How the UK Universities Tuition Fees has Effect on Foreign Students - Research Paper Example

How the UK universities tuition fees has effect on foreign How the UK universities tuition fees has effect on foreign students Introduction 1.1 Research Aim Education contributes significantly towards the growth and development of the society. Many people desire to have a quality education that can enhance their living standards. Educational level enables them to secure good job opportunities, which have a high income. It encourages many students to apply for higher learning institutions in the overseas. Nevertheless, education cost in these nations is a fundamental constraint to many students. Some countries charge the foreign students highly, which may interfere with their desire for quality education. This study purposes to establish the influence of UK universities’ tuition fee on the international students. 1.2 Research Objectives i. To determine if UK universities charge foreign students high tuition fee ii. To investigate if UK universities’ tuition fees hinder international students from accessing education at the institutions iii. To determine if the tuitions fee affect education quality, which the non-native students obtain 1.3. Research Question i. Are universities in the United Kingdom charging high tuition fees for the international students? ii. Are the high tuition fees affecting health and education quality for the foreign students? iii. Are the universities’ tuition fees hindering access to education for the foreign students? 1.4 Methodology 1.4.1 Type of investigation This research is an exploratory because it seeks to address the problems, which have not received serious attention. The society knows little concerning the effects of charging high tuition fees on the international students, which the research seeks to obtain an explanatory relationship. Its reliance on the qualitative methods shows that it is an exploratory research. 1.4.2 Data collection method The researcher will take a qualitative approach to collect relevant data that will help analyse the questions. It will mainly use official documents such as statistics, and the researcher will treat them with care in order to obtain credible information. Online discussion forums and blogs will be useful in the process because they contain first-hand information, which will enable the researcher to understand the views of the public concerning the UK universities’ tuition fees. The researcher will also use newspaper articles and interviews contained in the newspapers that will help to analyse the research topic. The literature review will also contribute crucial information to analyse the research topic. 1.4.3 Sample Sample size influences research findings that can affect conclusion derived from a research. It is important to use a representative sample in order to prevent bias that may arise, thus affecting research quality (Kotrlik & Higgins, 2001, p. 43). The researcher will use a sample size of twelve, which will comprise mainly of online discussion forums, blogs, and newspapers articles. 1.4.4 Ethical issues It is important to obtain permission before carrying out research on a given topic. The researcher will also seek permission from the university before embarking on the activity. The research process will observe all the required ethical standards in order to enhance credibility of the study. 1.4.5 Data analysis The researcher will analyse data based on the credibility of the sources. The sources that contain bias will not be used in the process because they could provide misleading information. The analysis will also focus on answering the research questions, which shows the research will consider the information that addresses the objectives. 1.4.6 Timeline Task 20/3/15 25/3/15 30/3/15 10/4/15 20/4/15 30/4/15 10/5/15 20/5/15 Identifying a research topic Setting Objectives Seeking permission Sampling Data Collection Data Analysis Report writing 2.0 Theoretical Analysis 2.1 Academic theory, concepts and models The grounded theory refers to a general method in research that guides the researcher on how to collect data (Johnson, Onwuegbuzie, & Turner, 2007, p. 113). It enables people to take systematic, comparative, interactive, and inductive approach to inquire about a given topic or an issue of concern. It also provides open-ended methods to carry out an inquiry concerning emergent issues. These strategies enable researchers to make assumptions that they test, which shows that grounded theory is deductive. It allows people to involve in deductive reasoning during the investigation period (Glaser & Anselm, 2009, p. 127). Approaches in grounded theory ensure that the methods are open, thus enabling the researchers to develop conceptual analyses of the issues under investigation. They foster early thinking, and enable the researchers to interact with their findings and promising analyses (Charmaz, 2011, p. 156). The hypothesis of grounded theory contributes significantly to emerging methods because it enables the researchers to solve various problems in a creative way. They can also use imaginative interpretations to analyse their data, which could help address the research topic effectively. The theory does not focus only on the study findings, but also emphasise the analysis process and construction of theoretical categories (Hsieh & Shannon, 2005, p. 1279). It involves adductive reasoning that focuses on analysing anomalies and surprises in the collected data (Charmaz, 2011, p. 157). It also enables researchers to develop imaginations concerning all the relevant theoretical accounts of the findings and then develops and analyse the hypotheses to obtain the best solution to the problem. Discourse analysis is an important approach that a researcher should consider when reviewing literature. It considers the content of the information presented and the surrounding historical and social contexts of the issues (Fairclough, 2003, p. 76). Discourse analysts consider a variety of texts to enable them determine pertinent issues in an area. They use the information available to analyse the issues under study in order to make evidence-based conclusions (Alvesson & Karreman, 2000, p. 1128). Similarly, the researcher will also use discourse analysis in order to obtain appropriate information that addresses the research topic efficiently. Analysis of the existing literature will provide valuable findings concerning the effect of UK universities’ tuition fee for the foreign students. Grounded theory and discourse analysis form the basis for reviewing existing literature concerning the topic. 