The Effect and Reason for Students Choose Study at the University of Canberra - Research Paper Example

The Effect and Reason for Students Choose Study in University of Canberra Name Institution Name Date Acknowledgement On behalf of the research team, I would to thank everyone who ensured that this report has been completed successfully Ethics Ethics was a key during the research and it ensured that participants were volunteers, participants’ identity was not disclosed, the objective of the research was made clear and all of them filled a consent form and it is available at appendix. Abstract The objective the research project determines why students choose to study at University of Canberra. There are various factors that influence students to choose UC, for instance, their preferred major, location UC since most of them prefer its location since it is at the heart of a city Australia, some choose it because they are likely be employed since it has a high employment rate. The research project also sought to determine why students are attracted to UC, some of the factors considered included quality of education, capital city and school facility. The research was limited to 40 first year students to help determine why UC was their preferred choice. The survey was done randomly and the participants confirmed their participation by sending email. A fraction of students who participated in the survey participated in interviews and focus group. Contents Acknowledgement 2 Ethics 3 Abstract 4 Contents 5 Introduction 7 Literature review 9 Introduction 9 Research design: method and methodology 16 Problem statement 16 Significance of the research 16 Purpose of the research 17 Research method 17 Qualitative method 18 Data collection 18 Participants 18 Procedure 19 Results 19 International and domestic students that participated in the survey 20 What attracts students to UC 22 Qualitative results 22 Focus group 22 Interviews 22 Discussion 22 Conclusion 23 Recommendations 23 References 24 Appendix 26 Table 2 showing project planning/ Gant Chart 28 28 Introduction 1. There are many tertiary institutions in Australia and most of these institutions are offering courses that the market demands. There is numerous research works that has been done before by many scholars. Noteworthy, there is no research that has been conducted on why students would select the University of Canberra (UC). 2. The bastion objective of conducting this research is to find reasons why student choose to study at University of Canberra. Information contained in this report will be instrumental to UC since it will inform them why students choose to study at UC over institutions. UC will also be able to understand its weak points and it will be able to develop ways of improving on the weakness. 3. Evidently, UC has many international students compared to local students. This report will be able to find out why this is the case at UC. 4. University of Canberra is a public university situated in Bruce, Canberra. It became operational in 1967 as Canberra College of Advanced Education. The institution offers undergraduates along with postgraduate courses that cover six main learning areas: Health, Education, Business, Government and law, Applied Sciences, Engineering and Information Sciences. The institution has also partnered with University of Canberra High School and UC senior Secondary College Lake Ginninderra. The institution is funded by the Australian Government and students as well. 5. This report will also seek to find out factor effects for students choose to study in UC. Scope a. The research needs to be completed by 1st November 2015 b. The participants in the focus group, survey and interviews have been limited c. Mixed methodologies needs to be used to complete the project The research will have to do the following tasks a) Task 1: survey about 15-25 students at UC. Each student will be required to answer all the survey questions to determine why he or she chose to study at UC. This survey will help in identifying why a student will choose UC to be his university of choice. b) Task 2: conduct focus group discussion with 5 students who participated during the survey. One research member will have to take about two hours conducting further questioning of members who took part in the survey. The focus group discussion will help in providing great insight as to why a student will consider UC to be attractive and which issues he or she feels the institution needs to address so that it can be attractive to its future students. c) Task 3: interview five UC students individually. One member of the research will be required to spend one hour interviewing five UC students who took part during the survey. During interviews, the researcher will have to explore in great details some answers students provided by the students during the survey. The research will also have to spend an additional three hours compiling a post-interview report for each student. The interviews will give much fidelity to information acquired during the survey. d) Task 4: compiling and assessing data. Research team members will compile as well as analyse the collected data, and develop a summary of the report findings. The report will make some recommendations to the UC regarding issues that should be addressed so that the institution can be more marketable. e) for more information about the budget and timeline for the research project, please refer to an Gantt chart as well as budget. Literature review Introduction There are various institutions of higher learning in Australia and in the world. Worldwide universities which are concerned about quality, their position in both national as well as international markets as well as their image both at home and abroad are always out for a competitive edge. Evidently, competition can encourage quality learning, and can also make universities to spend their most their resources in improving their image. Comprehending the type of academic competition can be instrumental in sharpening the institution’s strategy as well as highlight what is very important. National and global rankings play an important role in the competition since it reflects as well as stimulates competition. The method of ranking is subject to criticism but the