The United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a small nation-state, and Abu Dhabi as its wealthiest Emirate, exists in a regional and international environment of rapid development and social change, economic diversification, political upheaval and instability. Federal government rhetoric identifies quality Higher Education (HE) as a key contributor to the production, dissemination and transfer of knowledge, a position reiterated in Abu Dhabi public documentation; therefore HE is seen as a source of competitive advantage in a globalized world. This research sought to identify how HE for Emirati nationals is supporting the development of a knowledge-based economy as official public documentation envisions. The UAE has adopted policy and indicator borrowing from international agencies such as the World Bank (WB), providing the context for promotion of economic growth and development for the nation. The research considers the historical tribal, social and political context of the UAE that shapes efforts to introduce change and identifies systemic challenges for HE to effectively develop citizens to drive national growth and innovation through education. This research used a mixed method approach involving statistical data from the World Bank (WB) Knowledge Assessment Methodology (KAM), federal and Emirate government publications and media reports to analyze approaches toward development federally and in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. These sources were then triangulated through semi-structured interviews with high profile HE leaders and researchers working both at the nation level and within national institutions. This research identified seven major findings, with evidence suggesting that knowledge economy and knowledge society terminology are not clearly differentiated or understood in UAE discourse. Additionally, the development platforms required for research and innovation activities that stimulate growth are not well understood and are impacted by counter-productive legislation. The short development time-frame of the UAE was identified as a challenge; however national HE quality is also impacted by poor K-12 education, ineffective HE system management practices and immature understanding of governance outside of the tribal context. This research provides insights into local implications for the adoption of international development benchmarks and may give cause to question processes used to identify national and Emirate priorities, the mechanisms available to realize national or Abu Dhabi HE goals and the challenges inherent within the UAE context.

The Higher Education (HE) sector is a major contributor to the UK economy. Beyond its financial contribution HE adds value to society and generally advances global culture. Along with funding, league tables ranking and rising tuition fees one of the major challenges HE faces is competition on both national and international levels. So as to gain competitive advantage HE institutions need to satisfy their stakeholders. This research is concerned with two categories of HE stakeholder: 1. Postgraduate (PG) taught students 2. Academic staff. The focus of this study is to explore the relation between postgraduate student satisfaction and academic staff satisfaction. The University of Salford’s Salford Business School (SBS) in the UK was chosen to be an exploratory case study. This study is underpinned by two research questions: 1. How can PG student satisfaction be linked to academic staff satisfaction and explored in relation to Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory and the Balance Theory? 2. How does the marketisation affect PG student perceptions of HE? Unlike previous studies which adopted positivist standpoints, this research uses an interpretive paradigm. A total of twenty-eight in-depth interviews were conducted between the 20th October 2014 and the 30th November 2015. The data subjects were twenty PG students and eight academic staff in a dyadic relationship. Participants were selected based on their knowledge and experience of SBS. NVivo software was used to analyse the semi-structured interviews as well as critical incidents discussed. This study contributes to knowledge by investigating the relation between student satisfaction and staff satisfaction, using both Herzberg theory and the Balance theory. Findings of this research suggests there is a relation between PG student satisfaction and academic staff satisfaction, although in some cases it was not activated. It contributes to Herzberg’s Motivation-Hygiene Theory in that it shows a need to augment his framework with the impact of negative feedback when using it in future studies, particularly if considering HE. Moreover, one of the key findings is that PG students consider themselves as customers. This means that they expect high quality of service in return for the student fees paid. The methodological contribution of this research shows that data collected from members of the dyadic relationship of PG students and academic staff who teach them, offers a rich understanding of services provided by SBS. Finally, the practical contribution of this work challenges the reliability of student surveys being conducted to measure satisfaction of students as in reality unhappy experiences were those that were shared more easily and this highlights the need to change the feedback culture in HE. Research findings highlight both the benefits and drawbacks of the Block delivery mode currently used at SBS. The findings also imply that one of the HE system drawbacks is that it focuses on and rewards research output. So it identifies a need within the management of the school to focus on and reward teaching excellence.

