Faculty of Education - Theses
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ItemTransitioning from a Chinese education to an Australia education: a study of foundation studies program students from China( 2015)This study was motivated by the growth of the Australian international education sector, increasing numbers of mainland Chinese students studying in Australian universities, and a lack of research relating to the Foundation Studies Programs (FSP) in which some Chinese students enrolled. In seeking to contribute to this gap in the FSP literature, this study investigated how a cohort of ex-FSP students from mainland China reflected on their transition through various stages of their education. Specifically, the main research question guiding this study asked, 'To what extent do Chinese students' higher education experiences align with their expectations as they transition from secondary schooling in China through to university in Australia?'. To address this question a mixed-methods design was utilised. This consisted of surveys being administered to Chinese and non-Chinese nationals within one FSP at entry and exit from the course, and subsequent semi-structured interviews with a cohort of these Chinese students who were now studying at university. Interview data comprised the bulk of this study's analysis, and revealed that Chinese students' expectations and experiences of education did not remain fixed as they transitioned between schooling contexts in China and Australia. The most salient feature of their transition experiences was the increased importance they placed on the social dimension seen to enhance their educational experiences. That is, where once these students viewed their entry into the FSP and gaining Australian higher education qualifications instrumentally, they later adjusted this view to include also the importance of developing and maintaining social relationships within educational contexts. This study's findings highlight the importance of social relationships across various schooling contexts, and challenge the assumption that FSPs ease international students' social transition into university.
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ItemChallenges and possibilities of regional collaboration in East Asian higher education( 2015)In recent years, regional collaborations in higher education have been widely promoted around the world, as a basis for sharing of resources, conducting research into common problems and more broadly developing a sense of regional identity. The growth of regional collaboration among East Asian systems of higher education has been much anticipated. Despite substantial policy rhetoric, however, evidence-based analyses of actual collaborative practices among universities in China, Japan and South Korea are scant. This study seeks to provide an account of such practices by focusing on the challenges and possibilities of regional collaboration in East Asian higher education. It is based on data drawn primarily from document analysis and semi-structured interviews with executive leadership, academics and international strategy staff at eleven universities participating in two major programs of regional collaboration in East Asia: CAMPUS Asia and BESETOHA. Analysis of the data collected suggests that despite numerous challenges emanating from major cultural, economic and political differences across the three systems, the universities in East Asia remain optimistic about the possibility of increased levels of collaboration. Their optimism appears to rest on a common perception about the need to collaborate in order to meet the growing pressures of globalisation. Also significant is their inclination to focus on their abundant historical and cultural commonalities, along with their geographical adjacency, rather than on their differences. However the differences relating to competition over resources, historical suspicion and struggle for political supremacy remain. At this stage, small-scale trilateral networks of academic collaboration appear more feasible than the development of a stronger sense of regional identity, beyond the merely symbolic.
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ItemHigher education privatization in Kuwait: A study in the processes of policy production( 2015)Like most countries around the world, the State of Kuwait has over the past two decades experienced a rapid growth in student demand for higher education. Lacking public resources, most emerging systems of higher education have turned to privatization policies as a way of meeting this demand. Similar financial pressures do not however apply to Kuwait, since it enjoys a surplus of revenue from its oil exports. Financial arguments explaining the adoption of privatization policies are therefore not compelling in the case of Kuwait. This research project aims to analyze some of the key reasons for Kuwait to pursue a privatization policy in higher education. More broadly, the project seeks to examine how various local and global processes have influenced the production of national policies of higher education in Kuwait. Using qualitative methods of policy research, this project examines some of the internal and external pressures that led to the production of a privatization policy in the Kuwaiti system of higher education in 2000. Particular reference is made to the Private Universities Law (PUL) (34/2000) in an attempt to explain how this policy was developed, who were its main architects, and what interests does the policy now serves. The research supports the conclusion that privatization is not a necessary outcome of globalization, but that the production of higher education privatization policies in Kuwait has involved a complex interplay of both local and global factors, with contextual realities playing a crucial role not only in the introduction of these policies but also in defining the form of privatization that is currently being implemented.
