Australian postgraduate research students still prefer to 'stay at home': reasons and implications
Title:
Australian postgraduate research students still prefer to 'stay at home': reasons and implications
Author:
Kiley, Margaret Austin, Andy
Appeared in:
Journal of higher education policy and management
Paging:
Volume 30 (2008) nr. 4 pages 351-362
Year:
2008-11
Contents:
Work in 1997 on Australian research postgraduate student mobility indicated that most students chose to remain at their current institution to undertake a research degree rather than move elsewhere, and that they were unlikely to seek widely for information. The present study aimed to determine, 7 years later, if there had been changes in student mobility or the way in which students sought information. The results show that student mobility is virtually the same with only 12 per cent of respondents indicating they were planning to accept a scholarship to undertake a research masters or doctorate at a different university in a different State following completion of their previous degree; 18 per cent were moving to a different university but in the same State, and 61 per cent were remaining at the same university. As with the previous study, it was clear that students preferred to seek advice on future study from their existing supervisor or their departmental colleagues, and that accessing information via the Internet and print media was undertaken relatively rarely. These results are discussed within the context of the higher degree by research (HDR) environment in Australia, the likely benefits of student mobility, and possible strategies for emulating the benefits of mobility with these 'stay at home' students.
Journal description