings have important implications for leadership theory, practice and development in Libya and similar Arab countries, which are explained in detail in the thesis. Importantly, the findings show that the LCL process links the leadership practices of deans with the specific influences which the Libyan context imposes on the leadership dynamic in the universities, such as the Islamic religion, the collectivist culture of the country, the socialist political ideology, and resource constraints in a third-world country.

This thesis focuses on the analysis and discussion of issues and factors influencing Libyan students’ subject choices at undergraduate level. It reviews the literature in the field, situating the study firmly in the context of educational research. However, it is noted that this literature has mainly emerged from Western contexts, and hence cultures. Nonetheless, the body of literature is used as a framework to analyse the Libyan case. The main research question focuses on the main factors influencing the choice process in respect of the field of study for first year undergraduates at Libyan universities. Further questions regarding why students choose to attend university, their perceptions of subjects, and the concerns and influences brought to bear in the choice process are posed. A mixed methods approach is adopted in which the research sample comprises first year students at four different universities in Libya, in order to identify any differences and similarities in the choice process among the students in different regions and different disciplines. Both questionnaire survey and interviews are used to secure fact and opinion regarding the mechanisms employed by students to make their choice of subject. Four different subjects are considered so that comparisons can be made of the influences that are brought to bear in student choice. Underpinning the research instruments is the theoretical framework consisting of cultural capital, social capital, and human capital, as obtained from the comprehensive literature review. The research was conducted in two phases, the first being quantitative, in which 2,209 questionnaires were completed by first year students at two coastal city universities and two rural city universities in Libya. The second phase was qualitative, and involved 65 individual interviews, together with a focus group discussion to cater for female students who excused themselves from participating in the individual interviews because of their religious and cultural beliefs. The research findings show that the subject choice process is influenced by multiple factors and that substantial differences between subject choices are seen among urban and rural students, the latter being destined to study in poorly equipped rural universities. As evidenced in the responses, there is no equity in the provisions of Libyan universities. A further result is that the student’s academic ability has little influence on the selection process, and that other factors such as the parents’ level of education, institutional infrastructure, career prospects and geographical location play important parts in influencing the decision. More interestingly, the study established that students from urban areas with educated parents are more likely to take courses offered in long established universities in the cities. The thesis concludes by highlighting the pertinent points in the research, and makes recommendations for Libyan policy-makers and higher education institutions on how to facilitate the improvement of the student subject choice process. Additionally, it suggests possible avenues for further research area around the topic of this thesis. As a final note, the thesis offers a brief explanation of the socio-political, economic and cultural changes that have taken, and continue to take place, since the overthrow of the previous regime on 23rd October, 2011.

Universities in Libya and in other North African and Middle Easter countries have experienced massive expansion in terms of quantitative growth and geographic distribution in recent years (Al-Badri, 2006; El-Hawat, 2007; Mogassbi, 1984). The labour markets in these countries, on the other hand, traditionally suffer from a shortage of skilled manpower (ILO, 2007). Thus, the main questions of this research are formulated as: In what ways could higher education (HE) skills and changing labour market (LM) needs in Libya be better aligned? The research was conducted by collecting and analysing primary and secondary sources of documented material on the case study of Libya, in particular the second city of Benghazi. The secondary data collection largely focused on the generation of continuous datasets on students and graduate numbers in Libya, a country in which the state controls such sectors as HE, but does not make data on the sectors easily available in the public domain. The empirical data collection comprised semi-structured interviews and the application of the Delphi Technique (DT) to develop future scenarios using a panel of experts. The latter activity generated a final key research question: How can the DT be adapted and applied to the understanding of the relationship between HE skills and LM needs in the context of Libya? This research focused specifically on the graduate skills and attributes of job commitment, competitiveness, desire for excellence and teamwork and problem-solving, due to factors relating to the internal and external environment. The DT has been applied effectively on this topic and has developed the analysis from primary data collection research resulting in four potential strategies for both HE and LM, as follows: 1. Survival strategy: to reduce negative effects of external threats. 2. Defensive strategy: to face threats and strengths as a support. 3. Reorientation strategy: to take advantage of opportunities to decrease weaknesses. 4. Radical strategy: to benefit from opportunities by exploiting strengths. In the light of all that has been said about the strategies for Libyan HE and Libyan LM, three kinds of scenarios - optimistic, possible and pessimistic - have been built for HE and three others for LM.