Academics’ Engagement in the Internationalisation of Higher Education at Public Universities in Malaysia

Set within the context of an aspiring higher education hub in Southeast Asia, the thesis aims to discover the engagement of academics in the internationalisation of higher education at Malaysian public universities. Five sub-areas of academics’ internationalisation form the basis of the inquiry: the conceptualisation of internationalisation, the forms of engagement, the rationale for engagement, the support and the impact of the engagement on the academics. The study adopted the qualitative research approach to explore these dimensions of the academics’ engagement in internationalisation as part of their professional lives. Two qualitative data collection methods (individual in-depth interviews and an online focus group) were utilised to encourage the participants to articulate their views, accounts, practices, and needs. Seventeen academics employed at six Malaysian public universities were interviewed, and eleven also participated in the Facebook-based focus group. The analysis of the findings revealed six main categories in explaining the Malaysian academics’ engagement in the internationalisation at public universities within the national higher education system. Regarding the conceptualisation of internationalisation, it was discovered that there are diverse interpretations of the internationalisation concept. Next, although there are similarities in their internationalisation activities or strategies, the rationales for internationalisation for their engagement in these activities are found to vary and sometimes conflicted with the state-level motivations. While the supports required by the academics in their internationalisation effort were funding, leadership and collegial, the findings on challenges hampering their internationalisation engagement revealed issues related to leadership, governance, financial management, and shortcomings stemming from research-publication and student management. Their engagement also was discovered to have impact on the academics’ role and individual self. Framed within the literature on the internationalisation of higher education and the academic profession, the discussion on the findings led to a few emerging themes, including the agency of academics in the internationalisation of higher education, misalignment between academics and institutional engagement, and internalisation of neoliberalism through academics’ internationalisation engagement. By exploring the academics’ engagement in the internationalisation of higher education within the Malaysian higher education system, the study managed to capture the voice of academics who are indeed significant actors in universities. The implication of the study calls for further and meaningful reflection on how Malaysian public universities and the higher education system internationalise by taking account of academics’ perspectives.