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1
Ho, Kenneth, and 何健宇. "Student migration among mainland Chinese postgraduate students in HongKong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2011. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B45825506.
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Friedrich-Nel, H., and JL Mackinnon. "EXPECTATIONS IN POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION: PERSPECTIVES FROM SUPERVISORS AND DOCTORAL STUDENTS." Interim : Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol 12, Issue 1: Central University of Technology Free State Bloemfontein, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/11462/292.
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Published ArticleThe relationship between the postgraduate supervisor and postgraduate student is commonly described in the literature because of the interesting and sometimes even complex dynamics involved in this process. However, the literature is not always very explicit about the specific expectations of those involved. The findings of a qualitative case study, completed at an American research intensive university (Indiana University, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA) are communicated in the article. Despite the complexity of the research supervision process, the expectations associated with the supervision process remains a unique experience of collaborative learning. A commitment is required from each of the role players to communicate expectations initially and continuously. Furthermore it was noted that an environment should be created for students in which they are respected as colleagues.
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O'Brien, Paula. "'Living the dream' : Indian postgraduate students and international student identity." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2016. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/40241/.
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A decline in the number of international students studying in the UK is an issue currently facing UK universities. Competition has steadily increased amongst higher education providers with a greater number of students choosing to study in Australia and the United States. Within this context it is increasingly important for practitioners within the sector to focus more closely on the international student experience. Focus of my research: This research project contributes to the existing literature on the international student experience and moreover international student identity. Higher Education is seen as a site of identity construction for the individual. This research project provides an opportunity to explore the international student experiences of Indian postgraduate students within a new academic culture, their development of support networks, and their search for local employment whilst studying abroad. Identity is understood to be socially constructed; that is, as one’s sense of self and beliefs about one’s own social group as well as others are constructed through interactions in the broader social context such as education and work. This research project has been influenced by more recent developments within psychology and other disciplines which resist the notion of identity as a developmental and linear process. By adopting a social constructionist lens, identity formation is not necessarily considered as a linear phenomenon, emphasising instead the fluid and dynamic nature of identity amongst international students. Identity construction can be located at the individual, relational, organisational levels and moreover the wider society. Essentially identity is seen as constructed and enacted in everyday talk by the student, in their social interactions between themselves and others. Methodology: The research followed seven Indian international students who have undertaken taught postgraduate study abroad for the first time in a UK university and invites them to share their on-going ‘identity-work’ over a 12 month period. The ‘snowball sampling’ criteria included gender; nationality, age, full-time Masters’ students from the same student cohort, with a variation in previous educational background and work experience. Students gave their own individual accounts of their ‘identity-work’ abroad through semi-structured interviews. Within the interviews ‘talk’ is not just approached as an outward manifestation of identity but a site in which identities are constructed and taken up and performed. Identity positions can often be located within ‘interview talk’, and seen as a temporarily occupied coherent identity. This is not to say that identities are ‘just talk’ but that talk is understood as a continuum of meaningful life practices. The methodology employed facilitates the generation of a model of international student identity where identity is seen to emerge in everyday practices. The model encompasses four dimensions: Individual, Relational, Organisational and Societal. Key findings: The study found that study abroad is a site for identity construction. The individual accounts of their lived experience as international students revealed that identity is seen to be temporary and change over time, and Identity emerged in everyday practices both on and off-campus. Identity is drawn from four dimensions, individual, relational, organisational and societal. Societal is significant to the findings and illustrates where identity emerges off-campus during study abroad. The four dimensions of identity change over time and in importance depending on what is going on for the individual. Despite experiencing challenges the participants demonstrated resilience, independence and resourcefulness. Implications/significance of the research: The identity work of international students is acknowledged here as a complex and on-going process. These findings offer a rich understanding of the internationalisation of higher education from an individual perspective. Although some of the problems that students experience are referred to by other researchers, few actually conceptualise them in terms of identity. By conceptualising the international student experience in terms of ‘identity work’ we are able to gain further understanding to ways in which individuals and their environments interact in the social construction of identity formation. This research helps universities, support services and individuals to learn much more about the international student experience so as to more effectively develop the provisions they offer.
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Govender, K. K. "Exploring students' perception of postgraduate research service quality." Journal for New Generation Sciences, Vol 10, Issue 3: Central University of Technology, Free State, Bloemfontein, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/11462/617.
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Published ArticleGiven that education is a service, the postgraduate (PG) education environment has become increasingly competitive, and whilst the service quality perceptions of undergraduates have been extensively measured, similar postgraduate-based research, especially in South Africa, has been negligible. Furthermore, although the development of an ideal instrument to measure higher education service quality has also occupied the minds of several researchers over the years, not much has been achieved in the area of postgraduate research (PG) service quality. This paper presents the results of the assessment of the PG students' perception of research service quality by surveying the 2011 cohort of graduating postgraduates of one of the top five research universities in South Africa by using a specially developed postgraduate service quality measurement instrument (PSQUAL). By adapting the SERVQUAL instrument (Parasuraman, Berry & Zeithaml 1988), the PREQ (Drennan 2008) and SREQ (Ginns, Marsh, Behnia, Cheng & Scalas 2009), a 26-item postgraduate research service quality assessment instrument known as PGSQUAL was developed, validated and administered electronically to a population of 816 Master's and doctoral graduates.
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Zakaria, Sohaimi. "Information processing strategies and styles in relation to instructional design : a grounded theory approach." Thesis, University of Sheffield, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.251412.
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Pan, Jiayan. "Acculturation and resilience of mainland Chinese postgraduate students in Hong Kong." Click to view the E-thesis via HKUTO, 2008. http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkuto/record/B40988016.
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Wen, Jiaxin, and Di Sha. "Chinese students' view on motivation to pursue postgraduate studies." Thesis, Högskolan i Gävle, Avdelningen för socialt arbete och psykologi, 2014. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:hig:diva-17242.
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This study aimed to investigate the motivation of whether pursuing postgraduate study or not among Chinese students in Inner Mongolia University and Dalian Nationalities University. All in all fourteen specific questions were designed in the questionnaire. Psychodynamic theory, social cognitive theory and Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory have been employed to analyze the data. The results indicate that students’ motivations to pursue postgraduate studies have both internal and external causes. For those who want to pursue postgraduate studies, the internal causes can be listed as following: a higher degree for a decent job and students’ thirst for knowledge. The external causes include peer influence and extra expectation to fulfill parents' dreams. Those who do not want to pursue postgraduate studies hold more than a different idea on the relation between a better job and a higher degree. They think they can find a good job without a higher degree, and higher education level will not make any difference.
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Schmidt, Michaela. "How to manage your PhD thesis : development of a process model of self-regulation to foster postgraduate students /." Hamburg : Kovač, 2009. http://d-nb.info/996716505/04.
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Sidhu, Ravinder Kaur. "A study in self-directed learning in Indonesian postgraduate students." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 1997. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/36553/1/36553_Sidhu_1997.pdf.
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In recent times, Australian universities have become increasingly reliant on revenue raised by
exporting education to overseas students, particularly students from the Asia Pacific region.
The need to increase understanding among academic and administrative staff about the
learning needs of students from culturally diverse backgrounds remains an urgent priority.
Although sponsored students have been attending Australian universities since the inception
of the Colombo Plan in the 1950s, there has been a paucity of studies of the experiences of
sponsored postgraduate research students in Australian higher education. This study .
focused on the experiences of Indonesian postgraduate research students in a bid to explore
the relationship between their collectivistic cultural background and their self-directedness in
learning. In particular, the study sought to explore if a clash of values was taking place
between students' collectivistic culture and the values of self-directed learning which
emphasises independence and creativity.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten postgraduate research students who
were first asked to describe their experiences of supervision. This was followed by a number
of structured questions that explored their experiences as collectivistic culture students living
and studying in a society where individualism was the dominant social force.
The investigations found that while there were self-directed learning values that were
strongly individualistic, there were others that were congruent with the values of
collectivism. The students who perceived themselves to be self-directed learners all reported
having highly positive relationships with their supervisors. These students also appeared to
be more open to Western ideas such as egalitarianism and democracy than those who had
poor relationships with their supervisors. The students who identified themselves to be
self-directed learners, described experiencing supervision that was strongly andragogical
within a collectivistic context. On the whole, the students in this study did not confirm to the
widely held stereotype of the student from Asia who is considered to be excessively passive
and lacking in critical thinking ability.
It was noted that existing paradigms of supervision which tend to extend freedom and
promote autonomy, do so without sufficient regard to whether or not students have the
requisite knowledge, confidence and experience to effectively use this autonomy. An
alternative framework of supervision was suggested which sought to exploit the common
ground between the values of collectivism and self-directed learning. It is anticipated that
such a framework will have increased potential to facilitate learner self direction among
students from a collectivistic culture background.
The study concluded by providing recommendations for further research in the area of
self-directed learning by overseas students.
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Anning, Ross J., and n/a. "An international comparison of postgraduate orthodontic students and programmes." University of Otago. School of Dentistry, 2007. http://adt.otago.ac.nz./public/adt-NZDU20071207.110304.
