Learning in an Australian university : Asian international students' perspectives /
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(Published version)
Date
2009
Authors
Wong, Kee-Kuok
Wong, Kee-Kuok
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thesis
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Abstract
Although quality in higher education has been widely studied by many researchers, very few investigations have been carried out on Asian international students' perspectives. This program of research, comprising three linked studies, has adopted a mixed method approach to investigate Asian international students' learning experiences in an Australian university and their perception of the quality of their programs. In Study One, a broad survey was used to elicit information concerning the meaning of quality in higher education. In Study Two, interviews were conducted to gain further insight into Asian international students' understanding of their learning situation. Study Three further analysed interview data to develop an understanding of the students' perceptions of their learning outcomes. A total of 78 students responded in the survey and 31 students (15 for Study Two and 16 for Study Three) took part in the interviews. The results show that Asian international students regard the quality of the academic staff and the program content as most important when assessing the quality of a program. They claimed that many lecturers in their university were able to teach based on real life experiences, and the university's work placement experiences for students had enabled them to gain knowledge and skills that were relevant to the real world.Asian international students acknowledged they had come from a teacher-centred educational background. Even though they have had different prior learning experiences from that in Australia, the majority of them still preferred the more student-centred approach of teaching and learning practised by this university. This study further shows that where there was rapport between the Asian students and their lecturers, Asian students were more able to adopt the approach of teaching and learning used in their Australian university. One of the main obstacles to Asian international students receiving high quality education in an Australian university was their poor English proficiency. They faced some initial difficulties in understanding lectures and communicating with their lecturers. Some Asian students also believed that those students who studied the whole program in Australia could learn more effectively than those who began their studies in their home countries under a twinning program because they spent a longer time acquiring the knowledge and skills needed.This set of research projects shows that students' perceptions of the quality of their programs are influenced by their prior experiences, their perception of their learning situation and their perception of their future careers. A Transitional Contextual Learning Model has been suggested to represent these relationships.
School/Discipline
University of South Australia School of Education
UniSA Education Futures
UniSA Education Futures
Dissertation Note
Thesis (DEducation)--University of South Australia, 2009
Provenance
Copyright 2009 Kee-Kuok Wong
Description
en-aus
1 ethesis :
colour illustrations.
Includes bibliographical references (pages )
1 ethesis :
colour illustrations.
Includes bibliographical references (pages )
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