THE POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH STUDENT EXPERIENCE IN MALAYSIA AND AUSTRALIA: Implications for Global Higher Education

Transcription

1 THE POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH STUDENT EXPERIENCE IN MALAYSIA AND AUSTRALIA: Implications for Global Higher Education Vincent PANG Universiti Malaysia Sabah /National Higher Education Research Institute Malaysia /School of Education, Charles Darwin University Yew Lie KOO National Higher Education Research Institute Malaysia /School of Education, Charles Darwin University /Faculty of Languages and Cultures, SOAS, University of London

2 BACKGROUND

3 Background of HE in Malaysia 1949, University of Malaya (Singapore), Early 1970 s USM, UKM, UPM 1991: Vision : New Education Act, 1996: Private Higher Education Institutions Act 1996: National Council on HE Act 1997: National Higher Education Fund Act 2007: Malaysian Qualifications Agency Act

4 HE Policy Infrastructure National Higher Education Strategic Plan 2007 National Higher Education Action Plan (NHEAP) Phase 1, NHEAP Phase NHEAP Phase 2 Global Outreach through Soft Power Higher Education Blueprint 2015 (in progress)

5 Background of HE in Australia s: University of Sydney (first Australian university), University of Melbourne, University of Adelaide, University of Tasmania, University of Queensland and University of Western Australia. 1920: Australian Vice-Chancellors Committee (AVCC) 1926: the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) 1942: Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme (CRTS) the Mills Committee Inquiry, led to State Grants (Universities) Act : the Committee on Australian Universities

6 Background of HE in Australia 1957: The Murray Committee Inquiry of 1957 led to establishment of Australian Universities Commission (AUC). 1958: States Grants (Universities) Act 1960s and 70s: Macquarie University (1964), La Trobe University (1964), the University of Newcastle (1965), Flinders University (1966), James Cook University (1970), Griffith University (1971), Deakin University (1974), Murdoch University (1975), University of Wollongong (1975) were established. 1973, university fees were abolished; the university participation rate increased Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission (CTEC) 1980s: Bond University, Australia's first private university.

7 Mid-1980s: university study fees gradually reintroduced. 1989:The Higher Education Contributions Scheme (HECS) Early 1990 s: Unified national system compressed formerly three-tier tertiary education system into a two-tier system university education and Technical and Further Education (TAFE). 1990s,: Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) 1996: Tuition fees are charged on the basis of the perceived value of courses. 2005: Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP) replaces the HECS.

8 : Tougher student visa rules are introduced by Australian immigration in order to clamp down on low-quality, private education providers and prevent young people from studying in Australia simply as a means of obtaining permanent residency. Reports of violence against Indian international students prompt diplomatic efforts to salvage Australia s reputation as a destination for international students. 2009: The government abolishes caps on student numbers for bachelor s degrees, though government funding for unlimited student enrolment does not begin until : Following a drop in international student numbers, visa requirements are relaxed. Post-study work visas of two to four years are introduced for students completing a bachelor s degree in the country. May 2014: Under the latest reforms to higher education, the cap on tuition fees was removed, allowing universities to charge what they like. Public funding for courses was slashed by 20% and graduates are to pay back their HELP loans sooner. Universities are required to put at least 20% of any extra fees towards a scholarship scheme (??)

9 We have similar view on teaching and research

10 Quite similar in doctoral training

11 Questions How does PRSE differ between Australia and Malaysia in terms of: PRSE domains? PRSE items in each of the domains? PRSE domains across personal and program characteristics? What can Malaysia (and other new higher education providing countries) learn from Australia in PRSE?

12 PRSE - AUSTRALIA

13 The Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire (PREQ) Part of the Australian Graduate Survey (AGS), an annual survey of university graduates developed by Graduate Careers Australia (GCA). Seven scales (28 items in total) : i. supervision (6 items), ii. intellectual climate (5 items), iii. skill development (5 items), iv. infrastructure (5 items), v. thesis examination (3 items), vi. clarity of goals and expectations (3 items), vii. overall satisfaction (1 item).