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ItemMalaysian higher education and the United States as a model: policy borrowing or policy learning?( 2013)Higher education plays an important role in many developing countries. Graduates are being equipped with professional knowledge and skills to fulfil the demands of the labour market in a knowledge economy. Developing countries tend to adopt models of higher education organization from developed nations, especially those that are world leaders. Progress in science and technology and national wealth itself point to the success of these systems and suggest that they represent a suitable and feasible path to take. Malaysia is amongst those developing nations that have looked to advanced economies to provide a model of mass higher education which would raise educational levels and national income. But has a process of policy-borrowing achieved both the growth and the equity that governments have promised? Has the expansion and diversification of higher education in Malaysia created more equitable access for all students in order to ensure that increased higher education is undertaken by a wide range of population who have the ability and motivation to succeed? This study aims to contribute to policy learning in higher education in the developing world (as distinct from uncritical policy borrowing). It focuses on Malaysia’s efforts to learn from the US experience. The findings of this study may assist the Malaysian policy makers in designing new improved policies to widen access in higher education and to further strengthen Malaysian higher education sector. In the first section of this thesis, a review is made of US efforts to expand higher education, while improving equity. Two barriers to participation in higher education – school dropout rates and low achievement among young people who do graduate – are examined in greater detail. This then leads to a key discussion on the types of higher educational institutions in the US, their enrolment patterns and the challenges faced by each institution. At the end of this section, the findings that developing countries can learn from the United States’ experience are highlighted. In the second section, the study focuses on Malaysia. It starts with historical overview pre independence, focusing on economic, social and educational developments. The growth and structural transformation of the Malaysian economy are also examined and compared with educational attainment. Trends in primary and secondary public education expansion and challenges facing this public system are then discussed, leading to a detailed discussion on the development of the Malaysian public and private tertiary education sector. The findings presented in this study show that the challenge for Malaysia is not to become like the USA, but to learn from the US experience and to develop its own strategic plans for higher education that fit with the social and economic needs of the country. The study suggests policy directions to making higher education in Malaysia more effective and equitable, which includes strengthening and improving Malaysia’s public schools, enhancing the quality of higher education and assisting students from disadvantaged families. Such initiatives may assist Malaysia to become the best provider of higher education in the South East Asian region and a high-income developed country by the year 2020.
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ItemThe aspiring spires: momentum and the status university( 2013)Higher education is in many respects governed by market relations and state direction; in some ways, however, it is not. In prestige, it falls back on an elusive force. The university is entrepreneurial, and it is public spirited, and it is also itself. According to perceptions of how much of a university a university is, it is able to relay credibility. Rankings and taxonomical mapping may come at this nebulous prestige from more solid data, including the tracing of market performance and state backing. Crucially, though, it is prestige that any ranking hoping to gauge the calibrations of trust and belief is after, whether prestige already detected or that anticipated according to momentum. Aware of this, inasmuch as an organization can think, the status university continues to grow as a magnet for competitive but remarkably peaceable human endeavour, and as a major junction for the forces of civil religion. The thesis seeks to update the appraisal of the highly evolved sense of status in universities and in progressively expanded higher education systems, and to deepen appreciation of the energy and history with which they swell.
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ItemCreative practice, value, and the teaching of art and design in higher education( 2014)Despite the current emphasis on creativity in education, the teaching of art and design in universities is an underresearched area of higher education. Those who teach within university art and design disciplines are most often artists and designers with their own active and vibrant creative practices. Yet the connection between the teaching of art and design and the creative practices of the artists and designers who teach in those programs is not well understood. This thesis is an attempt to articulate this area. Contemporary higher education, a space currently experiencing much change due to the force of economics and policy in Australia and internationally, is the contextual background for this research. Within this context, the academic disciplines of art and design and those who teach within them are considered in light of their creative practices as artists and designers, and the value of this practice. I began with the premise that there is value in the teaching of art and design, and from the creative practices of artists and designers who teach in these disciplines; therefore, this thesis focuses on articulating the nature of this value rather than arguing for its existence. To research this topic, a qualitative methodology was used, with Australian art and design academics as participants. Qualitative methods involving two phases included semistructured interviews, class observations, visual data, participant journals, and field notes. Value theory was the main theoretical lens used for analysis, in addition to theories of embodied and tacit knowledge, and creativity. Analysis highlighted that participants model and draw from creative practice in teaching of art and design, conceptualise research in a variety of ways, struggle to balance their two professional worlds of creative practice and teaching, and seek the support of university leadership. Value, value disconnects, and tensions became apparent. In addition, research highlighted that dual values are at play: those of participants and those of universities. The research found the value that artist/designer-academics contribute from their creative practices to the teaching of art and design is primarily instrumental in nature because it is a means towards obtaining something else: enabling and assisting students to create works of art and design. I argue that this value encompasses three key areas in the teaching of art/design: the modelling of professional art/design practice, the ability to draw from various creative practices, and the mentoring of art/design students. In addition, artist/designer-academics contribute value in the form of their creative practice to the research agendas and outputs of universities. Each of these areas is contingent upon support and leadership within universities. Recommendations outlined suggest a way forward. This thesis is based in the experiences, views, and voices of its participants: those with active art and design practices who teach in university art and design programs. It also takes into account the realities of contemporary higher education, disciplinary cultures, creative practice, and notions of value in articulating the nature of the value contributed from the creative practices of artists and designers to the teaching of art and design.
