Faktor tarikan pelajar siswazah antarabangsa ke universiti penyelidikan di Malaysia (Attraction factors of international graduate students to research universities in Malaysia)

Abstract

Pendidikan tinggi di Malaysia mengalami perubahan bagi memenuhi aspirasi pembangunan negara dan pasaran antarabangsa. Pelan strategik pendidikan tinggi negara juga berhasrat menarik pelajar antarabangsa pasca siswazah khususnya di universiti penyelidikan termasuklah UKM. Jesteru itu, objektif kajian mengenal pasti faktor tarikan pelajar antarabangsa memilih UKM. Seramai 369 pelajar siswazah antarabangsa di UKM memberikan maklum balas menerusi borang kaji selidik. Ujian t dan ujian Kruskal%Wallis digunakan untuk meneliti perbezaan faktor tarikan. Hasil kajian mendapati tiada perbezaan faktor yang signifikan antara pelajar PhD dan sarjana. Namun demikian terdapat perbezaan yang signifikan bagi faktor peluang biasiswa/geran, kos pengajian dan kursus yang diiktiraf mengikut benua asal pelajar.

Katakunci: faktor tarikan, geran, pelajar siswazah antarabangsa, pendidikan tinggi, Timur Tengah, yuran pengajian

International student needs and expectations are becoming increasingly sophisticated and demanding. Therefore higher education system in Malaysia has been transformed coherent with the country's development and international market. Higher education strategic plan also aims to attract more international graduate students, particularly at research universities including the UKM. Thereby, the objective of the study to identify the factors attract international students choose the University. A total of 369 international graduate students at UKM provide feedback via the survey form. T test and Kruskal%Wallis test is used to analyze the pull factors. The study found that there is no significant difference in pull factors between PhD and masters students. However, there were significant differences for the scholarship/grants opportunities, tution fees and courses being recognized by students’ continent of origin.

Keywords: grants, higher education, international graduate students, Middle East, pull factors, tuition fees