why students travel australia for higher study first u will send
| final project report. ASSESSMENT TASK 2: DESCRIPTION a. Title – Does it accurately describe the report? b. Abstract – Is it representative of the report? c. Introduction – Does it make the purpose of the report clear? d. Statement of the problem – Is the problem properly introduced? e. Purpose of the study – Has the reason for conducting the research been explained? f. Research question(s) – Is/are research question(s) clearly defined and if not, should they be? g. Theoretical framework – Is the theoretical framework described? If there is not a theoretical framework, should there be? h. Literature review – Is the literature review relevant to the study, comprehensive, and include recent research? Does the literature review support the need for the study? i. Methods – Is the design appropriate for the study? Does the sample fit with the research design and is the size sufficient? Was a data collection instrument needed? How were data collected? Were reliability and validity accounted for? j. Analysis – Is the analytical approach consistent with the study questions and research design? k. Results – Are the results presented clearly in the text, tables and figures? Are the statistics clearly explained? l. Discussion – Are the results explained in relationship to the theoretical framework, research questions, and the significance to the area of study? m. Limitations – Are the limitations presented and their implications discussed? n. Conclusion – Are there recommendations for practice, future research, and policymakers? o. References p. Appendices | |||
| Order Topic: | why students travel australia for higher study first u will send me excel sheet work ten we will tell u to work on project i will provide u 9-10 interviews u will make excel coding of that and all of the assignment will be based on the interview data | ||
| Instruction: |
Practical or Research Report Rubric: Grading Criteria (60% of assessment) D HD Identifies and obtains relevant research data or can demonstrate hypothetically Report contains clear communication is demonstrating sound focus, purpose and intent Use clear and fluent written skills to effectively and appropriately communicate with an audience demonstrating logic, knowledge of context, theory, application, critical analyses and synthesis Report contains clear communication with some demonstration of logic and context knowledge, some evidence of theory and application with minor evidence of critical analysis and synthesis Use clear and fluent written skills to effectively and appropriately communicate with an audience following a range of discipline-specific academic and/or professional conventions Report contains clear communication with some demonstration of discipline-specific academic and/or professional conventions Use clear and fluent written skills to effectively and appropriately communicate with an audience adhering to fundamental syntax protocols, spelling and punctuation Report contains clear communication demonstrating a sound knowledge of writing mechanics, i.e. syntax, spelling and punctuation errors Framework for Research Report Content (8000 words) – sections ‘c’ to ‘i’ will be similar to that of the research proposal. |
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RESEARCH PROPOSAL ON WHY STUDENTS TRAVELL TO AUSTRALIA FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
SUBMITTED TO:- SUBMITTED BY:-
Dr Aaron Hasio Yadvinder Singh (12996814)
Bhupinder Kaur Mathuda(12905665)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.. 3
ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM… 5
Introduction. 5
Higher education in Australia. 6
Research questions. 7
LITERATURE REVIEW… 8
Globalisation of higher education. 8
Focus on international students. 9
RESEARCH DESIGN.. 10
Research methods. 10
Data collection. 10
Data analysis. 11
INTERVIEW AGENDA.. 12
Introductions. 12
Interview questions for foreign students studying in any Australian university. 12
Interview questions for Indian students studying in any Australian university. 12
Closing. 13
KEY VARIABLES. 14
POPULATION SAMPLING.. 15
ETHICAL ISSUES. 16
REFERENCES. 18
INTRODUCTION
The aim of this research proposal is to study a phenomenon that has been observed, which is the flow of international students in the recent years, especially from India, to Australia in search for higher education. While this is happening all across the world, the rate at which Australia is becoming popular as a destination for higher education is remarkable. In the recent past a huge number of students from across the world have made attempts of obtaining scholarships or other sources of funding to enable them to study in Australia; and a significant number of them have been successful at it. This research seeks to answer the question as to why international students and more especially, Indian students are increasingly coming to Australia in search for higher education.
Higher education in Australia, just like in many other parts of the world is composed of universities and other tertiary institutions that are focused on fueling innovation and productivity by providing students with the skill set they need to make it today and in future. The Australian government plays a pivotal role in the development of higher education in the country by building policies, creating frameworks and providing funding as needed to support its growth and development.