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Objectives. Although there have been some studies of the characteristics of orthodontic students and orthodontic programmes in the US, there has been little investigation of those in the Commonwealth. This study will attempt to identify the demographic characteristics of postgraduate orthodontic students, and the curriculum and organisation of orthodontic programmes in the English-speaking world, with the hope that this information may be used to aid in the planning of orthodontic training and future treatment provision.
Materials and Methods. An on-line survey was used to question postgraduate orthodontic students studying in the 93 programmes worldwide in countries where the first language is English. The questionnaire itself was built using the online survey tool www.surveymonkey.com and was accessible to respondents for two months (January 2007 through March 2007). Statistical analysis was then carried out using the SPSS statistical program.
Results. Of the 301 respondents, 55% were male and 45% female; 57.8% were from US programmes and 42.2% from the Commonwealth. The mean age of respondents was 29.8 years. The mean programme duration was 31.0 months in the US and 37.1 months in the Commonwealth, with the mean total patient loads being 84 and 106 respectively. A wide variety of treatment modalities were used in both groups. The mean annual tuition fee was considerably higher in the US (US$23,200) than in the Commonwealth (US$16,500); however, a higher proportion (47.2%) of US respondents received scholarships or stipends than Commonwealth respondents (29.1%). The overall mean debt upon graduation was US$118,200 and the mean expected income five years after graduation was US$283,200. Private practice was the most popular career path (90.3%), with fewer than one-third of respondents indicating that they would consider an academic career.
Conclusions. The current study indicates that the demographic characteristics of orthodontic students are very similar to those most recently reported. Certain trends have continued, such as the increasing proportion of female students, and the increase in programme duration in the US. Data presented in the clinical and financial sections of this represent the greatest areas of change. Total patient case-load is increasing, and the types of treatment being carried out by students show marked differences from previous studies. The continuing increase in tuition fees is reported, along with increased levels of debt upon graduation, and this is seen to be having an effect on the expected career paths of orthodontic students, with fewer students looking to enter an academic career. This situation may need to be addressed to ensure the continued development and strength of orthodontic faculty members, and, hence, that of orthodontic training programmes.
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Smith, Kay. "Postgraduate study : the expectations of students and course leaders." Thesis, University of Huddersfield, 2016. http://eprints.hud.ac.uk/id/eprint/31439/.
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Postgraduate taught programmes in the United Kingdom have seen significant increases in student numbers since 2008. A significant proportion of this increase is explained by the growth in international students choosing to study both in this country and on these programmes. However, since 2011/12 these programmes have begun to see a decrease in numbers. These students generate significant income for universities therefore this decline could have serious implications for the future viability of the programmes and a reduction in a valuable income stream for universities. If universities and course leaders are to increase, or even just maintain, current recruitment numbers and remain competitive in this market then they will need to have a good understanding of what attracts potential students to their institution and programme of study. An important aspect of this understanding is up to date knowledge of what students expect to achieve by studying on a particular programme. The growth in international student numbers has increased the diversity of the student profile on postgraduate taught programmes. Therefore, identifying and understanding the differences in student expectations is becoming both more difficult and important. This research study recognises the importance of understanding student expectations in order to improve student satisfaction, leading to increased success and competitiveness of the programme in the future. It, therefore, makes the assumption that students are customers of the University. It has a pragmatic research methodology, using both quantitative and qualitative data to contribute to knowledge in a number of ways. Firstly, by showing that the specific background factors of nationality, age and gender do have a significant influence on the student expectations of the outcome of a postgraduate taught programme. It can no longer be assumed that the expectations of all students will be the same, but the differences discussed in this study will need to be taken in to consideration when programmes are being designed and developed. Secondly, using the customer service gap model (Parasuraman, 1985) it has identified that statistically significant differences do exist between student expectations and the perceptions of those expectations by course leaders, therefore, a customer service gap is evident. The importance and implications of these expectations for the future competitiveness of the University are then identified. Although the findings of this study will become out of date as the expectations of students change, the principles introduced will not. That is, the importance of student expectations and that they should be included in the regular reflective processes conducted by course leaders to improve the quality of postgraduate taught provision and compete effectively in this highly competitive market in the future.
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Ojima, Maki. "Development and identity in four Japanese postgraduate students' writing." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2007. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10020534/.
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McMahon, Patrick. "A grounded theory of international postgraduate students in a British university : making the grade." Thesis, University of Plymouth, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/4587.
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The aim of this study was to produce a grounded theory to describe the experiences of international students living in the UK and studying in a British university, and to understand and explain their behavioural responses to those experiences. Eighteen postgraduate international students were interviewed at a university in the south-west of England and the data was analysed using classic grounded theory methodology. The theory proposes that international students’ two biggest concerns are in regard to their English language skills and their detachment from home students. Students felt that their language skills were inadequate and they perceived themselves to be disadvantaged because of having to operate in a second language. They felt ignored when they attempted to reach out to home students and as a result they turned to co-nationals and recreated their home environment. International students were surprised at the size of the challenge they faced when they took up their studies and had to work hard to bridge the gap that existed between their academic and sociocultural skills and those needed in the UK. International students provided emotional, practical and academic support to each other but the academic support they offered to each other was not always good quality. International students engaged in a process of identity change during their stay in the UK which reflected the multiple and changing nature of their identities and during which they gained the skills they needed to be academically successful.
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Cyster, Grant Alexander. "Narratives in postgraduate studies: Stories of six master’s students who have experienced supervision-related challenges at a South African university." University of the Western Cape, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/6916.
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Magister Artium - MAPostgraduate research throughput and problems associated with appropriate supervision are a key focus area for many higher education institutions around the world (Lessing & Schulze, 2012; Amehoe, 2014; Botha, 2016). Central to this challenge is the supervisory relationship, which by its very nature, is not one-sided. A productive and rewarding supervisory process requires that both student and supervisor(s) are committed to fulfilling clearly-articulated responsibilities relevant to the research project at hand (Eley & Jennings, 2005). Both student-centric and institutional factors have been found to contribute to low student throughput and to the time taken to complete postgraduate studies (Amehoe, 2014; Luescher-Mamashela, 2015). In South Africa, the higher education landscape is increasingly fraught with varied challenges, including issues of attrition and completion rates as they relate to postgraduate students. Some of the implications of the premature termination of postgraduate research are that various academic fields are deprived of potentially valuable research contributions, and there is a significant cost incurred by the affected students and supervisors (Lovitts, 2001; Lessing & Lessing, 2004), as well as the relevant faculties and institutions, and society at large. Additionally, a number of South African universities are still grappling with inequities resulting from the Apartheid era (Pillay & Karlsson, 2013). It is against this backdrop that this research, through a narrative research lens involving semi-structured interviews, explores and chronicles the stories of six Master’s students who have encountered supervision-related challenges. According to Pearson and Kayrooz (2004), a limited narrative research spotlight has been trained on the issue of postgraduate supervision from the student perspective. The primary objective of this study, therefore, is to facilitate a platform through which the six respondents are able to share the stories of their Master’s supervision experience. On a secondary level, the sharing of these student stories has the potential to enhance the postgraduate research experience, as Lovitts (2001) and Lessing and Lessing (2004) point out.
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Chen, Jau-Rong. "The cross-cultural adjustment of Taiwanese postgraduate students in England." Thesis, University of Warwick, 2001. http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/3091/.
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This thesis critically reviews, evaluates and synthesizes theories of cross-cultural adjustment and international students’ sojourn activities, and develops a multi-layered and dynamic framework of cross-cultural adjustment. Empirical evidence, collected from the experience of Taiwanese postgraduate students in the UK, is used to build a grounded theory of cross-cultural adjustment. The process of cross-cultural adjustment is examined in terms of four key dimensions - self-identity, academic pursuit, affection and sojourn life-experience - each of which is broken down into more specific components (categories and sub-categories) according to the interview responses of the student sample. The result is an in-depth appreciation of the wide range of factors that contribute to the experience and challenge of cross-cultural adjustment for Taiwanese postgraduate students. For each of the four dimensions, certain core conditions are shown to give rise to specific adjustment phenomena which are shaped by certain contextual factors, and these phenomena give rise to a characteristic strategic response by the students, which then yields a specific consequence. The study shows that cross-cultural adjustment is a continuous process in which international students establish emotional alignment through social interaction and the articulation of their self-identity. The study provides a conceptual framework for future research into cross-cultural adjustment within different host countries, and also serves as a basis to help universities anticipate and manage effectively the adjustment problems faced by international students.
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Jiang, Bo. "An evaluation of current British policy concerning overseas postgraduate students." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.337407.
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Aiello, Michael. "Postgraduate international students as globalised lifelong learners : an exploratory study." Thesis, Liverpool John Moores University, 2015. http://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/4428/.
