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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ItemIdentifying the factors that support or restrict the use of open education resources by higher education academic staff at a vocational education institute( 2015)This thesis investigates the factors that facilitate the use of Open Education Resources (OER) by higher education staff at a public Tertiary and Further Education Institute (TAFE). By using a case study methodology, academic staff were interviewed regarding their use or non-use of OER, their perceptions of OER, as well as what they regarded as the challenges and enablers in using these resources. This study provides an Australian perspective to research already undertaken in this area, as well as an insight into the contemporaneous use of OER with emerging teaching pedagogies such as Web 2 technologies. For the purpose of this research, OER are defined as resources that are freely available for use, reuse, modification, and sharing in educational contexts, with intellectual property requirements ranging from public domain through to creative commons licensing arrangements. The research found that OER provides a number of benefits, including facilitating the use of extensive and cost effective education resources, supporting learners through Web 2 technologies and allowing academic staff to engage with professional bodies and the broader community. Conversely, a number of issues were also identified that inhibit the use of OER. These include difficulty in sourcing appropriate teaching resources, awareness of copyright and intellectual property legislation, access to technology, cultural and language barriers along with a perception that OER are not academically rigorous. The implications for institutions arising from this research therefore include the requirement to develop an OER culture within the institute; capitalise on existing knowledge; explore the use of web 2 technology and pedagogy; and finally, staff professional development. This research has also found that there are a number of benefits for institutes in utilising OER including: academic delivery cost reductions, marketing and commercialisation opportunities, developing enhanced learner experiences, and being able to leverage off existing blended learning pedagogies.
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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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ItemBuilding university research capacity in Vietnam: prospects, problems and possibilities( 2013)There has been an absence of research on university research capacity building, particularly in developing country contexts. To narrow this research gap, this thesis aims to: (i) identify the essentials of building university research capacity; (ii) evaluate critically the extent to which these essentials have been embraced by four selected leading Vietnamese universities; (iii) recommend policies, processes, and strategies to enhance these universities’ research capacity and performance. Taking a qualitative, case-study approach, this study uses semi-structured interviews as the primary method for data collection. The study interviews 64 participants, of whom 55 are from within four selected leading Vietnamese universities and nine are external stakeholders. The study identified five key empirical findings in accordance with five domains of university research capacity building. First, in terms of research resources, the four universities lacked adequate research related human resources, infrastructure, and funding. Second, in organizing and structuring research, ideally, a university should manage both visible and intangible organizational tasks. In practice, the four universities focused mostly on completing an organizational chart for research. They seemed to neglect most of the other underlining structural issues. Third, regarding research related HR policies, in theory, universities should employ various strong HR policies in recruiting, developing, assessing, and rewarding academics. In practice, to a certain extent, the four universities recognized their academics’ research activities. However, their policies did not adequately encourage academics to maximize their research potential. Fourth, in terms of research management plans, it is argued that universities should develop an institutional interlocking and integrated research strategy. In practice, the four case-study universities hardly managed research strategically. They developed research plans only for the purpose of obtaining external block-grant funding, not for guiding future action. Finally, regarding research culture, universities should develop shared underlying organizational assumptions supporting research. The four universities failed to fully achieve this goal. Overall, their institutional research development was in its infancy. To enhance the universities’ research capacity and performance, this study suggests that changes should take place at a number of levels. At the system level, the government should (1) provide more funding for university operational expenditure and research; (2) use research performance-based tools in allocating research funding; and (3) confer a higher level of autonomy on the universities, especially in the areas of finance and human resources (HR) management. At the institutional level, the four universities should (1) enrich research resources; (2) create a more professionalized system of organizing research; (3) design a well-supported career development path for research-oriented academics; (4) clearly define institutional research objectives; and (5) translate these espoused objectives into concrete organizational actions. This study provides rich empirical data on research capacity building at four leading Vietnamese universities and suggests a model for enhancing these universities’ research capacity and performance. This knowledge is useful not only for these four case-study Vietnamese universities but also for any other university in a similar development context requiring tools and resources for building research capacity.
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ItemThe challenges of academic leadership in Korean higher education( 2013)In recent years, South Korean higher education has been transformed from a system driven by traditional humanist values to a system that is now highly commercialized. This has given rise to numerous challenges of academic leadership faced by the deans of faculties at both public and private universities in Korea. This thesis addresses three key research questions: ‘What challenges do Korean deans face?; ‘How do Korean deans interpret these challenges?’; and ‘How do Korean deans respond to these challenges?’ The thesis addresses these questions through accounts the deans themselves provide of their lived experiences of policy and practice, particularly with respect to the demands of academic leadership. The thesis takes a hermeneutical, phenomenological approach to research, involving attempts to listen empathetically to the deans’ narratives of their feelings and understandings. An analysis of these narratives reveals that, particularly in wake of recent New Public Management-inspired reforms in Korea, the key challenges that the deans face may be clustered around issues of governance; autonomy and authority; and how to interpret and enact the requirements of effectiveness. It also suggests that for these deans one of the major tasks of academic leadership is to reconcile the potentially competing values that these challenges represent. I argue that their attempts at this reconciliation involve a complex assemblage of new managerialism and commercialization, as well as retaining a commitment to traditional academic values.