Introduction: Students in UK Higher Education are increasingly working together in multicultural group work settings, with many courses entirely or almost entirely featuring international students. Additionally, Master’s degree students whose course of study lasts one year are required to adapt to a new educational culture quickly, despite having in some cases little or no prior experience of group work. However, there is relatively little research into Master’s level students’ experience of multicultural group work Aims and objectives: This study aimed to answer the following question: What are the most important challenges, issues, conflicts, tensions and also benefits encountered during multicultural student group work in a UK information school? In doing this, the following sub-questions were used: • What are the challenges, issues and benefits in multicultural group work? • What factors impact upon multicultural group work performance? • When do challenges and issues occur in multicultural group work? • How do cultural differences affect group performance? • How does multicultural group work influence students’ experience and satisfaction? • How does the information science context impact on group work? This was achieved by: • Use of the literature to identify challenges, issues and conflicts in student group work • Conducting case study research approach to investigate student multicultural group work using observation and interview data collection methods • Investigating students’ perception towards multicultural group work • Identifying the factors affecting multicultural group work and • Producing model of factor affecting multicultural group work Methodology: The research study adopted a case study approach and the setting was the Information School at the University of Sheffield, UK. Research participants were Master’s degree students studying on the MSc in Information Management and MA in Librarianship programmes. This is a qualitative research study, which adopts an inductive approach. Data collection methods include the observation of students conducting a group work assignment and 26 semi-structured interviews in which participants were questioned regarding their experiences of multicultural group work across several modules. In addition, institutional and module documents were used to provide a comprehensive perspective on each case. The analysis of the documents and observation data alongside interviews was used to produce the case study reports. Furthermore, the thematic analysis of the interview data was undertaken to identify and conceptualise the themes. Findings: Factors such as the identity of group mates, language, whether the group was self-selected or allocated, assignment design, and support available from tutors and academic staff were all found to strongly influence students' experience of group work. The MA Librarianship cohort (primarily home students) were found to be reluctant to associate and collaborate with individuals on other courses and encountered difficulties when working with students from other countries and cultures. These international students in turn reported feeling intimidated, stressed or undervalued in such a situation. A model was developed to show the relationship between the various factors that influenced multicultural group work, using Tuckman & Jensen's (1977) stages of group development as a framework. Conclusion: This research makes a contribution towards understanding the variety of factors that influence multicultural group work, specifically at Master’s-level and also a contribution to understanding group formation. The way students chose their group members is linked with their sense of familiarity and similarity with other students. The majority of participants preferred to work with their friends and students who shared similar academic attitudes with them. There are various factors which impact on students’ group work experience. Some of which are unique to multicultural group work. Factors such as English language skills, student’s name, communication style and student understanding of the task are present in multicultural groups. In addition, factors such as assessment and design of group work task had major impact on students’ experience and their view towards the group work. Students were less likely to engage in activities, which do not bear any mark, and they aim to achieve higher marks. The research can be used in the design and management of multicultural group work tasks and activities to achieve a better understanding of group dynamics and improving the student experience.

The emerging social collaborative technologies such as Facebook and Twitter are greatly influencing the evolution of e-learning in higher education. As these technologies become more easily available to students and lecturers, the approach to e-learning continues to evolve leading to a social collaborative e-learning (SoCeL) model. SoCeL involves social interactions and collaborations among students and lecturers in order to make it easy for them to construct and share knowledge. They exchange ideas and share their own digital products using these technologies to facilitate learning. Studies have however, shown that using social collaborative technologies in the learning process has not always had definite success. This may be attributed to lack of a framework to guide effective integration. The perceived absence of suitable frameworks is addressed in this work by developing frameworks to guide effective integration of SoCeL. This empirical study follows the requirements engineering process and uses a mixed methods approach involving case study and human-computer interaction ethnography to explore the environment in which social collaborative technologies are adopted in two universities in Uganda. Data were analysed using qualitative and quantitative approaches to establish requirements for SoCeL effective integration. The findings of this study are grouped in two broad areas: learning environment and adoption of social collaborative technologies. Based on these findings, the SoCeL environment framework and SoCeL adoption frameworks were developed. These provide the basis on which important recommendations are made. In conclusion, the thesis argues that SoCeL can be effectively integrated in higher education if the learning environment focuses on an integrated design. The design should bring together: informal learning, social networking and learning management.