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This study provides a theoretical and methodological contribution to ongoing debates relating to the purpose and nature of international higher education. It does so by examining globalisation, lifelong learning and postgraduate international study through the voice of the individual student. The voice of the student is under represented in the literature and this research contributes by providing an in-depth, longitudinal study focusing on the student voice. The experiences of international postgraduate students within one English university from 2009-2014 provide the research context. Their experience is explored through a number of integrated and interactive narrative based research methods: written narratives, interview narratives and narratives as conversations in action. There is a dearth of empirical research which integrates these methods. It is not an intention of this study to make generalisation claims or to claim universal applicability. However, the findings do add to knowledge relating to internationalisation, globalisation, lifelong learning and identity construction within higher education programmes. The neoliberal economic view of motivation to become an international student is contested. This study suggests that motivation to take on a period of international study may be more complex and more heavily weighted towards passion, rather than towards an economic or employment based rationale. Participants do demonstrate many of the qualities identified for the international or globalised learner. However, international experience and international learning is largely brought about the agency of the international student, often in spite of, rather than as an outcome of their formal university programme of study. The study confirms that culture and identity are permeable and are influenced by the postgraduate student experience. However, nationality rather than being reduced is reinforced during the period of international study. The findings confirm that narrative research approaches such as those used in this research, can provide a rich learning experience for both participant and researcher. Such approaches may be of particular importance to individuals in transition stages, such as the international student.
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Weston, Helen E. "The cultural dimensions of information use among Emirati postgraduate students." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2018. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/118759/1/Helen_Weston_Thesis.pdf.
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This thesis explored the cultural dimensions of information use of post graduate Emirati students in order to understand how information use is experienced in light of what is revealed when national culture is explored. Seven cultural dimensions of information use became evident in this mixed methods study. This research provides empirical data contributing to the discussion of how culture intersects with information use in higher education. New contributions are provided which underpin the relationship between culture and information use. They also support the design and implementation of pedagogical approaches that recognise cultural diversity of learners.
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Maasdorp, C., and S. Holtzhausen. "Undergraduate research preparation is crucial for postgraduate studies." Interim : Interdisciplinary Journal, Vol 8, Issue 1: Central University of Technology Free State Bloemfontein, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/11462/362.
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Published ArticleWorldwide, including in South Africa, involvement in research is making increasing quality demands on higher education institutions in terms of sustaining high-level research capability and involvement on an efficient and effective basis. These are complex issues, particularly when concerns such as the quality of postgraduate training, lengthy postgraduate completion rates and the high percentage of suspension of postgraduate studies are present. These are just some of the issues leading to this improvement-oriented study investigating new-generation postgraduate students at a case-study university of technology. The research methodology applied in this study was primarily a qualitative research method, supported by a quantitative research element.
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Bosch, Bailey. "Women who Study: Balancing the Dual Roles of Postgraduate Student and Mother." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2013. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/592.
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Although the value of educating mothers has been established in the previous research, little is known about the experiences of mothers who participate in higher education. What is known supports a largely negative portrayal of the experience; it seems that it is a difficult journey, filled with tension. This thesis reports on an exploration of the experiences of mothers who are postgraduate students in Australia. The research comprised of two phases: the first phase was a narrative study of the experiences of 14 Australian postgraduate student mothers. The second phase comprised of a Q-method study of 75 postgraduate student mothers, where Q-method is a technique that incorporates both qualitative and quantitative components. In addition, there was a precursor study was undertaken to ensure variety in the Q-statements, as well as a follow-up study which checked for confirmability of the Q-study interpretation. The findings showed that studying impacted on almost every facet of a woman’s life. Postgraduate student mothers juggled childcare and timetabling issues and, for some, their main challenge was a lack of support. They overcame these difficulties with highly developed organisation and time-management skills, oftentimes with partner support, and by sacrificing sleep and recreation time. The women were strongly motivated by the desire for personal achievement, and the opportunity to create a better future for their children. Postgraduate education rewarded student mothers with a sense of freedom, growth, pride and achievement, as well as developing their professional identity. The results of this research program demonstrated that postgraduate education provided women with a major opportunity to grow and develop their personal abilities while raising their children. This fresh perspective offers an alternative, and more positive snapshot of life as a student mother, and contrasts with the previously reported experience in the literature.
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Pan, Jiayan, and 潘佳雁. "Acculturation and resilience of mainland Chinese postgraduate studentsin Hong Kong." Thesis, The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong), 2008. http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B40988016.
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Alharbi, Noof Saleh M. "An investigation into the academic writing difficulties of Saudi postgraduate students." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/33113.
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This interpretive study aims to investigate the difficulties in English academic writing as perceived by Saudi postgraduate students and their English supervisors in an English-speaking country. In accordance with the exploratory nature of the methodological approach adopted in this study, the research design of the current study employs a sequential mixed-methods design. The quantitative phase is represented by the questionnaire whereas semi-structured interviews and document analysis constitute the qualitative phase. From the sample, 275 students were asked to fill in the prepared questionnaire whilst 15 students, of both genders, and 9 supervisors were asked to participate in an interview. Ten samples of students’ written feedback from their supervisors were provided. Data were analysed quantitatively using SPSS descriptive statistics and qualitatively using MAXQDA software. The findings of the current study revealed that Saudi postgraduate students face the following difficulties in their English academic writing: not having sufficient academic vocabulary, avoiding plagiarism, using cohesive devices properly, constructing logical arguments, making coherent links between ideas, and demonstrating critical thinking in their academic writing. Furthermore, the current study highlighted that the difficulties could be attributed to a number of factors, including those related to learners, context, and instruction. Several strategies were proposed that could assist Saudi students in improving their academic writing. Additionally, the lack of academic preparation in the KSA had a negative influence on the proficiency of Saudi postgraduate students in their English academic writing, resulting in disparities between the expectations placed on students in their postgraduate studies in the UK and the actual results achieved by Saudi students. The findings also revealed that EAP courses in the UK often aided students in learning writing techniques; however, these courses have certain limitations. According to the findings of the current study, a theoretical model is suggested to help Saudi postgraduate students in their English academic writing. Based on the study findings, implications are drawn for policy makers and for practice in the education system in Saudi Arabia. Finally, suggestions for further research are provided.
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Davis, Mary. "The development of competence in source use by international postgraduate students." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2014. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10021705/.
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This study investigates the development of source use by international postgraduate students at a UK HEI over a two year period. While other studies have examined source use at one time, in one area or with a small number of students, this study aims to establish what constitutes competence in key features of source use at Master’s level from the development shown by a larger number of students. The data comes from eight postgraduate students from China, Japan, Sri Lanka and Algeria in the form of four assignments submitted during a Pre-Master’s programme and subsequent Master’s degree. Interviews were carried out at each stage as an adjunct to the assignment data to investigate participants’ perspectives and knowledge of source use. The assignments were analysed for competence in five key features of source use: citation, paraphrasing, reporting verbs, critical engagement and avoidance of plagiarism. From the findings, different strategies, development and ability in source use emerged, leading to the establishment of three types of users: risk takers, safe players and competent users. The risk takers adopted strategies such as copying attributed and unattributed source text. The safe players used a small range of features but were extremely careful to avoid plagiarism. The competent users employed a range of features and did not take risks with plagiarism. From the final group, descriptors of competence in source use are defined which form the key contribution of this study to the field of EAP and to postgraduate education. The thesis highlights the following implications for practice: more continuous teaching of source use is necessary throughout postgraduate courses; EAP may not provide sufficient instruction in source use; tutors need to take students’ language level and prior education into account; and engaging students in discussing and defining plagiarism is essential for their development of source use.
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Whittle, Jan. "Postgraduate participation and performance : research students at the University of Adelaide /." Title page, contents and introduction only, 1991. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09EDM/09edmw627.pdf.
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Hira, Tamanna Chandrakant. "Constructing gender : postgraduate psychology students’ gendered accounts of their future profession." Diss., University of Pretoria, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/27487.
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In this qualitative study I explored how postgraduate psychology students treat gender in their accounts of their future profession, using a social constructionist framework. I considered how this group of future psychologists drew upon gendered accounts in three different settings in which they found themselves within the profession. These included exploring how participants constructed their own gendered identities in their narratives of how they came to be pursuing professional training in psychology; how gender featured in their accounts of therapeutic processes and interactions with clients; and finally, their reflections on gendered participation in the broader field of psychology. Interview data from two semi-structured focus group discussions with 12 postgraduate psychology students was analysed using social constructionist thematic analysis. Three main themes were identified that related to participants’ gendered accounts according to their personal, professional and more general constructions of gender, namely: 1) psychology as a profession of choice; 2) setting the scene within psychology in terms of gender, which was divided into: a) a construction of gender from the psychologists’ perspective, and b) psychologists’ construction of gender from their clients’ perspectives. The third and last main theme was 3) Increased competition for females as a consequence of women’s empowerment. This study intended to contribute to the expansion of existing literature by addressing the issue of gender and its related aspects in the field of psychology in a South African context, given the dearth of extended research conducted in developing countries so far. The findings supported those of previous studies to an extent, but mainly redressed the perspective of gender through the identification of new themes. By looking into postgraduate psychology students’ constructions of their own gendered accounts it appeared that upcoming psychologists viewed gender in complex ways, instead of typically reported notions of difference, inequality and inferiority or superiority. In this way, the benefit of understanding professional development within the field of psychology served as a valuable point of departure in understanding debates around how gender was implicated in the clientele psychologists serve.Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012.
Psychology
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Slight, Claire Louise. "Exploring the university to career transitions of UK music postgraduate students." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2015. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/13219/.
