International student retention in the Australian higher education setting: the role of internationalisation of the curriculum

Abstract

Although there are a large number of studies that focus on factors influencing student retention, relatively few of these studies focus on the impact of an internationalised curriculum on student retention. The overall objective of this study was to explore the relationships between internationalised curriculum, international students’ satisfaction with the internationalised curriculum at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) University and international students’ retention. Mixed methods research was used in the analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data in this study. The quantitative component consisted of data from the Higher Education Onshore – Student Experience Survey administered by the Survey Services Centre of RMIT University in 2012 and the qualitative component included analysis of interview data. A sequential explanatory mixed methods design was used to explore the relationships between internationalisation of the curriculum and international students’ satisfaction with the internationalised curriculum. The themes emerging from the data were connected to the research purpose. Therefore, data were categorised into three themes with their subcategories. The three categories included: internationalised curriculum, international students’ satisfaction and international student retention. The focus on four dimensions of curriculum (academic approach, course content and two measures of teaching method 1 & 2) and their relationship with student retention has provided important insights into understanding how these different elements of curriculum affect student retention. In this study it was assumed that the curriculum at RMIT University has been internationalised, and practical outcomes may result from this study regarding an understanding of the components of the internationalised curriculum and their relationship with student retention. This may help to create better institutional policies and inform better decision-making for university officials and administrators as they strive to internationalise RMIT University.