Content Analysis of Mission Statements and Vision Statements of Universities in Pakistan

A Corpus Based Study

Abstract

This study conducts a corpus-based content analysis of the mission statements (MS) and vision statements (VS) of the top ten universities ranked by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan, aiming to explore their major objectives using various corpus methods including keywords, frequency lists, concordances, collocations, and text-type ratio. A mixed-method approach has been employed for data analysis, revealing that while the majority of universities emphasize the holistic development of learners/scholars, some (UHS, UVAS, UoK, and COMSAT) show a lack of focus on moral development, as indicated by the absence or low frequencies of value-based lexemes. Consequently, the study suggests that meticulous design of MS and VS is essential to reflect a holistic approach toward intellectual, physical, emotional, moral, and social goals, collectively pursued by all stakeholders, emphasizing the need for universities to align their institutional goals with broader societal values and expectations.