method is now a developed aspect of the tertiary institution landscape since it provides information universities and the students. Ranking are also important since they can be used by the government in fund allocation or determining the academic mission or the benchmarking against other institutions. Competition higher learning institutions The previous decades has experienced sweeping changes in the higher learning landscape, the most important has been increased competition in post-secondary market environment. Online learning has become very popular and this has enhanced competitive advantage of local institutions which has catapulted them into a universal level. Simultaneously, there are many higher learning institutions that have become operational. Consequently, this implies that students have to choose between the many institutions which one they prefers and their choice is mostly hinged on the major course they would like to pursue, location of the institution, employment rate, school facilities, education quality, affordability and competitiveness of the institution among other factors (Tapper & Palfreyman, 2012; McMahon, 2010). The dawn of mass higher learning has changed many aspects regarding higher learning. In many countries most age groups take part in tertiary learning. There are some countries that have more 70% of the population are taking part or participated in higher learning. This implies that there is an immense expansion of higher learning. Many students are studying abroad and the number continues to balloon this can be attributed to wide use of internet in institutions marketing strategy. Most students prefer studying in their best preferred institutions and most of these institutions are always after recruiting international students so that they can earn more money from tuition fees and enhance their prestige. Higher learning institutions especially in Canada, Australia, United States, United Kingdom and various European countries are always after bright students from various parts of the world to join their universities. Additionally, there is a lot of ‘poaching’ whereby universities are luring professors to take up jobs outside their home country with promises of high salary and perks. Evidently, competition is has now very common in the education sector and both students and teachers have helped in fanning the competition (Veloutsou, Lewis & Paton, 2004; Saliterer & Rondo-Brovetto, 2011). Just like a double edged sword academic competition has its two sides, good and bad. Higher learning institutions are more likely to emulate how prestigious universities operate. This can be counterproductive bearing in mind that different institutions of higher learning have different learning environment, mission, vision, objective as well as courses being offered. This implies that all higher learning institutions cannot be the same bearing in mind that they have different models of operation therefore emulating how another university operates can be misleading and this can detrimental to its performance since it will cause a lot confusion. For instance, in US many universities are spending or have spent significant sums of money constructing facilities not because they are required but they only would only like to match what their peers have (Hughey, Nelson & Damminger, 2012). Competition is effective for institutions in big leagues and develops problems for others. Competition also makes the institution to be on toes therefore forcing them to develop novel ideas, put emphasis on quality teaching and benchmark against its peers. Factors to consider when choosing university to study There are various factors that prompt choice and selection of universities in most cases the choice is bound on what they consider competitively, academically, financially and practicably plausible. According to a research conducted by Slocum (2008), he looked at searches as well as choice processes of Brazil student’s selection of higher learning institutions. In Slocum (2008), he argues that familial and personal finances as well as knowledge of the entire admission process greatly constrained low SES participant’s choices, while high and middle SES participants had high financial resources at their disposal and were very knowledgeable regarding the process, therefore broadening possibilities at their disposal. Broadening of opportunities was important to the upper and middle class to hedge their bets, applications through applying in various universities that entailed backup or safety schools and majors (Heaney, Ryan, & Heaney, 2010). Captivatingly, most students stated that their choice of particular universities was not in any was influenced by the presence of affirmative action programs, therefore implying that PUR or RU would be included in their choices. Most of the applicants did not mention the programs were an additional advantage since they considered that their chances of being accepted was higher, the universities admit them and there would be students who have similar background attending the same university. The most outstanding difference in class is about how perceived prestige and problems in competition for specific majors affected students decision to choose particular majors and universities. Highly preferred majors, such as law, medicine and engineering are very competitive; consequently, most students concerned about gaining entry into a university than what major to be pursued seek majors that are less competitive. This kind of tendency affected most low SES students compared to high and middle SES students. According to Slocum (2008), research students arrived at their decision based on the framework of vestibular exams. For instance, if a student was not perfect at, fond of, or lacked access to a specific subject, for instance, physics or chemistry they seek vestibular exams which lacked these subjects, some of the students would even eliminate majors and universities based on these approach. According to Slocum (2008), most of the low SES participants lacked exposure or had inadequate contact with higher-level math, hard sciences or foreign language instruction. Consequently, most of them shunned away from vestibular exams that tested these subjects. Evidently, it suggests that the