Higher education in most other parts of the world similarly consists of universities and tertiary institutions. There are countries with even larger education systems in the world than Australia, but still the number of international students showing interest in studying in Australia has been found to be relatively high (Barro & Lee, 2013). For instance, India has a robust higher education system consisting of over 500 universities and 33,000 colleges, all of them operating under a well-established government-built framework but still a huge chunk of its learners are seeking higher education elsewhere. Equally surprising is the idea that numerous Indian institutions of higher learning like the National Institute of Technology have received global acclamation for their education standards. The United States of America too, has a well-established system of higher education. In fact, it is the world’s largest with over 20 million students currently attending universities and colleges. In Australia the population of students in higher education is roughly 1.3 million.
Even with these statistics, Australia undoubtedly remains a popular destination for international students seeking to quench their thirst for higher education. The purpose of this research proposal, therefore, is to establish the basis of this phenomenon and answer the question; why students are coming to Australia for higher education. The research proposal collects information from numerous resources, analyses the information and makes inferences from them.
ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM
Introduction
As we have already noted, Australia has become a popular international educational destination with world renown universities, professor and student communities. It has the third highest number of international students after US and UK (Choudaha & Chang, 2012). A good number of Australian universities regularly feature in world’s top 100 rankings and degrees awarded by universities in Australia are internationally recognised. Australia provides a laid-back environment that is considered by many as ideal for learning, and more so, for higher learning where students need the right ambience to inspire innovation and creativity. With estimated living and tuition expenses of about AUD 30,000, many international students find the cost of studying for higher education in Australia to be fair enough. The lifestyle and cultural diversity also promote an ambient learning environment.
Out of a total of about 1.3 million students in Australia who is attending higher education, approximately 330,000, or 25% of them are international students. Bhandari and Blumenthal (2013) have noted the increasing mobility of international students, of whom a great majority is landing in Australia. It has also been noted that a large proportion of these international students originate from India. Statistics from the High Commission of India in Australia indicate that India is the second largest source of international students currently studying in Australia with about 36,000 enrolments in both vocational and educational training and higher education. Most of the Indian students seeking to study in Australia have shown an interest in business particularly management and commerce. The High Commission of India in Australia provides general information and guidelines for Indian students who want to study in Australia. In the last few years, there have been a few reported cases of violent racist attacks, particularly against Indian students and the general Indian community living in Australia. This might have scared some prospective students who would have wished to study in Australia and probably led to the slight decline in the number of enrolments in subsequent years after the incidents.
Higher education in Australia
The higher education system in Australia has a keen eye on the standards it delivers to both local and international students. The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) established in 2001, is responsible for establishing regulation and overseeing quality standards of higher education in Australia. The agency is very keen on maintaining a high standard of the quality of education in Australia by implementing a strong quality assurance framework and regularly evaluating the performance of higher education providers in the country. The Australian Qualifications Framework has also been in place. It is the national policy that guides qualifications in Australian education and training. Besides, the Department of Education and Training was established long ago and it offers guidelines for issuance and authentication of the Australian Higher Education Graduation Assessment. As such, the higher education system in Australia is quite diverse and complex too.
For international students, Australia provides a framework for their protection through the Education Services for Overseas Students which ensures that education for international students is consistent with national standards with regard to content, education delivery, facilities and services. It closely monitors the implementation of the act and deems any breach of the statutes spelt out in the act as a serious offence and can severely penalise non-conforming institutions. All institutions wishing to provide higher education to international students must register with the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students after meeting special registration conditions. Standards that are consistent with the National Code for registered providers and their courses is provided for by yet another framework – the National Code of Practice for Registration of Authorities and Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2007. The standards set out specify the procedures that registered providers of education and training can follow to comply with the National Code.
Research questions
From the issues highlighted above, I have formulated the following research questions guide the research on an appropriate path that will answer the phenomenon.
- Why do students prefer Australia to other world destinations for higher learning?
- What is the prevalent socioeconomic background of the majority of the students seeking higher education in Australia?
- What are the motivational factors that attract many students to seek for higher education in Australia?
