The work investigates the impact of the market on the operation of the Innovative University of Eurasia (InUE) in Kazakhstan. The administrative staff of the university and the faculty have a positive perception of marketing and the study of the English language.
Introduction
Researchcontext
The participants of the research were students, professors of the English Center and administrative staff of the university, as it was important to know the perceptions of the main stakeholders regarding the marketing of higher education in general and the effectiveness of the English language program in particular. The next chapter focuses on the methodology adopted in the study, discusses the research designs and data collection tools and highlights their strengths and weaknesses and also covers the ethical issues of the research.
Literaturereview
- Marketization of education
- Background information about Kazakhstani higher education
- Polarization of views – pro-marketers and anti-marketers
- Main drivers of marketization in higher education
- The impact of marketization on the operation of the universities
- Perceptions of the main stakeholders regarding marketization
- The changing status of English under marketization
- Theoretical concept of the research
Regarding marketing of higher education Dill (2003) defined it as an intervention of the market in the life of educational institution (p. 2). Despite the influence of the market, the state has always played a decisive role in the higher education sector.
Methodology
- Qualitativeapproach
- Case study
- Research Site
- Datacollection tools
- Procedures
- Sampling
- Data analysis
- Reliability and validity
- Ethical consideration
- Limitations of the study
The open-ended questions made it possible to explore the participants' personal attitudes towards the topic under investigation. I then emailed both administrative staff and faculty representatives with information provided about the research project. Two administrative staff Example: two InUE administrators with different responsibilities towards the English Centre.
And finally, I involved 2 representatives of administrative staff: the vice-president of the university and the vice-rector. Carefully formulated research questions according to the purpose of the study can reduce bias to some extent (Cohen & Manion, 1994). Therefore, the research questions and the interview questions were developed expressly according to the purpose of the study.
According to Sin, ethical consideration plays an important role during the whole process of the research (as cited in Wang, 2008, p. 112). According to Griffin (2001), limitations of the qualitative study include the reliance on a relatively small number of participants (p. 3). However, due to the small number of participants, qualitative research can provide in-depth information.
Findings
- Research background information
- The influence of the marketization on the English language program at InUE
- Students‟ perceptions about the English language program
- Administrative staff and faculty perceptions about marketization and the English language
- Main findings
- Conclusion
According to the perception of administrative staff, English-language training is strongly influenced by the labor market. Second, active collaboration with native speakers was identified as a unique feature of the English-language program. All participants on the faculty staff believe that the English-language program they teach is fully tailored to the needs of the labor market.
In addition, the curriculum of the English language program is based on life skills and work development skills. The university's administrative staff also believes that the initial focus should be on market demands. Moreover, with the implementation of the English language program, the university has increased their expenses.
All categories of participants: administrative staff, faculty and students were asked about the uniqueness of the English language program. The faculty of the English Center see themselves as facilitators between the labor market and the client-students. The example of the innovation was the establishment of the English Center and the implementation of the unique English language program for non-major students.
Discussion
The influence of the marketization on the English language program at InUE
However, what is important to note is that due to the influence of marketization on the English language program, the main focus shifts to the communicative skills, while academic English is mostly left out. This was evidenced by the teachers in the English language program who participated in our study. This idea was presented by linguist Fairclough (1994) who believed that English language was becoming informal or as he called it "conversationalized".
Simple conversation skills and the ability to interview to obtain important information are important in the workplace. On the other hand, education loses its academicism in the pursuit of meeting market demand. As a result, English-language training has been strongly influenced by the labor market since its inception.
This was proven by the participants of the conducted study, whose work experience ranged from 17 to 20 years. In addition, all professors answered that the content of the curriculum is designed in accordance with the needs of the students. However, previously the curriculum was more geared towards universal knowledge that future graduates can use in all situations.
Students‟ perceptions about the English language program
The researcher wanted to compare the perceptions of representatives of three different schools: Engineering School, Business School and Pedagogical School. The findings of the survey showed that all students are engaged in employment. It is explained by the fact that, with full inclusion in the Bologna process in 2010, Kazakhstani students faced the possibility of participating in a variety of academic exchange programs (Yergebekov & Temirbekova, 2010, p. 1473).
Thus, many students became motivated to learn English to participate in this program. Furthermore, according to Johnson (n.d.), an English proficiency certificate is a “passport to higher-paying employment,” “a ticket to the world of work,” “a dominant component of progressive education,” and “a necessary qualification for many respectable jobs” (p. 133). According to Johnson's (n.d.) inquiry into “reasons for studying English,” most of the interviewees who were students at various universities in China responded that “English is the language of the world; we must learn to succeed” (p. 133).
First, with the development of globalization, English is gaining a new status as an international language. Another factor when English communication skills became increasingly important for career development was the implementation of the trilingual policy, which raised the status of English in Kazakhstan. With the introduction of the trilingual policy, students in Kazakhstan became more concerned about English as it would help them in future employment and career development.
Administrative staff and faculty perceptions about marketization and the English language
An example of innovation is the establishment of the English Center and the implementation of a unified English language program for non-subject students. First, the University has increased the expenditure on the operation of the English Center compared to other departments of the University. In addition, the university administration actively attracts international teaching staff to work with students and teachers.
Furthermore, as mentioned above, the administrator believes that the program has a positive impact on the operation of the university. Since the establishment of the English Center, more students are applying to the university. As for the English Center faculty, they also believe that marketization has a positive impact on higher education and English-language education in particular.
As a result, according to the teachers of the English center, the increased motivation of students has a positive effect on the educational process in general and the atmosphere in the classroom. In other words, according to them, the curriculum has changed with the development of the market. What is even more important, the goals set by the university management were realized by the faculty.
Conclusion
Major findings
The English language program for non-English major students at the Innovative University of Eurasia is greatly affected by the labor market. The implication of this finding is the successful cooperation of the labor market and the university. The students are satisfied with the English language program, because of several unique features, which facilitate it to provide high quality of the program and meet the labor market requirements, such as interactive methodology, level orientation, international staff and objective assessment policy.
The implication of this finding is the importance of the students' attitude and perceptions of the programs offered by the university. Administrative staff of the university and faculty view marketing and the English language program positively. Firstly, market competition facilitates the implementation of the innovations in the university, such as the establishment of the English Centre.
Second, attracting more students using the program makes the university more profitable. While the primary objective of the program to teach communicative English was fully realized according to the students' perception. Moreover, the administrators and the faculty have similar perceptions about the marketing and the English language program.
Scholarly contributions
Finally, faculty believe that the English skills they learn will be applicable to students' future work. The implication of this finding is that the cooperation between the administrative staff and the faculty has been successfully arranged.
Limitations and recommendations for future research
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Project: The Impact of Higher Education Marketing on the Performance of Universities in Kazakhstan: A Case Study of the Innovative University of Eurasia. Project: The Impact of Higher Education Marketing on the Performance of Universities in Kazakhstan: A Case Study of the Innovative University of Eurasia.
