A case study of an institution of higher education in Bulgaria: the transition from communism to democracy

Bulgarians use the term "The Changes" to represent the event in 1989 of the displacement of communism by democracy and the consequences which followed. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to develop an organized body of information to understand the progress and the problems of Bulgaria's oldest institution of higher education, Sofia University, in transition from communism to democracy. The researcher interviewed administrators, teachers, student services personnel, and students at Sofia University and people from government and society in general. Transcripts of interviews were examined using QST NUD*IST 4 text analysis software. Texts of the interviews were coded into the database according to the Original Categories of inquiry basic to the definition of an institution of higher education: contexts, mission, access, governance and structure, function and resources. Cross-categories were coded as they emerged and interacted with the Original Categories giving rise to a two-dimensional weaving metaphor for the presentation of the data. The Emergent Cross-Categories were: accountability, public information, and public relations; change; collectivism and individualism; internationalization; quality and autonomy; suspicion of corruption; inefficiency and bureaucracy; and money.