admission model had an instrumental role in determining choices which the informants considered plausible basing on their education background. According to Slocum (2008), the impacts were very common among mulatto and black students who were represented disproportionately in low SES group. According to Slocum (2008), his research indicated that an average of 2.57 participants attempted vestibular exams. This varied drastically according to social class since averagely, low SES informants did 1.95 exams, and middle-class students did 2.8 exams, and high SES students did 3.71 exams. According to the research, PUR participants attempted few exams (2.5) on average compared to RU which was 2.91. White students did 2.89 exams while negro students attempted a paltry 1.81 exams (Slocum, 2008). According to the research study, three students had done exams in universities outside Rio de Janeiro. All the three were high or middle SES students who were enrolled at RU. Bearing in mind that students need to commute to the specific university to do exams which can be very costly and most students live with their family. a) Finances According to the research conducted by Slocum (2008), he revealed that most significant aspects which low SES participants mentioned about university selection entailed: costs, academic programs, religious affiliation, location, competition, university prestige, affirmative action programs. The research indicated among most low SES students, cost a key salient selection aspect when choosing a university. Since public universities have subsidized tuition fees, cost is a key aspect when one considers private universities. This aspect dissuaded most participants from choosing private universities unless they would get scholarship. Chances of getting scholarship when at RU ensured that it was impossible for low SES participants to go there. For instance, a white student who had a scholarship at RU explained that she choose two private universities since she was sure of getting full scholarship. Most low SES students who were interviewed would not attend RU without getting scholarship. Expenses incurred in vestibular exams are instrumental in limiting low SES student’s university choices. Public universities have waivers, noteworthy some private universities give waivers so that they can attract more potential students. Applying for a waiver is also costly since the applicant has to prove that he comes from a low income family. The applicant will have to photocopy many documents to prove that your family cannot afford to pay fees. There are also some universities which ask the applicant to the documents by registered mail which further increases the cost of application. Conclusion from review Presently, there are various institutions of higher learning in the world. These institutions have taken advantage of the mass number of students who are enrolling for higher learning. This has prompted many institutions to be opened so that they can take advantage of the ever-increasing market. As a result of the many universities being opened in various parts of the world it has result in competition among universities since they would like to get more students. University ranking has also exacerbated the competition since they would like to be at the top and get most students enrolling for courses they provide (Rosow & Kriger, 2012). This has made some universities to emulate what best universities are doing so that they can improve on their ranking but this in most cases cannot be successful considering the different environments in which they operate. Some universities have been ‘poaching’ best students and professors. Professors are given the promise of better salaries and higher perk so that they can leave their home country university and join universities abroad. Selection of institution of higher learning is hinged on financial capability of the applicants’ family. In most cases, most low income individuals join public universities since they cannot afford tuition fees in most private universities. On the other hand, students who come from families that have a high income will have variety of options and will not be limited private institutions only. Subject major is also key to choice of institution since one cannot join a university that does not offer the major that he would like to pursue. Research design: method and methodology Problem statement There are various reason that support choice of particular institutions of higher learning. Australia and the world in general have numerous higher learning institution that competes to attract most students and professors as well. There are some universities that have specialized on attracting bright students with the promise of giving them scholarship. On the other hand, professors are also attracted so that they can help the institution in attaining their mission. There is a lot of research that has been in the education sector in general but there is no research that has been done to determine why a student will make University of Canberra his preferred option. Significance of the research Overtime, Australian universities have become very competitive and the number of students joining these universities has increased considerably. Most of the students in most Australian universities are international students. This has resulted in Australian being a key exporter of education as a result it has a lot of revenue from the education sector. This research will be important since it will help in finding out why students prefer certain universities. This information will be helpful in illustrating the strengths and weakness of these universities. Understanding the strengths and weakness will be instrumental to the specific institution since it will be act on its weakness and further improve their strengths. Purpose of the research The objective of this research is to find why students choose University of Canberra. This information will shape how University of Canberra will advertise how it can advertise its strengths and improve on weakness, therefore improving the profile of the institution. Research method Various approaches have been used in conducting this research project. The figure below provides an outline of how mixed methods approach can