LITERATURE REVIEW
Globalisation of higher education
The elements of globalisation on higher education are influenced by many factors and the higher education market today is well established as a global phenomenon. This is especially true for the major English-speaking nations which include Australia, Canada, the USA, and the UK. With regard to rising competition from both local and foreign students, higher education institutions are increasingly feeling the need to market their programmes both locally and internationally. These efforts have seen a steady increase in the number of overseas students seeking higher education in foreign countries.
In this review, we present the findings of a critical review of various literatures on globalisation and marketing of higher education. The review aims to procedurally collect, synthesize, scrutiny and critically analyse the research literature on the globalisation and marketing of higher education; to establish the scope of the globalisation; to identify gaps in the research literature; and to make recommendations for further research on issues affecting global higher education.
In the recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in the perception of education institutions across the world. Increasingly, institutions are making significant marketing efforts to seek global recognition and attract a global student audience. Policies on market mechanisms have been introduced in countries previously characterised by a high degree of government control (de Boer & Jongboled, 2012). In most countries, marketisation has been viewed as a “compromise between privatisation, academic autonomy and state regulation” (Ek et al, 2013 p. 103) as prominent academic figures throughout the world call for “freedom from all the shackles of government regulation” (Hemsley-Brown & Oplatka, p. 136).
From the literature, we find out that the marketisation of higher education is now a well-established global idea, and especially so in the major English-speaking nations which include Australia, Canada, the USA, and the UK (Altbach, 2015) and the literature provides evidence of marketisation and the deregulation of universities in the USA (Amaral, Jones & Karseth, 2013; Kaiser et al, 2014; Bezes et al, 2015). However, governments have also turned to deregulatory policies in other parts of the world such as Japan, Russia the Eastern Bloc. In response to these changes, the value, effectiveness and potential benefits of using marketing theories and concepts, which have been effective in the business world, are gradually now being applied by many universities: with a view to gaining a competitive edge, and gaining a larger share of the international market. In light of this, the authors recognise that there is considerable debate surrounding the marketisation of higher education internationally (particularly in the major English speaking countries), and the political arguments and ethical concerns surrounding this major paradigm shift are ongoing (Judson & Taylor, 2014; Palfreyman & Tapper, 2016). The primary purpose of this paper, however, was to identify, summarise and analyse the key literature in this field, which focuses on the globalisation of higher education internationally, rather than to pursue further the questions regarding the political, economic and ethical basis for privatisation, marketisation and customisation of higher education worldwide, and its consequent attraction of overseas students to seek higher learning in foreign countries.
Focus on international students
Studies of globalisation of higher education have been a central item in empirical researches and theoretical papers. Much of the interest in research in the globalisation of higher education has been stimulated by increasing competition for overseas students as demonstrated in Knight’s (2013) study of prospective higher education students’ use of the Internet to facilitate information searching and decision making. Theoretical papers identified in this review, focused on advertising and access to information in Australian markets, gaining competitive advantage, institutional and sector image, and market differentiation through segmentation and market positioning (Marginson, 2015).
RESEARCH DESIGN
Research methods
There are several research methods that can be used to conduct a research and the method of choice really depends on the research requirements (Taylor, Bogdan & DeVault, 2015). The most appropriate research methodology in this case is interviewing and it will be the main tool for conducting the research. However, we will also utilise some elements and techniques of correlational research methodologies since it may be important to answer the research questions by comparing possible factors and circumstances. The interviews conducted will simply seek to find out why the foreign students who study in Australia choose the country out of the many choices that exist. The interviews will be directed to both local and overseas students who are currently studying in Australia.
Data collection
The method of choice of collecting data is usually determined by the required accuracy, skills available, the strategy of data collection, time constraints and physical and logistical limitations present (Palinkas et al, 2015). It is also possible to use more than one data collection method if deemed necessary. For this research, the following data collection methods will be employed:
- Interviews: They will be the primary method of data collection. We will conduct interviews with both students from India and other countries studying in various institutions of higher learning in Australia. From this data, we will be able to extract information on possible reasons as to why students are coming to Australia for higher education.
- Surveys: We will organise and conduct surveys mainly through deployment of questionnaires. These will be designed and structured specifically for the general student community. The surveys will be looking for information about the interaction between local and foreign students and how the local students perceive the international students.