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This thesis explores the experience of studying taught music master’s degrees by observing both student and higher education perspectives. Little is currently known about the career transitions of taught postgraduate students, as until recently research has tended to focus upon undergraduates and research postgraduates. Additionally, much of the research on musicians’ career transitions has considered music education and performance students. The current thesis focuses upon musicology and music psychology degrees which were non-vocational and lacked compulsory music-making course content. A two stage study was conducted. Stage one involved longitudinal interviews with sixteen student participants who were all enrolled at three English institutions at the beginning of the study. Participants took part in four semi-structured interviews at six month intervals. The aim of these interviews was to observe the students’ experiences during and after their master’s study. Alongside this, stage two aimed to explore the higher education perspective by interviewing course tutors and careers advisors attached to each of the students’ courses. Qualitative analytical methods were used and a social psychology perspective was taken when considering the student experience. This approach highlights the reciprocal interaction between the self and the social environment. The career transition involved a period of personal and vocational development during which individuals were transformed through learning. Participants were motivated to realise a greater sense of personal fulfilment by pursuing their interests and achieving personal goals. The participants’ confidence in their professional practice increased and they developed greater self-awareness which was beneficial when deciding upon career plans. However, students’ coping methods and the extent of their exploration impacted upon their experiences of studying and the career transition. The results highlight the need for clear pre-enrolment information and flexible course structures in order to support students’ developing professional identities.
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McClure, Joanne Wendy, and n/a. "The Experiences of Chinese International Postgraduates Studying in Singapore." Griffith University. School of Cognition, Language and Special Education, 2003. http://www4.gu.edu.au:8080/adt-root/public/adt-QGU20040218.082542.
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Postgraduate research presents particular challenges to students: self-management, independent research, extended writing, and working with a supervisor. If we add to these challenges those faced by international students - the complexity of a new culture, a new academic culture, and the difficulties of a second language - we begin to see the hurdles that such students must overcome. Postgraduate students are already well socialised into their discipline, its discourse, research, and methodology. However, when students undertake their study abroad, how easily do they 'fit' into their new environment? And in what ways does their previous disciplinary socialisation, clash with, or complement their new academic socialisation? Given the large numbers of Chinese international students studying abroad particularly at postgraduate level, a focus on individual student experiences was seen as important in advancing our understanding of these students' experiences and sensitising international providers of such education to the ways in which they may better respond to such students. The purpose of the study was to examine the experiences of Chinese international postgraduate students studying in Singapore to find out how they perceived their new learning environment, and to explore the coping strategies they employed to manage, understand and construct meaning out of their learning situation. The study also sought to focus on their particular learning needs, given their perception of their environment, and the ways in which higher education providers could best accommodate these needs. A qualitative constructivist methodology was used to examine the learning experiences and coping strategies of 12 Chinese international postgraduates balanced by gender and level of higher degree study involved. The students were interviewed twice over a five-month period, with each interview lasting approximately one hour. The study focused on understanding students' experiences of positive and negative incidents in their learning environment, on the construction of meaning around those incidents, and on students' subsequent responses to them. Potential differences across the variables of level of degree study, gender and marital status were also considered in the analysis. Four major themes were identified in the student experiences those of marginalisation: student/supervisory relationship, academic/organisational marginalisation, social marginalisation, and advantaging. The coping strategies identified are those of self-determination and technique. It was found that adjustment for students was most difficult in the first six to twelve months from entry into the new cultural context, largely due to the influence of previous educational and cultural experiences on expectations. Also highlighted was the range of interpersonal and intrapersonal coping strategies that students used to help manage their cultural transition. The importance of collegial support as a key coping strategy for international student adjustment was confirmed in the study. Self-determination was also shown to be a strong motivator for managing research work and interpersonal relationships. The research indicated a number of important differences between masters and doctoral students' experiences and highlighted differences concerning traditional gender roles. Implications arising from the study may inform intervention programmes that are directed to the points of tension identified in students' experiences. The tensions in student experiences may largely be understood in terms of unrealistic or unfulfilled expectations being brought to the new study context but grounded in the home culture. Addressing these needs may be seen in various ways, including: (1) changing student expectations to make them more realistic; (2) sensitising students in cross-cultural issues; (3) sensitising host university staff in understanding and responding to cross-cultural issues in students; (4) providing appropriate levels of support in dealing with issues as they arise; and (5) structuring opportunities for mutual support by students in the host institution. Further research is indicated into the investigation of the cultural transition experiences and coping strategies of other national or ethnic groups at postgraduate level. Investigation of the experiences of international Chinese students in other disciplines, other host countries, and at other education levels is also indicated.
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McClure, Joanne Wendy. "The Experiences of Chinese International Postgraduates Studying in Singapore." Thesis, Griffith University, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/368091.
Full textAbstract:
Postgraduate research presents particular challenges to students: self-management, independent research, extended writing, and working with a supervisor. If we add to these challenges those faced by international students - the complexity of a new culture, a new academic culture, and the difficulties of a second language - we begin to see the hurdles that such students must overcome. Postgraduate students are already well socialised into their discipline, its discourse, research, and methodology. However, when students undertake their study abroad, how easily do they 'fit' into their new environment? And in what ways does their previous disciplinary socialisation, clash with, or complement their new academic socialisation? Given the large numbers of Chinese international students studying abroad particularly at postgraduate level, a focus on individual student experiences was seen as important in advancing our understanding of these students' experiences and sensitising international providers of such education to the ways in which they may better respond to such students. The purpose of the study was to examine the experiences of Chinese international postgraduate students studying in Singapore to find out how they perceived their new learning environment, and to explore the coping strategies they employed to manage, understand and construct meaning out of their learning situation. The study also sought to focus on their particular learning needs, given their perception of their environment, and the ways in which higher education providers could best accommodate these needs. A qualitative constructivist methodology was used to examine the learning experiences and coping strategies of 12 Chinese international postgraduates balanced by gender and level of higher degree study involved. The students were interviewed twice over a five-month period, with each interview lasting approximately one hour. The study focused on understanding students' experiences of positive and negative incidents in their learning environment, on the construction of meaning around those incidents, and on students' subsequent responses to them. Potential differences across the variables of level of degree study, gender and marital status were also considered in the analysis. Four major themes were identified in the student experiences those of marginalisation: student/supervisory relationship, academic/organisational marginalisation, social marginalisation, and advantaging. The coping strategies identified are those of self-determination and technique. It was found that adjustment for students was most difficult in the first six to twelve months from entry into the new cultural context, largely due to the influence of previous educational and cultural experiences on expectations. Also highlighted was the range of interpersonal and intrapersonal coping strategies that students used to help manage their cultural transition. The importance of collegial support as a key coping strategy for international student adjustment was confirmed in the study. Self-determination was also shown to be a strong motivator for managing research work and interpersonal relationships. The research indicated a number of important differences between masters and doctoral students' experiences and highlighted differences concerning traditional gender roles. Implications arising from the study may inform intervention programmes that are directed to the points of tension identified in students' experiences. The tensions in student experiences may largely be understood in terms of unrealistic or unfulfilled expectations being brought to the new study context but grounded in the home culture. Addressing these needs may be seen in various ways, including: (1) changing student expectations to make them more realistic; (2) sensitising students in cross-cultural issues; (3) sensitising host university staff in understanding and responding to cross-cultural issues in students; (4) providing appropriate levels of support in dealing with issues as they arise; and (5) structuring opportunities for mutual support by students in the host institution. Further research is indicated into the investigation of the cultural transition experiences and coping strategies of other national or ethnic groups at postgraduate level. Investigation of the experiences of international Chinese students in other disciplines, other host countries, and at other education levels is also indicated.Thesis (Professional Doctorate)
Doctor of Education (EdD)
School of Cognition, Language and Special Education
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Kiley, Margaret. "Expectations and experiences of Indonesian postgraduate students studying in Australia : a longitudinal study /." Title page, table of contents and abstract only, 1999. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phk478.pdf.
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Mapasa, Tobeka Eugié. "A framework to support inexperienced postgraduate research supervisors." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18529.
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It has been taken for granted that being able to lecture presupposes being able to supervise research students, and completing a Master’s or doctoral degree successfully meant that an academic could assume the research supervisor role. However, findings on research into graduate students’ experiences of the research process indicate that in most cases, postgraduate students are dissatisfied with the guidance they receive from their supervisors. In an effort to contribute to finding ways and to continuing the debate on the improvement of postgraduate research supervision, in this study, I aimed to develop a framework that could be used to support postgraduate research supervisors within faculties. To achieve this aim, I conducted a literature review in order to understand what it means to supervise at postgraduate level effectively and also to identify existing support programmes for postgraduate research supervisors. I adopted a phenomenological research design within an interpretive tradition. The technique used to select the sample was purposeful criterion. The sample size was determined by means of data saturation. It consisted of four faculty postgraduate studies committee chairpersons, seven inexperienced and four experienced postgraduate research supervisors. Meetings and semi-structured interviews were employed to generate data. The findings revealed that attempts by faculties to support postgraduate research supervisors have not been systematically documented as they were done, to a large extent, informally. The size of the faculty, lack of resources, heavy workload and timing emerged as factors that impacted positively and/or negatively on the provision of support to postgraduate research supervisors within faculties. Thematic analysis of the semi-structured interviews revealed that both the experienced and the inexperienced postgraduate research supervisors view good postgraduate research supervision as a relationship of human beings involving critical engagement between the postgraduate students and their supervisors. A need to mentor postgraduate research students was also highlighted. The findings also indicated that the participants viewed good postgraduate research supervision as a developmental process of co-learning and mutual growth culminating from joint effort by both the student and the research supervisor. Striking the balance between backing off and taking over was highlighted as important linked to the roles of the student and that of the supervisor in the research supervision process. The inexperienced and the experienced supervisors had mixed feelings about the usefulness of the existing support initiatives by faculties that they have been exposed to, citing the duration, the level at which some of them were pitched and the presentation styles of the facilitators as cause for concern. The support needs that were common to both the inexperienced and the experienced supervisors were designated mentors, manageable workload and time. The inexperienced postgraduate supervisors expressed the need for focussed support, briefing sessions, online resources for easy access, good timing, and an extended co-supervision period. The experienced supervisors expressed the need for support that will be at their level, group supervision, time and/or money to buy the time and better prepared postgraduate students. This study contributed the proposed framework informed by the integration of the insights from the literature on postgraduate research supervision, professional development and the findings from this study. The principles of the Transformative Learning Theory are appropriate to guide the implementation of the proposed framework in future applications.