The ability to be creative is increasingly considered to be an important objective in preparing university graduates for their future roles as citizens and employees. Both participation in dialogue and interacting with others from different cultures have been found to increase creative capability. This study focused on the multicultural student-to-student dialogue which took place in one graduate level course. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of graduate students in this dialogue, as well as how this participation might influence these students’ generation of creative ideas for their final papers. An analysis of the data highlighted that the main benefits of participating in the student-to-student dialogue were enhanced learning, social connection, a more pleasant learning experience, and the freedom to express oneself and also to challenge others. The most significant challenge to the student-to-student dialogue was a low level of participation by some non-native speakers. Although non-native speakers generally found participation in the student-to-student dialogue to be more challenging, this was not true of all students. Some non-native speakers were able to break through “the barrier of shame”, a term used by one student, and to play an active part in the dialogue. No connection was found between the amount of participation in the multicultural student-to-student dialogue and the generation of creative ideas for their final papers; however, it is possible that this is due to the need to distinguish between participation, defined as the amount of talking by the speaker, and engagement in the dialogue, defined as actively following and considering the dialogue.

This study is aimed at verifying whether organizational identity may be a factor in steering institutions of higher education in a process of change called for by internal and external circumstances. The thesis is built on a case-study of an Italian non-state University that experiences a situation of disruption due to a reduction of governmental funding, a decrease in student enrolment, and an unfavorable national higher education context. The study makes several contributions to existing theories elaborated on organizational studies, higher education policy, and higher education management. In particular, it tries to set a relation between Organizational Identity Theory (Albert and Whetten, 1985) used as theoretical framework, strategic management and leadership in HE. Empirical evidence gathered from the case-study suggest that the context impacts the formation and subsistence of organizational identity and the efficiency of managerial practices and leadership. The higher education system and the funding model in place may favor or prevent the exercise of autonomy and creation of a governance model conducive to a strategic change process. The parameters of the research are set on a specific and limited timeframe, the period of crisis during which tension within the university arose. The research is based on interviews of senior management staff, academic and administrative. The interviews are semi-structured and generated by open-ended questions. The approach to the data collection through interviews is ethnographic and interpretive-constructivist. The data is then validated through documentary analysis. The analysis has made evident that the difficulties experienced by the University are tied to the leaders’ diverse understandings of organizational identity and how these affect the leaders’ strategic decisions. This work demonstrates that the effectiveness of any strategy depends largely on the existing conditions, that is the autonomy and its use as reflected in the governance model, rather than its strategy’s content or form.

As universities look to provide more access and increase the level of participation in their international education curricula, the focus on international experiences at home has intensified. However, extremely little research has been conducted on the factors associated with participation in these forms of experiences. The purpose of this study was to address this lack of research by identifying factors that influence university students’ participation in a broad scope of internationally-themed experiences. The study was designed to identify significant factors that indicate the influence of habitus, rational cost-benefit analysis, and the context of the student within the university on a student’s likelihood of participating in international experiences while at a university. Results from an on-line questionnaire survey of students at a large research university in the United States (n=422) were analysed through cross-tabulations and logistic regression analysis. The findings of this study indicate that the importance that students perceive participation has in achieving their goals, their participation in other cultural and travel experiences, their financial status, and their field of study are significantly associated with participation in international experiences. The findings support the work by Perna (2006), Salisbury et al. (2009), and Glaesser and Cooper (2013) that argue that habitus, rational action, and the context of the student within the university work in conjunction to influence a student’s educational choices and outcomes. Given that factors such as race, financial status, and field of study showed differing associations with the two outcomes of participation in abroad and at home international experiences, this study suggests that international at home experiences provide an opportunity for universities to establish international experiences that are more accessible to students that typically do not study abroad.