- Focus groups: This tool will be very efficient as most of the target population are peers. Focus groups are a quick method of collecting data. They have been shown to collect honest information from participants since in most cases the participants are able to cordially relate with the researcher who, usually, is their peer (Goodman, Cryder & Cheema, 2013). We will use focus groups to collect data on the perceptions that the local students have about the international students. Collecting data that reflect the actual feelings and opinions of these students is elemental in this research.
Data analysis
After data collection, we will subject the data to analysis using the various data analysis techniques available. Whichever the technique, the analysis process will have to go through the phases of specifying data requirements, data collection from the various sources, data processing, data cleaning, exploratory data analysis and modelling. We will make use of an automated data processing and analysis software like SAS for quantitative data. However, since there is a significant amount of qualitative data to be collected in this research, qualitative data analysis techniques will have to be applied. Qualitative data analysis is usually more objective compared to quantitative. The quantitative data will mostly be used to support qualitative data.
INTERVIEW AGENDA
Introductions
- Brief the interview participants of the purpose of the interview and the research
- Explain how long the interview shall take
- Explain to them that the information collected will be held confidential and that it will be used for the purpose of this research only
- To make the participants feel at ease by cracking a joke or two; or even beginning with some gossip
Interview questions for foreign students studying in any Australian university
- How happy are you with the study environment, academic delivery, the student community and general life here in Australia?
- How can you compare the quality of academic instruction here in Australia with that of your home country?
- How do education regulations here compare with those in your home country?
Interview questions for Indian students studying in any Australian university
- Why did you choose to study in Australia?
- How do you describe your socioeconomic background?
- What issues regarding higher education in your country would you describe as pressing and need immediate intervention?
- Do you wish to study and go back to your country or will you be seeking employment here after you finish?
- How are your studies in Australia funded; did you get a government scholarship, do you have a sponsor or you support yourself?
- What motivates you the most during your period of stay in Australia?
- How did you find out about the university and the program you are studying for?
- What is the success rate of academic agents in your country with regard to assistance in seeking scholarships and visa processing?
- What are your expectations after completing this course of study?
- Please describe the relevance of your course of study with reference to solving socioeconomic issues in your country
- What do you think about the recent violent racial attacks and robberies particularly against members of your community?
- How do you assess the quality of education in your country?
Closing
Thank the participants once again for their time.
KEY VARIABLES
The data collection for this research includes both qualitative and quantitative data. Therefore, the data collected will contain both qualitative and quantitative variables.
The key quantitative variables to be collected in this research include:
- The total number of overseas students studying in Australian universities
- The total number of local students studying in Australian universities
- Average living and study expenses
The key qualitative variables to be collected in this research include:
- The general socioeconomic categories to which students belong
- Factors that inspire and motivate students studying in Australian universities
- Level of satisfaction of foreign students with Australian educational systems
POPULATION SAMPLING
The main purpose of sampling the population of this research as with any other is to find approximate values of certain variables among the population under study. Various sampling techniques are used depending on the requirements and what is feasible at the moment. Although other methods are applicable, for a population like this which is moderately stratified, stratified random sampling will be an excellent way to sample the population (Levy & Lemeshaw, 2013). This will therefore be the preferred sampling method in this research.
The population will be divided into three groups of local students, overseas students from India and overseas students from other parts of the world. Then from the strata we will select simple random probability samples.
ETHICAL ISSUES
Ethical considerations are a requisite for every research (Erwin, Gendin & Kleiman, 2015). We will try to address any ethical issues that might arise from the project research. There are a various descriptions that will specify the system of ethical protections that guide today’s researcher to protect participants’ data. One principle is that of voluntary participation. It specifies that the researcher does not coerce a participant to extort information from them. This is notably applicable to researches done in universities, prisons and other places with some degree of confinement. Some researchers in these environments cannot resist the temptation to coerce participants to involuntarily provide information. The coercion can be in a form of blackmail, threats, or even promise for reward. All these tricks will be avoided in this research as they may not collect honest information from the participants.
The other principle that is quite related to voluntary participation is the principle of informed consent. This principle basically requires that the researcher clearly and comprehensively informs the participant of the process of data collection and everything that will be involved. Participants must be informed of how the data will be used and if there will be any risk involved with their participation. A researcher may conceal information, especially if they think that such information may prevent the participant from participating in the research (Robson & McCartan, 2016).