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Timme, Mark T. "The capacity of the Naval Postgraduate School to absorb additional graduate students." Thesis, Monterey, Calif. : Springfield, Va. : Naval Postgraduate School ; Available from National Technical Information Service, 1994. http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA283931.
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Buddhichiwin, Pimprae. "The decision making and experiences of Thai postgraduate students in the UK." Thesis, University of Exeter, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/10871/12781.
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The increased numbers of players in international higher education means that international students have more choices. This makes universities compete harder in the global market. Institutions in many countries, including the UK, have to adjust themselves in response to students’ needs. Although there has been increasing research in relation to higher education institutes, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the in-depth details of which factors influence students’ decision-making and how they experience university services. This thesis aims to analyze UK higher education from Thai perspectives, including both outsiders involved with higher education in Thailand and Thai students’ study experiences. To achieve this, the study uses mixed methods research. In particular, elite interviews, nationwide questionnaires and longitudinal interviews are the main research tools used in this study. The research finds that UK higher education has a positive reputation among Thai executives. In terms of marketing UK institutes in Thailand, factor analysis indicates that three appropriate marketing strategies are ‘Product and People’, ‘Promotion’ and ‘Place’. In terms of students’ decision making, the findings show that Thai students often choose to study in the UK because the duration of master’s degree course is shorter than those of competitors, thus saving on budgets. A variety of other internal and external factors are also incorporated in the selection of a university. Regarding university service quality, the gap between students’ expectations and their nine-month experiences highlights a lack of university performance in factors related to academic service factors, especially library services which show the biggest discrepancy. Drawing together these findings presents implication for higher education marketeers and policy makers in relation to understanding its market position, strategies and improving the services it offers.
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Giatras, Nikoletta. "Studying abroad: physical activity and subjective well-being of international postgraduate students." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.492576.
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Overall this mixed methods research provides a unique insight into the experience of students studying abroad in the UK. It highlights cultural differences in student's perceptions of academic life and how these relate to subjective well-being. Physical activity was seen as part of a wider 'lifestyle' where not only structured exercise was valued but also more unstructured physical activity, particularly outside in a social environment. Adaptation and associated stressors are common but ebb and flow over the course of the academic year.
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Hunter, Maryke. "Postgraduate studies at the University of Stellenbosch : an exploration of students' perceptions." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/53007.
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Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch,2002.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Changing circumstances and new initiatives have made it necessary for Higher Education institutions to reflect on all aspects of their teaching portfolios. Recent global and national trends have had numerous implications for different aspects of the university as an entity, which in turn have important implications for teaching, and particularly postgraduate teaching. The need for greater transparency and efficiency is forcing universities into discussions around facing these challenges. The overarching aims of this study were twofold: firstly, to identify historical and current tendencies and patterns in postgraduate studies at the University of Stellenbosch and secondly, to determine the enabling and constraining factors relating to postgraduate studies at the University of Stellenbosch. It was decided to focus on both completed postgraduate students (years 1991 - 1999) as well as current postgraduate students (year 2000). Furthermore, "postgraduate" was defined as relating to all Master's and Doctoral students at the University of Stellenbosch. The empirical research for this study included three components. Firstly, two postal surveys were carried out at the University of Stellenbosch in 2000 in order to explore a representative sample of postgraduate students' attitudes and perceptions. Secondly, a secondary data analysis of existing data on the University database for postgraduate students was carried out in order to do an estimate of success- and follow through rates. Finally, interviews were conducted with coordinators of four postgraduate programmes at different departments in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Stellenbosch. Results show that the nature of postgraduate studies at the University follows the same form of dynamics, diversity and complexity that characterizes postgraduate studies worldwide. Although there has been an exceptional increase in the number of postgraduate students over the past decade, completion rates have stayed the same. This increase in numbers places enormous additional administrative, academic and managerial demands on the University. Although postgraduate students (both completed and current students) seem to have a general positive perception of the University, its academic and administrative services as well as the quality of postgraduate supervision, there are certain aspects that can still be improved upon. For example: the University has to realize that although the completion rates of postgraduate students have reasonably stayed the same over the last decade, the number of students who did not complete increased with almost 50%. The University has to put structures in place in order to cope with the increasing demands these students are placing on administration, departments and supervisors. Also, although it seems as if the University are open to the trends in higher education, they are not totally geared for part-time and non-resldentlal students. All four programmes in the Arts Faculty were initiated by individual academics within the departments. In terms of managing postgraduate students within departments, it seems that greater standardization regarding aspects of admission, administrative support, requirements for research proposals, examination and guidelines for the research components are needed. Supervisors and students both need to know what is expected from them. In terms of the supervisory process, supervisors must have guidelines in terms of what their responsibilities are and they have to realize the importance of their task. Students need to be informed about their rights and the whole process of postgraduate studies. Overall, it is the responsibility of the University, together with its postgraduate students and supervisors to ensure that the process of postgraduate studies is characterized by success, effectiveness and efficiency.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Veranderende omstandighede en nuwe beleldsmaatreels maak dit noodsaaklik dat Hoer Onderwysinrigtings deurentyd besin oor aile aspekte van hul missies en funksies. Resente globale en nasionale tendense het verreikende implikasies vir verskeie aspekte van die universiteitswese, waarvan die gevolge vir die onderrigtaak, en in besonder nagraadse onderrig, van besondere belang is. Oproepe tot deursigtigheid, gekoppel aan die imperatief tot doeltreffendheid, is alles faktore wat universiteite tot besinning dwing. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die historiese en huidige tendense en patrone in nagraadse studie aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch te skets asook om vas te stel wat is die bemiddelende en belemmerende faktore wat nagraadse studie by die Universiteit kenmerk. Daar is besluit om te fokus op beide afgestudeerde studente (vanaf 1991 tot 1999) asook huidige studente (ingeskryf in die jaar 2000). Verder is "nagraads" gedefinieer as verwysende na aile meesters en doktorale studente by die Universiteit van Stellenbosch. Die empiriese navorsing vir hierdie studie bestaan uit drie komponente. Eerstens is twee posopnames in 2000 uitgevoer om "n verteenwoordigende steekproef van nagraadse studente aan die Universiteit se persepsies rakende hul nagraadse studie te toets. Verder is daar "n sekondere analise uitgevoer van bestaande data op die Universiteit se databasis vir nagraadse studente spesifiek met die doel om sukses- en deurvloeikoerse van nagraadse studente te bepaal. Laastens is onderhoude gevoer met koordineerders van vier nagraadse programme aan verskillende departemente binne die Fakulteit Lettere en Wysbegeerte. Die resultate toon dat die aard van nagraadse studie aan die Universiteit van Stellenbosch dieselfde mate van dinamika, toenemende diversiteit en gepaardgaande kompleksiteit weerspleel as wat nagraadse studies wereldwyd kenmerk. Alhoewel daar "n buitengewone toename in nagraadse studentegetalle aan die Universiteit oor die afgelope dekade was, het die voltooiingskoerse van studente dieselfde gebly. Hierdie toename in getalle plaas geweldige ekstra administratiewe, akademiese en bedryfseise aan die Universiteit. Alhoewel nagraadse studente (beide afgestudeerd sowel as huidig) in die algemeen "n positiewe persepsie van die Universiteit, sy akadernlese en administratiewe dienste, sowel as die kwaliteit van nagraadse studieleiding blyk te he, is daar enkele sake waarop verbeter kan word. 50 byvoorbeeld moet die Universiteit besef dat alhoewel voltooiingskoerse konstant gebly het, het die getal van nagraadse studente wat nie voltooi nie, met ongeveer 50% gestyg. Die Universiteit moet strukture in plek stel om te kan voldoen aan die toenemende eise wat sy nagraadse studente aan administrasie, departemente en studieleiers stel. Alhoewel die Universiteit oop blyk te wees vir nuwe tendense in hoer onderwys, blyk dit dat hy nog nie heeltemal gerat is vir deeltydse studente en nle-resldenslele studente nie. AI vier die programme in die Fakulteit Lettere en Wysbegeerte het ontwikkel uit individuele akademici binne departemente. In terme van die bestuur van nagraadse studente binne departemente, is groter standardisasie van aspekte rakende toelating, administratiewe ondersteuning, vereistes rondom navorsingsvoorstelle, eksaminering en riglyne vir die navorsingskomponent van nagraadse studies nodig. Beide studieleiers en studente moet besef wat van hulle verwag word. In terme van die proses van studieleiding, moet studieleiers oor riglyne beskik van hulle verantwoordelikhede en verder moet die belangrikheid van die taak besef word. 5tudente moet ingelig word oor hulle regte en die proses van nagraadse studie. Die Universiteit, tesame met sy nagraadse studente en studieleiers, moet verseker dat die proses van nagraadse studies gekenmerk word deur sukses, effektiwiteit en doeltreffendheid.