14 PRSE- MALAYSIA

15 MyPREQ Dimensions Park et al, 2007; Kulej & Wells, 2009; Park, 2009; Graduate Careers Australia (2010) Park et. al, 2007; Park, 2009; Curtin University, 2011 Proposal Defense & Thesis Examination System, Infrastructure & Research Resources Intellectual Climate Kulej & Wells, 2009; Park, 2009; Graduate Careers Australia, 2011 Gudykunst &Kim, 2003; Guilfoyle, 2004; Lustig & Koester, 2006; Evelin, 2007; Koo, Yuan & Safinaz, 2012 Intercultural Communication needs and support MyPREQ Supervision Park et. al. 2007; Park, 2009; Graduate Careers Australia, 2011 International Exposure Research Skills Development MoHE, 2011b Brown, 2008; Essa, 2011 English Language Communication & Support Ballantyne, 2004; Kulej & Wells, 2009; Park, 2009 Professional Development Roles & Responsibilities Park et al. (2007); Park, 2009; University of Sydney, 2010; Graduate Careers Australia, 2011 Park et al, 2007; Park, 2009; Graduate Careers Australia, 2011

16 Malaysia MyPREQ (IPPTN) Dimension No. of items Cronbach s Alpha Postgraduates Supervision Experience Intellectual Climate Research Skill Development System, Infrastructure and Research Resources Roles and Responsibilities Professional Development of Students as Knowledge Workers English Language Communication Needs and Support in A Research Context International Exposure in Research Environment Intercultural Communication Needs and Support Proposal Defence and Thesis Examination Overall

17 METHOD

18 Matching each of the PREQ (AU) 28 items with some of the MyPREQ (MY) (out of 116 items) For AU items that do not have perfect match from MY items, equivalent proxy items are used to match.

19 Meta-analysis of PRSE of Malaysia (2012) and Australia (2013) Effect size Comparison of frequencies

20 PRSE COMPARISON OF RESPONDENT PROFILES

21 Table 2.1: Programme Characteristics Field Broad Field of Education Research masters Australia Research doctorate All research graduates Malaysia Research doctorate n % n % n % n % Natural and Physical Sciences , Information Technology Engineering and Related Technologies Architecture and Building Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies Health Education Management and Commerce Society and Culture , Creative Arts About the same distribution according to broader fields: The differences are due to variations in clustering of fields

22 Table 2.1: PREQ Programme Characteristics Attendance Type Main attendance type Mainly full time Mainly part time Research masters Australia Research doctorate All research graduates Malaysia Research doctorate n % n % n % n % , , , , MY sample has higher proportion of full time doctoral students.

23 Table 2.2: PREQ Personal Particulars Sex Graduate age Permanent resident Main language at home Research masters Australia Research doctorate All research graduates Malaysia Research doctorate n % n % n % n % Male , , Female , , Unknown or under , , Over , , Yes , , No , , English , , Other , , MY - slightly more males %, less permanent residents %, extremely less % of English used as main language at home MY and AU equal proportion according to age categories

24 PRSE COMPARISON OF DIMENSION SCORES

25 Table 3: 2013 PREQ scale descriptive statistics Australia Malaysia Comparison Scale score Scale score n X s n X s Effect size Supervision 4, NIL Intellectual Climate Skill Development Diff. 4, NIL 4, SMALL Infrastructure 4, MEDIUM Thesis Examination Goals and Expectations Overall Satisfaction 4, SMALL 4, , SMALL MY moderately lower in Infrastructure, - Slightly lower in Skill Devt, Thesis Exam, Overall Satisfaction