be used to conduct research. Mixed methods approach The mixed method research has both qualitative and quantitative approaches to collecting, analysing as well as interpreting data when conducting a research. Mixed method approach is important since it helps the researcher to have a better understanding of task at hand since it will allow for completeness, triangulation as well as explanation of the research findings (Doyle, Brady, & Byrne, 2009). Quantitative research This type of research falls under the group of empirical studies. Quantitative modes have been dominant of conducting research in social science. Quantitative design include quasi-experimental studies, experimental studies, pretest-postest designs in which control of variables, randomization as well as valid as well as reliable measures are and generalizability from sample to the population is key task. In quantitative research data is coded according to standardized definitions and priori operational. 15 questions were developed and the survey aimed at collecting data about demographics of the participants, why they choose UC as well as sources used to conduct research about higher learning institutions. Qualitative method This approach enables research team to make assumption basing on the premise that events or object in their projects reality or current state. Focus group and interviews were used when collecting data. Data collection Participants The targeted participants will be limited to 40 first year students at UC since they still have a good recollection of factors that prompted them to join UC. It will also involve three survey participants and about five to eight participants. This will be done basing on their responses. Procedure Firstly, the researcher conducted literature review to get an understanding of the subject. Secondly, the researcher developed a survey that helped in developing participant base. Researchers walked around UC randomly and requested different 60 first years to participate in the survey. Students were asked to send an email to the researcher to confirm that they took part in the survey. Participant’s details were stored and used to contact individual and request them to participate in focus group or interview. The survey was closed when the first 40 participants completed the survey. The researcher identified 5 to 8 individuals to participate in the focus group which was done for 30 minutes and it was focused on why students choose to study at UC. One member of the research team conducted half-hour interview with three UC students who took part during the survey. Results The figure below shows range of survey participants. 0% of the students are less than 18 years, 70% of the students are between 19 and 22, 20% are between 23 and 27 while 10% are more than 27 years. The figure below indicates that 78% of the participants were international students while 22% were domestic students. Therefore, UC has more international students noteworthy the researcher did not get the full list the total student population to ascertain this assertion. International and domestic students that participated in the survey The figure illustrates why students select particular universities. 40% of the respondents base their selection on their major, 30% base their choice on employment rate, 20% of the participants choose basing on the location of the institution while 10% choose based on other aspects. Why students select specific universities The figure below illustrates factors that attract a student to UC. 50% of the respondents are attracted by education quality, 40% of the participants are attracted by the capital city while a meagre 10% is attracted by school facilities. What attracts students to UC Qualitative results Focus group The focus group had eight participants four domestic and four international students. All domestic students when asked why they choose UC they said that they wanted to be get high paying jobs. Domestic students also prefer UC since it is affordable. The international students wanted to have an international reputation. Three of the international students were from Africa and they said that they knew UC from the internet. One of the international students was from China and was referred by his friend to UC. Interviews Three participants were interviewed: one international student from Africa and one international student from China. According to these participants UC was their preferred choice it is the only university in Australia that had offered their combination. The Asian student preferred UC since it offered quality education. The African student was studying at Cape Town University and the university directed him to UC as part of an exchange program. Discussion Secondary data gathered from secondary data during literature review illustrates that most students place emphasis on affordability and course major. Data collected from survey, interview and focus group found that course major plays a key role in determining choice of university. Employment rate also played a role in determining which aspect is important. Most international students would like to be associated with prestigious international universities that offer their majors. Conclusion According to the research conducted it was revealed that UC appeals to most international students and the internet has played a key role in ensuring that it has a large population of international students. It was also revealed that its website is user friendly, nonetheless they need to post information on YouTube regarding the institution so that potential international students can watch the video from the comfort of their home country without having to come and experience what the institution is about. Recommendations UC needs to increase its local market position by ensuring that many local students join the university. Since UC has many international students it should consider opening branches in different continents especially Africa, China and Asia so that it can tap on the ever-increasing market. References Doyle, L., Brady, A.-M., & Byrne, G. (2009). An overview of mixed methods research. Journal of Research in Nursing, 14(2), 175-185. Heaney, J.