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ItemChanging conceptions of Chinese groupwork: collaboration, culture and context( 2014)As a result of internationalization in education, the Chinese learner is being exposed to changing sociocultural environments and a Chinese government changing educational policies. This study documented domestic and overseas Chinese students’ groupwork experiences under these changes with the intention to evaluate and, if necessary, amend existing accounts of groupwork and the Chinese learner. To build on current knowledge of Chinese students’ groupwork experiences during this time of change and to identify the factors that can influence their experience and attitudes, this study investigated the Chinese students' groupwork experiences and attitudes in three different educational contexts: a Chinese tertiary education context; a joint program between a Chinese university and an Australian university set in China; and an Australian tertiary education context. In this embedded mixed-method case study, a QUAL-quan model recommended by Creswell (2012) was used, with the qualitative approach as the primary method and the quantitative approach as the supporting method. Interview data of students and their teachers, video recordings of classroom activities and of out-of-class student group meetings were collected to understand the nature of the student groupwork experience and their attitudes to groupwork. Interview and video data were supplemented with questionnaire data. This study found that the Chinese students were engaged in a larger variety of groupwork activities in China than in Australia. Student political organizations assumed responsibility for organizing aspects of students’ groupwork experiences in response to a directive from the Central PRC government and the Ministry of Education (1999; 2010). The students performed differently in different kinds of groupwork. The Chinese students were found to be effective collaborators in homogeneous groupwork (when all members were Chinese) both in China and Australia, with the consequence of deep knowledge construction and high levels of interaction. The students reported positive attitudes towards homogeneous groupwork in three areas: valued individual learning; collective wellbeing; and social emotional needs. The teacher’ perception of the learner and groupwork played a significant role in students’ groupwork experiences. It is argued in this study that groupwork should be treated as a body of practice with a variety of forms instead of as a singular practice. As Chinese education is undergoing change and the Chinese learner is undergoing change in response to the changing educational context, Western educators should refresh their conceptions and expectations of the Chinese learner. It was found that the educational contexts, educational policies and the teacher’s actions significantly shaped the student’s groupwork experiences. This investigation of Chinese students’ groupwork demonstrates the dynamic nature of learner practices and the manner in which they are integrated into increasingly cosmopolitan university programs.
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ItemHow prospective students choose universities: a buyer behaviour perspective( 2001)This thesis examines the decision making and information search process of students choosing university courses in Victoria Australia. The position adopted for this study is that of a buyer or consumer behaviour perspective. This is the first study of its kind undertaken in Australia. Much related research been done in the United States and elsewhere. However, the Australian higher education system has unique characteristics. Consequently, while existing student-choice models drawn from elsewhere provide a useful foundation, they are not sufficient to answer the key question: How do students choose universities in Australia? Implicit in this overarching question are several issues examined by this study: how a student makes a choice is related to what choices there are to be made, and why the student makes a choice about a particular institution. (For complete abstract open document)
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ItemAlternative entry programs to university for mature age students: program characteristics that encourage or inhibit mature student participation( 2005)Australia has a long history of accepting unmatriculated, return-to-study and equity group mature age learners into undergraduate courses. Universities enrol mature age students on the basis of, for example, their equity background, prior learning, work experiences, scores on a mature age entrance test, or results in an alternative entry program. This study examined the nature and outcomes of four alternative entry programs (AEPs) to higher education for mature age learners (21 years plus). Alternative entry programs provide mature age students with a way to explore their academic aptitude for, and confidence to, study. Prior to this research there was a lack of knowledge regarding the characteristics and outcomes of AEPs for mature age students. In addition, there was no study that examined a series of AEPs to show the relationship between AEP characteristics and learner outcomes. The inquiry addresses this shortfall. The project takes a qualitative case study approach. It provides a way of understanding the uniqueness, particularities and complexities of four AEPs for Australian resident mature age learners. The inquiry indicates implications of current policy and practices. Also it considers ways to advance program characteristics and outcomes. Finally, the data generated a framework that reveals i) how aspects of AEP management and design interact with mature learner characteristics; and ii) how these elements either encourage or inhibit mature age student to participate in a program. The research finding challenge, first, government policy makers, university managers, and AEP staff to consider the nature of an institution’s alternative entry course. It also shows how AEP management and design can affect mature age student participation. The project reveals that the nature of an AEP is determined by a coalescing of institutional, government and, sometimes, community attitudes and initiatives.
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ItemRazor gang to Dawkins: a history of Victoria College, an Australian College of Advanced Education( 2003)For ten years from 1982, Victoria College was a large multi-campus college of advanced education providing a diverse range of higher education programs to Australian and overseas students. This thesis outlines the history of Victoria College. It considers the circumstances that led to its creation through the forced amalgamation of four previously independent colleges of advanced education: the State Colleges of Victoria at Burwood, Rusden, and Toorak and the Prahran College of Advanced Education and examines the events which led to its merger with Deakin University in 1992. (For complete abstract open document)