British universities have become more strategic about their international market development work over the past two decades and have given considerable attention to the planning and implementation of effective international strategies to achieve this. This study considers the international strategies of a group of four of these universities. The study analyses the accounts of expert practitioners in a variety of roles within the international teams of these universities to uncover the rationales, objectives and methodologies within these strategies. The study uses the theoretical lens of Resource-Based Theory (RBT) and the dynamic capabilities approach to analyse these expert accounts and to make sense of the why and how of the strategic international work being undertaken by these teams within their universities. The why question is addressed in this study through RBT and the findings indicate that the four universities in this study all seek the same set of key resources. The how question is subsequently addressed through the dynamic capabilities approach and thus the study examines how the international teams prioritise several capabilities which allow them to effectively pursue these resources. The dispersed nature of a university means that a great proportion of the time and energy is taken up setting up efficient and effective processes and other internally focussed activities. The study suggests that there is an imbalance between the resources sought and the capabilities developed with considerable bias to the setting up of reliable internal processes which distracts from the externally focussed mission. The complexity of the capabilities developed and the considerable timescales and resource investment involved in major international projects such as campuses help explain the ultimate distinctiveness of each university’s approach. The study is undertaken from a theoretically-informed practitioner perspective and is intended to be of use to practitioners in their own strategic deliberations.

This thesis reports the findings of a mixed-method case study of female and male academics’ perceptions of gender inequality in a higher education workplace in Afghanistan. Despite some positive changes in women’s position within the family and within the economic and political spheres in the Post-Taliban era, women remain marginalised and discriminated against in public spaces. Currently, there is no research on academics’ perceptions of gender inequality in their workplace. This study employs social survey and in-depth interview methods to understand academics’ interpretations of gender inequality in their workplace, drawing on the concepts of public versus private patriarchy, inequality regimes, intersectionality and gender performativity. The data were collected from two universities in Afghanistan. The study shows the complexity of gender relations in an academic environment in Afghanistan. The findings reveal that gender inequality exists in higher education institutions, but that its existence has been normalised. Deep and longstanding gender inequalities in the wider socio-cultural context of Afghanistan, combined with aspects of university policies and practices, render gender inequalities in academia invisible to many, but not all, academics; both women and men. The findings suggest that the private realm of the family provides the support that encourages women to undertake education and career work, while retaining their responsibilities within the family.

Since the 1960s, there has been a sustained policy commitment to widen participation to social groups previously under-represented in further and higher education (Thompson, 2000; Burke, 2012). Widening participation has encouraged students to return who are poorly prepared for the intellectual challenges of post-compulsory education (Leatherwood, 2005; Burton and Golding Lloyd et al, 2011). Some research has concluded that post-compulsory education has been dumbed down to accommodate ill-prepared students (Haggis, 2006; Coffield, 2010). This research interrogates these analyses in the context of Higher Education in Further Education (HE in FE). The research investigates if HE in FE can be a catalyst for significant social, emotional, and intellectual growth in students – if students can be transformed by the experience of education (Mezirow, 1978a, 1991; Cranton, 2006). Within both a critical and a phenomenological research paradigm, twelve non-traditional graduates from a full-time BA programme at an HE and FE College in Scotland were interviewed; as were the BA programme leader and a module teacher. The graduates also produced reflections of their experiences of HE in FE. The research sought to determine if graduates from HE in FE can experience significant social, emotional, and intellectual growth as a result of participation; what teaching and learning settings make this possible, and can graduates be transformed by the experience of HE in FE? The findings of the research indicate that the participants, to varying degrees, all experienced some significant shift in attributes such as confidence, independence and willingness to try new things. How they experience, conceptualise and participate in their social worlds has become more discriminating. I conclude by proposing that higher education programmes, facilitated in further and higher education colleges, can have the potential to provide transformative experiences for students who participate. It has been a transformative experience for the participants in this research.