Ethical standards also require that researchers aren’t putting the participants in a situation where they might be at risk of harm as a result of their participation. Harm in this context refers to both physical and psychological damage. Almost all research guarantees the participant confidentiality (Adinoff et al, 2013 p. 78). Anonymity in itself as a principle is a strong guarantee of privacy, though it can be difficult to achieve. In recent history, researchers have had to deal with the ethical issue of protecting a person’s right to service (Seidman, 2013 p. 56).
Even when clear ethical standards and principles exist, there will be times when the need to do collect useful research data has to compromise ethics and the rights of participants and no set of
standards is likely to cover every issue related to ethics. Furthermore, there needs to be a procedure that assures that researchers will consider all relevant ethical issues in formulating research plans. Confidentiality issues: The survey will seek to collect data on local students’ perceptions of foreign students, motivation for studying in Australia and various issues generally affecting student life in Australian universities. Participants of the survey may have to divulge personal information that could cause them embarrassment and therefore find it difficult to answer honestly. However, this issue can be addressed by data collected through focus groups. Data collected through the focus groups will be from peer-to-peer which will allow the participants of the survey to be at ease and trust the researcher.
Trespassing: We might be forced at one moment or another to enter unauthorised spaces to collect data. This might include entry into campuses that prohibit entry without a valid student/ staff identification card. Though this might be inevitable for some targets or strategies like focus groups and interviews, questionnaires will definitely be admissible.
REFERENCES
Adinoff, B., Conley, R. R., Taylor, S. F., & Chezem, L. L. (2013). Protecting confidentiality in human research. American Journal of Psychiatry.
Amaral, A., Jones, G. A., & Karseth, B. (Eds.). (2013). Governing higher education: National perspectives on institutional governance (Vol. 2). Springer Science & Business Media.
Barro, R. J., & Lee, J. W. (2013). A new data set of educational attainment in the world, 1950–2010. Journal of development economics, 104, 184-198.
Bezes, P., Boin, A., Fleischer, J., Freiberg, A., Kodate, N., Lewis, D. E., & Musselin, C. (2015). Regulating higher education. The regulation of higher education, 1.
Bhandari, R., & Blumenthal, P. (2013). International students and global mobility in higher education: National trends and new directions. International Studies, 1(11), 316-317.
Choudaha, R., & Chang, L. (2012). Trends in international student mobility. World Education News & Reviews, 25(2).
Erwin, E., Gendin, S., & Kleiman, L. (Eds.). (2015). Ethical issues in scientific research: An anthology. Routledge.
Goodman, J. K., Cryder, C. E., & Cheema, A. (2013). Data collection in a flat world: The strengths and weaknesses of Mechanical Turk samples. Journal of Behavioral Decision Making, 26(3), 213-224.
Hemsley-Brown, J., & Oplatka, I. (2016). Context and Concepts of Higher Education Consumer Choice. In Higher Education Consumer Choice (pp. 14-43). Palgrave Macmillan UK.
Judson, K. M., & Taylor, S. A. (2014). Moving from marketization to marketing of higher education: The co-creation of value in higher education. Higher Education Studies, 4(1), 51.
Kaiser, F., Maassen, P., Meek, L., van Vught, F., de Weert, E., & Goedegebuure, L. (Eds.). (2014). Higher education policy: An international comparative perspective. Elsevier.
Knight, J. (2013). The changing landscape of higher education internationalisation–for better or worse?. Perspectives: Policy and Practice in Higher Education, 17(3), 84-90.
Levy, P. S., & Lemeshow, S. (2013). Sampling of populations: methods and applications. John Wiley & Sons.
Palfreyman, D., & Tapper, T. (2016). The marketization of English higher education and the financing of tuition fees. London Review of Education, 14(1), 47-55.
Palinkas, L. A., Horwitz, S. M., Green, C. A., Wisdom, J. P., Duan, N., & Hoagwood, K. (2015). Purposeful sampling for qualitative data collection and analysis in mixed method implementation research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), 533-544.
Robson, C., & McCartan, K. (2016). Real world research. Wiley.
Seidman, I. (2013). Interviewing as qualitative research: A guide for researchers in education and the social sciences. Teachers college press.