26 PRSE COMPARISON OF ITEM SCORES

27 Table 4: PREQ item descriptive statistics SUPERVISION A M A M A M A M A M PREQ 01 Supervision was available when I needed it. A 1.4 My supervisor(s) make(s) himself/ herself/themselves available whenever I need him/her/them. PREQ 07 My supervisor/s made a real effort to understand difficulties I faced. A 1.11 My supervisor(s) make(s) efforts to understand my difficulties. PREQ 13 My supervisor/s provided additional information relevant to my topic. A 1.17 My supervisor(s) has/have the academic subject knowledge to support my research. PREQ 21 My supervisor/s provided helpful feedback on my progress. A 1.7 My supervisor(s) provide(s) constructive feedback on my progress. PREQ 24 I received good guidance in my literature search. A 1.15 My supervisor(s) has/have the academic skills to support my research. n X s 4, , , , , , , , , , Effect size Difference SMALL SMALL NIL NIL SMALL Note: A = Australia; M = Malaysia

28 INTELLECTUAL CLIMATE A M A M A M A M PREQ 05 The department provided opportunities for social contact with other postgraduate students. B 1.3 My institution provides opportunities for intellectual interaction with professional communities. PREQ 09 I was integrated into the department s community. B 1.5 My institution makes me feel integrated into my institution community. PREQ 16 The department provided opportunities for me to become involved in the broader research culture. B 1.6 My institution provides opportunities for me to be involved in the research practices of the global community. PREQ 22 A good seminar program for postgraduate students was provided. B 1.4 My institution provides opportunities for intellectual interaction with academic communities. n X s 4, , , , , , , , Effect size Difference SMALL NIL NIL NIL Note: A = Australia; M = Malaysia

29 SKILL DEVELOPMENT A M A M A M A M PREQ 06 My research further developed my problem-solving skills. C 1.4 My research experience develops my problem-solving skills. PREQ 10 I learned to develop my ideas and present them in my written work. C 1.5 My research experience develops my academic writing skills. PREQ 14 My research sharpened my analytic skills. C 1.1 My research experience develops my analytical skills. PREQ 20 Doing my research helped me to develop my ability to plan my own work. C 1.6 My research experience develops my research skills. n X s 4, , , , , , , , Effect size Difference SMALL SMALL MEDIUM SMALL Note: A = Australia; M = Malaysia

30 INFRASTRUCTURE A M PREQ 03 I had access to a suitable working space. D 1.7 I have a suitable personal working space. n X s Effect size Difference 4, MEDIUM 1, A PREQ 08 I had good access to the technical support I needed. 4, M D 1.3 I have easy access to technical services (e.g. lab assistant, technical specialists, etc). 1, SMALL A M PREQ 12 I was able to organise good access to necessary equipment. D 1.9 I have easy access to the latest equipment for my research (e.g. machines, instruments, etc). 4, , LARGE A PREQ 18 I had good access to computing facilities and services. 4, NIL M D 1.6 I have easy access to internet facilities. 1, A PREQ 27 There was appropriate financial support for research activities. 4, SMALL M D 1.8 I have sufficient financial support. 1,

31 THESIS EXAMINATION A M A M A M PREQ 02 The thesis examination process was fair. J 3.4 The thesis examination process was transparent. PREQ 15 I was satisfied with the thesis examination process. K 1.10 I am satisfied with the proposal defence and thesis examination process. PREQ 25 The examination of my thesis was completed in a reasonable time. J 3.3 The examination of my thesis was completed in a reasonable timescale. n X s 4, , , , , , Effect size Differenc e MEDIUM SMALL NIL Note: A = Australia; M = Malaysia

32 OVERALL SATISFACTION A M PREQ 28 Overall, I was satisfied with the quality of my higher degree research experience. K 1.1 I am satisfied with my supervision experience. n X s Effect size Difference 4, SMALL 1, Note: A = Australia; M = Malaysia

33 PRSE COMPARISON BY PERSONAL AND PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS

34 Table 6: PREQ scale mean percentage agreement scores by broad field of education Supervision Intellectual Climate Skill Development Infrastructure Natural and Physical Sciences Engineering and Related Technologies A A M A A M A A M A A M RM RD RD RM RD RD RM RD RD RM RD RD Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies Health Education Society and Culture Creative Arts Note: A = Australia; M = Malaysia; RM = Research Masters; RD = Research Doctorate