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Bird, Elizabeth. "The career destinations of Open University secondary postgraduate Certificate of Education students." Thesis, Open University, 2011. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.548066.
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The aim of this thesis is to provide an overview of and commentary on recruitment and entry to the teaching profession in England of mature trainees during a decade and a half between 1993 and 2008. It seeks to answer the question of the extent to which mature entry to the profession is able to contribute to teacher supply in England. While a number of national data sets include data on age, and there have been a number of studies and some media reporting in relation to mature entry, there has been, to date, no full account of mature entry to teaching. This thesis aims to fill that gap by providing a synthesis of the available information, interrogating that synthesis and identifying policy implications and questions for further research. The thesis explores the rhetoric and reality behind the efforts made to attract older entrants to teaching, considering the evidence base on which such campaigns were based. It considers the extent to which policy aims have been successfully met in respect of the employment and retention of those trained as mature trainees, and looks at implications for the future.
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Horobin, Hazel. "The meeting of cultured worlds : professional identification in Indian postgraduate physiotherapy students." Thesis, Sheffield Hallam University, 2016. http://shura.shu.ac.uk/11855/.
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This research aims to provide a more detailed understanding of transnational professional education. In doing so it develops current critical perspectives of physiotherapy, focussing on issues of internationalisation. The impetus for the research was my concern for the relevance of a Masters’ degree for Indian physiotherapists studying at an English university when their future working lives lie in India. I interviewed six Indian students during the dissertation phase of their study. The research methodology is formed using a bricolage approach, one that synthesises aspects of phenomenological (Wertz, 2011) and constructivist grounded theory (Charmaz, 2014). Since becoming a professional is synonymous with developing an ‘identity’, I interpret participant professional identification constructions and working cultures in different national contexts using a theoretical perspective drawn from Holland et al., (2001). This provides an ethnographic understanding of participants’ cultural practices and illuminates the cultured worlds of both physiotherapy practice and its teaching in the course as well as their agency within different national contexts. I show professional work to be suffused with meanings and reveal the interplay of cultural and symbolic capital between patient and physiotherapist (Bourdieu 1986). Different professional, cultural practices can be seen to hold similar meanings and the centrality of the engagement between patient and therapist is exposed. Wider practice contexts (structural, social and political issues) shape the power relations concomitant to physiotherapy, and thereby strongly influence its practice in different locations. I also expose a hegemonic discourse within course teaching, expressed in participants’ narratives of rejection of previous Indian practice, notwithstanding their recognition of the limitations within an Indian context of the practice taught. Critical race theory suggests this forms an example of an oppressive pedagogy (Ladson-Billings and Tate IV, 1995). Although participants describe an increase in self-confidence from studying abroad, paradoxically, I argue that some loss of confidence is likely to result from these unintentional positionings. Further I contend that part of the ethical responsibility of teaching is that it is respectful of different perspectives (Carroll and Ryan 2007). This is particularly important when working with international students, where the student’s home context may be difficult for tutors to comprehend.
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Jones, Clare. "Does studying taught postgraduate management education increase students' perceptions of their employability?" Thesis, Aston University, 2016. http://publications.aston.ac.uk/30861/.
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Rationale: Employability features prominently in the current lexicon surrounding higher education. What is evident in the literature is that employability has no single definition and has evolved from an economic interpretation of the ability to secure work, to a multi-faceted concept, including skills, self-efficacy and self-regulated learning. Higher Education Institutions are coming under increasing pressure to address employability as part of their portfolio, while operating in an increasingly turbulent and competitive environment. Much of the existing research into employability in Higher Education concerns itself with the undergraduate population. There exists little research into postgraduate employability. This study seeks to contribute to that gap by exploring whether postgraduate management education has an impact on students’ perceptions of their employability. Research Methods: A sequential mixed methods approach was used involving two phases of data collection. Phase 1 was a survey of 450 students from two Universities’ Business Schools who completed a paper-based questionnaire. This quantitative data was analysed using SPSS. Phase 2 comprised follow-up interviews with 10 survey participants, following completion of their programme. The interviews were informed by the survey, and transcripts were analysed using NVIVO 10. Findings: Survey findings from the whole research population (n=450) saw some differences in students’ perceptions of their employability following their engagement with the taught programme. Postgraduate education has a more positive impact on females’ perceptions of skills and self-efficacy than on males’ perceptions. Students with work experience perceive their employability higher than those without work experience. Those without work experience perceive their skills and self-regulated learning higher after postgraduate education. Discussion: The similarity in results in students’ perceptions between the data collection points suggests more could be done within the programmes to make a difference to students’ perceptions of their employability. Where differences do exist suggests opportunities for specific interventions, to enhance students’ perceptions. Conclusion: Underpinning this work is the contention that increasing students’ perceptions of employability requires postgraduate education to enhance students’ perceptions of their skills, their perception of themselves as independent learners, and their perceived self-efficacy. Survey findings suggest postgraduate management education is achieving this aim in part, indicating opportunities for interventions to address this.
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Amal, Asiri. "Saudi Arabian Students in Postgraduate Dental Programs: Investigating Factors Associated with Burnout." Scholarly Commons, 2019. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/3641.
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Burnout related to emotional and physical study or work demands affects an individual’s performance and well being. This study focused on Saudi Arabian dental residents studying in the United States and the United Kingdom who are faced with many challenges in pursuit of a higher education degree. A survey including demographic and MBI questions was distributed to assess this population’s level of burnout. The Maslach Burnout inventory (MBI) was has been widely used in the literature to assess three components of burnout: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DEP), and (diminished) personal accomplishment (PA). Potential predictors of burnout level, tested for statistical significance, included: (1) country (US vs UK), (2) hours of work, (3) sponsorship status, (4) marital status (5) gender and (6) prior work experience. Using multiple regression analyses, those found to predict EE included hours of work, sponsorship status, and gender. Only gender was found to predict PA. None of the variables were predictive of DEP. Moreover, after controlling for the demographic variables, the country where studying did not help account for level of burnout. Limitations of the study, implications for practice and suggestions for further research are offered in the discussion.
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Delport, Melissa. "Determining levels of coping and emotional intelligence in psychology students at the University of the Western Cape: A quantitative study." University of the Western Cape, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/6633.
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Magister Artium (Psychology) - MA(Psych)Literature on the experiences of psychology students is limited, particularly in the South African context of previously disadvantaged institutions. More specifically, not much is known about levels of emotional intelligence (EI) and coping during higher education training. Successful academic performance depends on adherence to EI criteria, including accurate acknowledgement of, and responses to emotions in others, efficiently negotiating relationships and directing one’s motivations towards explicit goals. Coping refers to the constantly changing cognitive and behavioural responses that attempt to manage internal and/or external stressors. This study aimed to understand the relationship between emotional intelligence and coping, and tested the hypothesis that higher levels of emotional intelligence will be associated with higher levels of coping. It adopted a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey research design. The sample included 114 students who were enrolled in the psychology third- year and honours programmes at the University of the Western Cape at the time of the study. A purposive, convenience sampling method was used, and data was collected using a self- constructed demographic questionnaire (DQ), the Assessing Emotions Scale (AES), and the Ways of Coping Scale (WOCS). The Statistical Software Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyse the data. Correlational analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) were applied. Ethical stipulations included that participation was voluntary, the identity of respondents was kept anonymous, and confidentiality was respected. The findings indicated that there was no significant relationship between EI and coping. Conversely, it was found that students who worked while studying displayed increased levels of EI, and those who intended to further their studies on master’s level, utilised higher-level coping strategies. Recommendations are therefore that further studies include actual measured abilities to complement the self-report instrument used in this study.
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Manyissa, Democrito Adolfo da Natividade. "The role of library services in the research of postgraduate students at the University Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique." University of the Western Cape, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/4116.
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Magister Artium - MAMore and more, research is becoming the core business of every university. There are a number of reasons as to why governments are encouraging their universities to make research activities a priority. Research leads to birth of new knowledge and theory of the world. Such new knowledge drives the economies of the world. In this regard, academic libraries have been able to provide the tools that guide clients through an avalanche of information and assist researchers to identify what meets their particular needs. However, academic libraries are facing some challenges as a result of various changes in scholarly communication as they are no longer regarded as the sole primary provider of information to researchers. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of library services in the research of postgraduate students at the University Eduardo Mondlane (UEM) in Mozambique. The study looked at the services the library offered to postgraduate students, the sources of information most used by postgraduate students, the research information needs of postgraduate students, the ways the postgraduate students access research materials and the challenges that postgraduate students encounter when using the System of Libraries at the UEM. The first research question was answered by reviewing the professional literature as well the empirical data obtained from the librarians via interviews. The rest of the questions were answered by the students via questionnaires as well as interviews with the library staff. The researcher self-administered a questionnaire to 200 registered postgraduate students at the UEM and conducted interviews with seven librarians. The study adopted the Multiple Constituencies Model which each of its domains effectively helping in interpreting the results of the study. The study found that between 57 (32.3%) and 58 (33%) postgraduate students use the library to search for prescribed course materials and research related work. Furthermore, the study found that 152 (88.4%) students used the Internet to search for information. Although the study showed students used the library, the major challenges that students between 35(19.9%) and 96(54.5%) faced included poor English literacy skills, unstable Internet and outdated materials.