-G., Ryan, P., & Heaney, M. (2010). Branding private higher education institutions in Australia to international students. Cabarita, New South Wales. Hughey, K., Nelson, D & Damminger, J. (2012). The handbook of career advising. New York: John Wiley & Sons. McMahon, W. (2010). Higher learning, greater good: the private and social benefits of higher education. Baltimore: JHU Press. Rosow, S., & Kriger, T. (2012). Transforming higher education: Economy, democracy and the university. New York: Lexington Books. Saliterer, I., & Rondo-Brovetto, P. (2011). The university as a business. New York: Springer Science & Business Media. Slocum, A. (200). Accessing Brazilian Universities: A comparison of the college of choice processes of students from diverse socioeconomic and racial backgrounds through a social cultural capital lens. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Tapper, T., & Palfreyman, D. (2012). Structuring mass higher education: The role of elite institutions. New York: Routledge. Veloutsou, C., Lewis, J., & Paton, R. (2004). University selection: Information requirements and imporatnce. The International Journal of Educational Management, 18(3), 160-71. Appendix Data Table 1 displays reasons for studying at UC No Type of student Reason for attending UC Result 1 International Major 33% Employment rate 26% Located 10% Other 7% 2 Domestic Major 7% Employment rate 4% Located 10% Other 3% International and domestic student’s classification Survey The following questions were asked during the survey: 1. How old are you? 2. Are you a domestic or international student? 3. Where did you live before coming to UC? Please provide the name of the town and country? 4. Why did you choose UC 5. Which source of information was instrumental in determining your decision to join UC? How informative were they? Qualitative questions The following questions were asked during the interviews and focus group: 1. Why did you choose UC 2. Did you get enough information from the source Table 2 showing project planning/ Gant Chart Table 3 showing project budget Consent form By signing this consent form, you are not waiving your legal rights or releasing the investigator(s) or involved institution(s) from their legal and professional responsibilities. I have read the information presented in the information letter about a study being conducted by Cindy Chen of the Department of Business, Government & Law at the University of Canberra. I have had the chance to ask any questions related to this study, to receive satisfactory answers to my questions as well as additional details I wanted. I am aware that I have the option of allowing my interview or focus group to be audio recorded to ensure an accurate recording of my responses. I am also aware that excerpts from the interview or focus group can be included in the thesis and/or publications to come from this research, with the understanding that the quotations will be anonymous. I was informed that I may withdraw my consent at any time without penalty by advising the researcher. This project has been reviewed by, and received ethics clearance through, the Office of Research Ethics at the University of Canberra I was informed that if I have any comments or concerns resulting from my participation in this study, I may contact the Research Ethics Office: Michaela Dalgleish Research Ethics and Compliance Officer Phone: +61 2 6201 5870 Fax: +61 2 6201 5466 Email: Michaela.Dalgleish@canberra.edu.au With full knowledge of all foregoing, I agree, of my free will, to participate in this study YES NO I agree to the use of anonymous quotations in any thesis or publication that comes of this research YES NO Participants Name: ______________________________________________( Please print) Participants Signature: ____________________________________________ (Please print) Witness Signature _______________________ Date: ­­­­­­­­­_________________________ Ethics form Dear (insert participant’s name) This electronic letter is an invitation to consider participating in a study I am conducting as part of my 8730 Problem Evaluation & Resolution Unit (Coursework research project) within the Faculty of Business, Government & Law at the University of Canberra. I would like to provide you with more information about this project and what your involvement would entail if you decide to take part. The contributions of this work will be to assist in solving the problem: Why do students choose to study at the University of Canberra? This study has interest in the factors that influenced a student’s motivation to conduct tertiary study at the University of Canberra (UC) in order to gain a better understanding of how UC should shape its advertising campaign to draw greater numbers of applicants. The project objectives are: 1. Determine which factors relating to UC had the biggest influence on a student’s decision to commence studies at UC. 2. Provide recommendations to UC on how to better structure its advertising campaign based on how students decided to commence study at UC. The interview and focus groups questions are: See attached sheet. Participation in this study is voluntary. It will involve an initial interview and or a focus group, all of which will be approximately 30 minutes in length. These will take place in a mutually agreed upon time and location. You may decline to answer any of the interview questions if you so wish. Further, you may decide to withdraw from this study at any time without any negative consequences by advising the researcher.  With your permission, the interview or focus group will be audio recorded to facilitate collection of information, and later transcribed for analysis. Data collected during this study will only be utilized for this coursework project. Only teaching staff/researchers associated with this project will have access. There are no known or anticipated risks to you as a participant in this study. I would like to assure you that this study has been reviewed and received ethics clearance from undergraduate coursework through the Office of Research Ethics at the University of Canberra. I hope that the results of our study will be of benefit to those directly involved in the study. I very much look forward to speaking with you and thank you in advance for your assistance in this project. Yours Sincerely, Cindy Zhang Cindy Chen Jagger Read More