35 Natural and Physical Sciences Engineering and Related Technologies Agriculture, Environmental and Related Studies Thesis Examination Overall Satisfaction A A M A A M RM RD RD RM RD RD Health Education Society and Culture Creative Arts AU higher agreement % in all fields for all domains of PRSE, with the exception of Education higher in Intellectual Climate in MY Society and Culture, and Creative Arts higher in Supervision in MY

36 Table 9: 2013 PREQ scale mean percentage agreement scores by attendance type Full-time students Parttime students Australia Malaysia % n % n Supervision , Intellectual Climate , Skill Development , Infrastructure , Thesis Examination , Overall Satisfaction , Supervision , Intellectual Climate , Skill Development , Infrastructure , Thesis Examination , Overall Satisfaction , MY higher agreement % for Supervision, Intellectual Climate MY - Higher agreement % for all domains compared for part-time students compared to full time students. The opposite for AU.

37 Table 10: 2013 PREQ scale mean percentage agreement scores by sex Males Females Australia Malaysia % n % n Supervision , Intellectual Climate , Skill Development , Infrastructure , Thesis Examination , Overall Satisfaction , Supervision , Intellectual Climate , Skill Development , Infrastructure , Thesis Examination , Overall Satisfaction , AU higher agreement % in all domains. AU and MY males have higher agreement % in all domains

38 Table 11: 2013 PREQ scale mean percentage agreement scores by age group Australia Malaysia % n % n 40 years and under Over 40 years Supervision , Intellectual Climate , Skill Development , Infrastructure , Thesis Examination , Overall Satisfaction , Supervision , Intellectual Climate , Skill Development , Infrastructure , Thesis Examination , Overall Satisfaction , AU higher agreement % in most domains AU and MY higher agreement among those 40 years and under

39 Table 12: 2013 PREQ scale mean percentage agreement scores by permanent resident status Australia Malaysia % n % n Supervision , Intellectual Climate , Residents Skill Development , Infrastructure , Thesis Examination , Overall Satisfaction , Supervision , Intellectual Climate , Nonresidents Skill Development , Infrastructure , Thesis Examination , Overall Satisfaction , MY higher agreement % in Supervision and Intellectual Climate among residents MY generally higher agreement % among residents. AU higher agreement % among non-residents.

40 Table 3X: 2013 PREQ scale mean percentage agreement scores by language background Non-English Speaking Background English Speaking Background Australia Malaysia % n % n Supervision , ,256 Intellectual Climate , ,259 Skill Development , ,265 Infrastructure , ,005 Thesis Examination , Overall Satisfaction , Supervision , Intellectual Climate , Skill Development , Infrastructure , Thesis Examination , Overall Satisfaction , MY Those with English speaking background have higher agreement % for Supervision and Intellectual Climate MY and AU those with non-english speaking background have higher agreement on all domains

41 CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS

42 1. Overall satisfaction: Malaysia study although sharing some common grounds in terms of all dimensions, showered lower levels of satisfaction. Malaysia is an emergent provider of international student provision and in postgraduate education. It should share with and learn from Australia s advanced HE system on enhancing quality including in postgraduate education in terms of strong academic programmes, research and innovation, student learning and teaching etc. Equity issues involving access and success for students are involved (ACU, 2012) in internationalisation. Malaysia has been critiqued for being too focused on quantitative aspects of internationalisation and postgraduate education provision but lamentably, less on substantive areas related to skills hub and innovation hub (Knight & Morshidi, 2012)

43 Differences in PRSE domains Specifically, Malaysia scored moderately lower in Infrastructure, with student concern around access to equipment and personal space. Recommendations that Malaysia works in partnership with Australia HEIs re; improvement of infrastructure and support Specifically, findings from PRSE Malaysian data revealed slightly lower scores in Skills Development primarily in terms of analytical skills. This points to a need for academic programmes and capacity building and evaluation, as analysis is considered a key global competency for knowledge construction. Malaysians scored slighlty lower in thesis Examination. More transparency needed. We should learn from Australia the governance aspects of postgraduate education.