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Abdulelah, Sahar. "Intertextuality and source use in academic writing : the case of Arab postgraduate students." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2016. https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/en/theses/intertextuality-and-source-use-in-academic-writing-the-case-of-arab-postgraduate-students(357791ec-c7ce-4cc6-b3cf-0a14f5983307).html.
Full textAbstract:
This study explores the use of source texts in academic writing by postgraduate students from Arab backgrounds in three UK universities. The specific focus of the study is to develop an understanding of how Arab students in the UK use sources, how they adapt to UK academic expectations, as well as how their educational backgrounds may affect their source use and adaptation to UK academic expectations. The participants in this research included a group of 22 Arab postgraduate students from three UK universities. To respond to the research aims, the data generated included 40 (already assessed by their tutors) text-based assignments collected from the participants. The analysis used Pecorari and Shaw's (2012) typology as a starting point to explore the forms of intertextuality evident in the Arab students' writing. A second source of data was interviews with seven students from the same group of participants. The analysis made use of the MAXQDA data analysis software, including facilitating the textual analysis of intertextuality in the student texts and the thematic analysis of the interview transcripts. The findings suggest that unconventional use of sources does occur among this group of students, including over-reliance on sources, patchwriting, frequent use of direct quotation, and forms of paraphrasing that rely on synonym substitution. The study further suggests that unconventional use of sources may be explained by the students' past educational experiences in their Arab home contexts. This includes a lack of written culture, low readership in the region, culture of orality, acceptability of violations of copyright, and 'traditional' teaching practices in the educational systems of the region. The study also shows how the students' educational backgrounds created transition challenges for students when arriving in the academic setting in the UK. Finally, the study presents various strategies used by this group of students to adapt to the UK academic environment. The study contributes by presenting a four level framework of intertextuality, developed from the data in this study and extending on Pecorari and Shaw's typology. This includes intertextuality on the word, sentence, paragraph, and structure levels of the students' academic writing. This expanded view of intertextuality, including a level-based framework, enhances understanding of the forms of intertextuality prevalent in these students' texts, and highlights the specific challenges these Arab students have faced in their transition to become academic writers in the UK context. The thesis also concludes with what are the lessons, as evident from this study, for UK Universities in supporting Arab students.
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Hood, Mary Ann. "Her master's: the experiences of mature women in postgraduate study." Thesis, University of Fort Hare, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10353/211.
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This study explored the experiences of mature women undertaking Master’s degrees at a Historically Disadvantaged Institution of Higher Learning in South Africa. Attaining a Master’s degree is a significant milestone in education and the process may take from one to three, or more, years. The study aims to describe aspects of the women’s experiences of their research journeys and the goal of the study is to present descriptions of these experiences. The methodology is qualitative and uses a critical feminist approach, appropriate to exploring the research questions. A critical feminist stance holds that women experience the world differently to men given the patriarchal structure of society. Emphasis is placed on the primacy of the co-researcher’s perceptions of their experiences. A single method research design was followed using semi-structured interviews. The analysis resulted in the emergence of a number of central themes. Together these reflect the experiences of the co-researchers, although they did not automatically share all the experiences. The findings show that postgraduate study, in the form of a Master’s degree, was found to be transformative, meaningful and worthwhile, although not without difficulties; mainly the demands required of multiple roles within home, community, work, and the university. This study contributes towards the larger body of research within education, in particular in the understanding the experiences of mature women within the field of postgraduate study.
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Visser, Joy-Anne. "Challenges and support needs of mature postgraduate part-time students at a higher education institution." Thesis, Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/18044.
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Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2011.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The researcher wished to ascertain what challenges mature, part-time, postgraduate Masters students faced. The research project focussed on the challenges faced by mature, part-time, postgraduate Masters students, in particular those challenges concerning their higher education institution. The interview schedule questions were based on the main challenging domains as revealed in the literature review. The researcher also gave the students the opportunity to voice any other challenges/support that was not covered in the interview schedule. The interview schedule was used at the face-to-face interviews and e-mailed to students that were unable to have interviews. The researcher used Qualitative Research Design so she could elicit verbal/written, descriptive accounts of students' experiences of challenges and support at their higher education institution. The focus points allowed the researcher to gather much information with regard to the support the students got in the challenging domains namely; Home, Family, Work, Colleagues, Social, Financial, Institution and any Other Challenges/Support. The mature, part-time, postgraduate Masters students felt they needed more support in various areas as well as from their institution of higher education. The researcher's aim is to bring the challenging domains and findings to the attention of those concerned with student support and recommend some support measures that could be adopted. Further research topics were also put forward.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Dit was die navorser se wens om te bepaal watter uitdagings volwasse, deeltydse, nagraadse Meestersgraad studente in die gesig staar. Die navorsingsprojek het gefokus op die uitdagings wat ondervind word deur volwasse, deeltydse, nagraadse Meestersgraad studente veral uitdagings aangaande hoër opvoedkundige instellings. Die onderhoud skedule vrae is gebaseer op die hoof uitdagende areas soos getoon in die Literatuur Oorsig. Die navorser het ook die studente 'n geleentheid gegee om enige ander uitdagings of vorme van ondersteuning te noem wat nie in die onderhoud skedule gedek is nie. Die onderhoud skedule is gebruik in persoonlike onderhoude wat ook ge-epos is aan studente wat nie die onderhoude kon bywoon nie. Daar is gebruik gemaak van Kwalitatiewe Navorsing sodat die navorser die nodige verbale/geskrewe, beskrywings van die studente se ervarings, uitdagings en ondersteuning by die hoër opvoedkundige instellings kon bestudeer. Die fokuspunte het die navorser toegelaat om baie informasie met betrekking tot die ondersteuning wat studente gekry het in uitdagende areas bv. Huis, Familie, Werk, Kollegas, Sosiale, Finansiële, Instelling en enige ander uitdagings/ondersteuning te verkry. Die volwasse, deeltydse, nagraadse Meestergraad studente het gevoel dat hul meer ondersteuning benodig in verskeie areas sowel as van hul hoër opvoedkundige instelling. Die navorser se doel is om uitdagende areas en bevindings onder die aandag van diegene betrokke in die ondersteuning van studente te bring, en sommige meganismes wat as ondersteuning kan bied aan te beveel. Verdere navorsingsonderwerpe is ook na vore gebring.
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Tangkiengsirisin, Supong. "Enhancing cohesion in Thai postgraduate students' expository writing through feedback delivery and revision." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 2010. http://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/11958/.
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This study investigated the effects of teacher written feedback and students' revision on the use of cohesive devices in expository compositions written by thirty Thai postgraduate students enrolled in a 16-week writing course at a Thai university. The teacher written comments, including corrective, advisory and indicative comments, were provided to the students' cause-effect, comparison/contrast and classification essays. The feedback on cohesion in this study dealt with form, content and, most importantly, essay organisation. Each of the essays from this experimental group was provided with a combination of teacher written comments focusing on the improvement of cohesion. The students revised their initial drafts in response to the teacher written feedback provided. Sixty pre-test and post-test essays were written by the students from both the experimental group and the control/intact group, and 180 expository essays and revised drafts were written by the students from the experimental group. All the essays were analysed by Halliday and Hasan's (1976) cohesion analysis model and Hoey's (1991) lexical analysis model. Statistical analysis was conducted to examine the differences in the use of cohesive devices between the pre- and post-test essays and between the initial and revised drafts. The results revealed a significant improvement of cohesion in the writing of the experimental group, particularly referential, conjunctive and lexical cohesive ties. The pedagogical implications regarding the teachability and the positive effects of teacher written feedback and essays revision were derived on the basis of the research results. The students' revised drafts were examined in terms of the student moves in response to the teacher written comments provided to their initial drafts. The investigation revealed the students' revision patterns: complete, partial and no correspondence to the teacher comments. The findings showed that most of the students who had received the teacher written feedback successfully revised their initial drafts in response to the feedback and their cohesion skills were improved. The student questionnaire and interviews, used as triangulated studies, revealed the participants' positive attitudes towards teacher written feedback, the revision process and the use of cohesion in writing. Based on the findings in this section, the students found teacher feedback helpful for the improvement of their writing skills especially the use of cohesion, although they also expected to receive teacher feedback on grammatical accuracy. The findings also indicated that revision motivated the students to write more confidently in English and contributed to students' awareness and development of cohesion in their writing. Insights gained from the present study are (1) that even though cohesion is a useful linguistic element that contributes to well-connected writing, it may not be adequate as a means of measuring overall writing quality, (2) that teacher feedback should be personalised to cater for each individual student's needs and each problematic writing situation, and (3) that both feedback and revision play a crucial role in raising awareness regarding the use of cohesion in L2 writing.