44 PRSE COMPARISON BY PERSONAL AND PROGRAM CHARACTERISTICS Generally Malaysia features less well in terms of PRSE across all fields Athough Malaysian study showed higher agreement % for Supervision, Intellectual Climate and less for other dimensions, there is work to be done across the other dimensions. For the fields of Education, MY scored higher in Intellectual Climate; and for Society and Culture, and Creative Arts MY scored higher in Supervision. This provide an opportunity for curriculum planners and implementers in MY to study the reasons and perhaps learn something from these fields. AU and MY males have higher agreement % in all domains as compared to females suggests that attention should be paid to equitable access and to ensure a positive even experience across the gender dimension. AU and MY higher agreement among those 40 years and under. This seems to suggest that there may be generational issues involved in terms of provision. It is caused by better actual PRSE provision to the juniors or higher expectation among the seniors?

45 MY higher agreement % in Supervision and Intellectual Climate among residents. This may suggest that non residents may not be receiving equitable provision, a cause for further investigation and action. Generally higher agreement % among residents in MY, but higher of that among non-residents in AU. This suggest a similar concern HE marketing issue why is there less satisfaction among non residents in Malaysia? Are intercultural issues involved in terms of support and experience? How can we learn from Australia which provides better PRSE to non-residents?

46 MY Those with English speaking background have higher agreement % for Supervision and Intellectual Climate. Again, it raises the question as to whether English language proficiency is creating divides. What the academic and learning support, for those who are from multilingual backgrounds whose English speaking background does not provide for strong proficiency, to ensure equity and success? MY and AU those with non-english speaking background have higher agreement on all domains. This is intriguing shared cultures of non English speaking backgrounds (likely multilingual). What are those shared cultures that have influenced perception of their experience in Australia and Malaysia? A possible researchable area.

47 Questions about the English language in higher education in the Asia Pacific have been raised by Kell and Vogl (2007) who explore how international students English language proficiency use influences their international experience. Kell and Vogl provide rich insights into the experiences of international students in Australia, their interactions within and outside the university. Their study indicated as to how international students found their earlier learning of English had prepared them differentially for academic and community life in Australia. Kell and Vogl argue that institutional expectations that students will get on without the needed support from institutions is misguided, a product of the laize faire approach to higher education in Australia.

48 The issues raised around access to equity and success of students may be a call for joint research on a reconceptualisation of what is to learn and to know in global HE systems with a commitment to equitable knowledge making in HE systems which are presently (in neoliberal environments) mostly unequal and competitive. In relation to dominant assumptions of an idealised English language proficiency (IELTS as the main measure) may deny multilingual and culturally diverse communities and their subjects (forming a part of the international student community) their voice, ways of knowing, representation and agency in knowledge systems. Kell and Vogl (2007), argue that institutional expectations that students will get on without the needed support from institutions is misguided, a product of the laizze faire approach to higher education in Australia.

49 More research opportunities? Australia as a matured leader of Postgraduate education and internationalisation as compared to Malaysia as a emerging provider whom we can learn from and share with. Given the rising role of supraregional trends in HE, collaboration and partnerships between Malaysia Australia seems increasingly important. (World Bank, 2011). To begin with, a PRSE study between CDU Australia and IPPTN Malaysia with a focus on the following: (1) the knowledge dimensions of teaching and learning, supervision, research and innovation specifically matters related to the border - crossing movement of knowledge (Tiechler 2004) in Law, Education, Business and the Arts

50 (2) PRSE related to 4 non-traditional domains used in MY which was not used in PREQ (AU): Professional Development of Students as Knowledge Workers English Language Communication Needs and Support in A Research Context International Exposure in Research Environment Intercultural Communication Needs and Support

51