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Wang, Lihong. "Chinese postgraduate students in a British university : their learning experiences and learning beliefs." Thesis, Durham University, 2010. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/196/.
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This thesis is an ethnographic study of a group of Chinese postgraduate students in a British university as they become adjusted to the culture of teaching and learning in the new learning environment during their first year of overseas study. It focuses on these Chinese students’ initial perceptions of British teaching and learning practices compared with their inherited culture of learning and how they make adjustments, emotionally, cognitively, and behaviourally, in order to make their learning successful, with the result of changes and developments in their conceptions and beliefs about knowing and learning. The present study seeks to draw together understanding from the fields of intercultural adaptation theories, tertiary students’ conceptions of learning research, and the interface of culture and learning, i.e. cultures of learning, to explore the impact of studying abroad on students’ intellectual development and personal growth so as to inform international and intercultural education.
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Abdulkader, Abdulkader. "A sociolinguistic study of postgraduate students' perceptions of using English for academic purposes." Thesis, Cardiff Metropolitan University, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10369/848.
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English for Academic Purposes (EAP) has been increasingly researched in recent years. However, in this research the learner's voice is still not clearly evident. The current study investigates postgraduate students' perceptions of using EAP in studying for higher degrees in Wales and Syria. The study makes a contribution to the field by focusing on the learner's voice in two different contexts, where English is a native language or a foreign language. The students in the study were either home students in Syria or international students in Wales. The juxtaposition of two different contexts allowed for key points of comparison and contrast to be observed. The methodology employed in the research was that of a main and associated case study. A range of data were gathered from University Wales and University Syria through the two case studies. It was found that most University Wales interviewees, as international students, perceived cultural context as an inseparable part of their concept of EAP. They were also aware that they were engaged with a number of overlapping cultures in their use of English. By contrast, the majority of University Syria interviewees, as home students, often perceived clear boundaries between EAP and the cultures surrounding it. It was also found that both groups of interviewees perceived particular features of teaching styles and resources as important elements in their use of EAP. The study findings are valuable in illustrating the similarities and differences of the students' perceptions of their use of EAP in two different contexts. They are also valuable in highlighting the students' identity as EAP learners, a pragmatic one in response to EAP and one that was evolving in response to the broad context of their studies. A central finding was the key role enacted by context in students' overall perception of EAP. Context highlighted the necessity of re-defining EAP, closely considering the different contexts in which it occurs.
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Hernandez, Lopez Elizabeth Margarita. "Mexican postgraduate international students' adaptation experience in a UK university : the first weeks." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2018. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/428058/.
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This Doctoral research reports on a qualitative case study conducted to explore the adaptation experience of a cohort of Mexican international students pursuing a postgraduate degree at a prestigious university in England during the 2016-2017 academic calendar. Because the early stage of the transition has been acknowledged as a critical period (Ward, Furnham and Bochner, 2001; Brown, 2008) and a holistic understanding of the participants' experience is to be captured by considering the pre-arrival stage (Schartner, 2014), this thesis focused on the pre-arrival period and the first four weeks of the participants' stay in the UK. Additionally, although the numbers of students in international mobility have augmented considerably during recent decades (British Council, 2012), and with it research to document the international experience has flourished (Delgado-Romero and Sanabria, 2007), international students of Latin American origin appear to be an understudied population (Reynolds and Constantine, 2007). Therefore, this research aimed to redress such gap by looking at Mexican postgraduate international students in the second largest importer of international mobility, the UK (UIS, 2016). It explored the academic, sociocultural, and affective challenges faced, the coping strategies employed, and the institutional services resourced for their adaptation during their first four weeks. Empirical evidence was gathered through a qualitative survey, a questionnaire, focus groups, and interviews. Bearing in mind the 'here and now' implementation of the instruments to facilitate the recalling of recent events (Lincoln and Guba, 1985; Munn and Drever, 1990) data was collected at four different points in time. In the pre-arrival stage (early to late September 2016) 12 students completed an online qualitative survey, on arrival (early October 2016) 25 students responded in-situ an online questionnaire; in the third stage (mid October) 20 volunteers took part in three focus groups; finally, 7 student participants (end of October) collaborated on an interview. The results reveal the challenges faced by the participants seemed to be related to various elements such as the extent of pre-arrival preparations, prior experience overseas, individual, and societal characteristics. Institutional support appeared to be mainly steered towards administrative concerns prior to departure whilst on arrival little assistance tailored for their needs, as international students seemed to be provided. The presence of a consolidated group of conational fellows in the host institution acted as a buffer during the participants' first weeks in the UK.
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Fan, Meng. "International postgraduate students' perceptions and experiences of peer assessment in a UK university." Thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/2554.
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Internationalization of the curriculum has become the subject of a significant body of research and debate, and demands new ways of teaching, learning and assessment in higher education (Ryan, 2013). Since Ecclestone and Pryor (2003) indicated the impacts of assessment on learner identity, this study investigates postgraduate international students‘ experiences of an innovative assessment approach, ‗peer assessment‘, to provide a new perspective from which to perceive the implications of assessment for internationalization of the curriculum. This empirical case study research focuses on five postgraduate taught modules (Business, Education A, Education B, Chemical Engineering and Computer Science) in a UK university in two academic years (2010-2011 and 2011-2012). The study uses a qualitative dominant mixed methods approach with four data collection techniques, including interviews, questionnaires, observation and diamond ranking. The research has identified both the benefits and problematic aspects of applying peer assessment in the international classroom, and proposed conditions that influence the implementation of this assessment approach. Paying attention to dialogue during the assessment process, the study has developed a social cultural model that contributes to the understanding of how assessment associated with Bernstein‘s (1996) concepts of classification and framing impacts on the international student‘s learner identity and the implications for consideration relating to assessment in the internationalization of the curriculum. It is hoped that the results will contribute to understanding about the challenges for international students‘ learning and support the development of successful assessment practice.
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Andretta, Susie. "Ways of experiencing information literacy : perception and practice amongst information management postgraduate students." Thesis, University College London (University of London), 2010. http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/10006522/.
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This study employs the phenomenographic concept of the structure of awareness to examine the experience of information literacy. It argues that the context in which information literacy is experienced affects the aspects of this phenomenon that are conceptualised and practised. The sample consisted of 27 students studying part-time for the MA in Information Services Management in London, and working as librarians or information managers. An iterative process of development led to the creation of an outcome space consisting of four categories of description on the students' experience of information literacy: Functional Literacy, Provision, Lifelong Learning, and Education. The categories are ordered hierarchically both by the purpose and context of the information goal and by the information relationship that underpins this goal. First, 'Functional Literacy' involves a binary relationship between individual and information which underpins everyday information goals. Secondly, in 'Provision' the information relationship expands from binary to ternary involving a threeway interaction between user, information professional, and information to address a range of information goals. Thirdly, 'Lifelong Learning' involves a binary relationship between the students and open-ended, complex information goals. Fourthly, 'Education' involves a ternary relationship whereby the educator fosters the development of independent learners by exposing them to open-ended, complex information goals. The multiple-context approach generates a more comprehensive outcome space for the students' experience of information than previous phenomenographic studies because it establishes the context-specific aspects of the phenomenon that are the focus in each category of description and enables the examination of the dynamics of the changes that occur within each category (classified as 'transformation') or across categories (classified as 'transfer'). It is argued that this multiple-context outcome space is better suited to inform future investigations exploring the experiences of information literacy education from the perspective of learners and of librarians who are charged with its delivery
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Brenner, Aimee. "Exploring the transition: a case study of RPL students in a postgraduate programme." Master's thesis, Faculty of Commerce, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/33638.
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There has been a movement across South Africa's education sector to widen access and participation in higher education (HE). Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) programmes offer an opportunity to do so by providing access to HE to those who do not necessarily have the prerequisite requirements. There is still much to learn regarding RPL programmes and the unique needs and challenges of RPL students, as most of these programmes are still in the pilot stage. This study is specifically concerned with the transition of RPL students into postgraduate HE, as little research has been conducted on this topic. To gain a deeper understanding of RPL student transition, the researcher followed a case-study approach in which the experiences of RPL students enrolled in an online postgraduate diploma programme in management in marketing (PgDipMM) at a South African university were investigated. The programme piloted a novel RPL assessment and selection process which aimed to address criticisms of previous models. Qualitative data was obtained through eight open-ended, in-depth interviews with RPL students enrolled in the programme. Using a thematic analysis approach, nine key themes were identified as possible mechanism that facilitated RPL students' successful transition into the postgraduate diploma and six themes that did not. Findings indicated that, to a large extent, the novel RPL assessment and selection process appeared to have facilitated RPL students' successful transition into a postgraduate diploma through technical preparation and building students' confidence in their abilities. Possible enablers and barriers to RPL students' successful transition were also identified and discussed. In short, the enablers included learner maturity, transference of prior knowledge and skills, social support, sense of belonging, access to effective resources and financial security. Conversely, the barriers included academic difficulties, under preparedness for the intensity of HE and time restrictions. The study had theoretical and practical implications in that it contributed to our understanding of RPL student transition to HE and provided suggestions for ways in which their successful transition can be facilitated