2.2 Current state of research Higher learning institutions charge tuitions fees differently based on the nationality of the students (Heller & Claire, 2013, p. 13). All universities in different countries charge the foreign students higher tuition fees as compared to their citizens. Some universities charge the non-natives extremely high fees, which may affect them significantly. The United Kingdom is one of the countries in the world where universities charge the non-natives highly. Research shows that higher learning institution in the country charge non-natives students £14,250 per annum for the business undergraduate courses (Brunel University, 2015, p. 1). The native students pay £9000 per year for a similar course. An additional fee of £5,250 per year that the institutions charge foreign students is high and can affect them significantly. The international students who seek to pursue postgraduate courses in the United Kingdom must also pay high tuition fees to enable them achieve their dreams. The institutions charge them £14080 per annum while the UK students pay £7500 per annum for a similar course (University College London, 2015). It is a clear indication that higher learning institutions in the United Kingdom impose high tuition fees for the foreign students. Education is an important resource that the society should give to its people. Education liberates people from various challenges in life because they acquire knowledge that guides their thinking process (Mannoia, 2015, p. 95). They pursue decisions based on the information and evidence they have. Education helps tin achieve the relevant information and evidence required for the process. Therefore, many people seek for educational opportunities in the society in order to attain liberation in the society. However, costs usually hinder them from the opportunities. Children from the low-income families may find it difficult to attain education, and their fate relies on the well-wishers and government scholarship. Their parents consider learning as a luxury because they use the little finance they have to buy basic needs such food. Many people value quality education, which encourages them to pursue all the possible avenues to obtain their desire. International students believe that higher education in America and UK is better than the ones at home country. Universities and colleges focus on quality, and their objective is to enhance learning outcome for an individual student (Goodlad, 2014, p. 18). Pursuing higher education in these countries will increase their opportunities back at home. It encourages them to apply for courses in the overseas institutions in order to obtain the quality education that will benefit them significantly in the society. Tuition fees in the institutions determine whether they will achieve the dream of quality education. In most cases, they consider costs when making decisions concerning the appropriate institutions to study their courses. High costs demoralise and hinder many people who cannot collaborate with the required amount. Consumers in any business are often price sensitive, and they will tend to shy away from the expensive goods and services if alternatives exist in the market (Cabral & Fishman, 2012). Similarly, high tuition fees in the United Kingdom will force many students to pursue the courses back at home where they can afford (Greenaway & Haynes, 2003, p. 155). They will go for a substitute unwillingly due to their inadequate capital that cannot allow them to study at the UK institutions. Foreign students’ number who pursues their courses in UK has decreased (Universities UK, 2013, p. 6). Tuition fees is probably one the factors leading to decline in the number because many students cannot afford. UK universities tuition fees have significant effects on the health of foreign students. The majority of the international students desire to attain quality education, which they believe is attainable by learning in the UK (Goodlad, 2014, p. 18). They apply for courses, despite their expensive nature. They believe in future returns that outweigh the current expenses. The majority of them argue that studying in UK will increase their competitive advantage in the job market, which will increase their income. Therefore, they decide to pursue their courses in the country while working to in order to meet the high tuition fees. It affects their learning outcomes because it reduces the time they take to study (Goodlad, 2014, p. 10). In most cases, they may dedicate less time to their studies because they must work for long hours in order to meet the expenses. A challenging situation may affect the quality of their learning outcomes. They experience difficulty in balancing their education and work, which in turn affects their education quality. Long working hours also affect the student’s health because they develop depressive disorders. In some cases, the students may go without sleep in order to work and obtain high income, which can pay their fees and up-keep in the country. 2.3 Introducing the argument Review of literature provides substantial information that supports the argument that high tuition fees can affect a given population significantly. It is evident that UK universities charge foreign students highly for various courses they pursue. A foreign student pays £14,250 per annum while a native student pays £9000 per year for a similar course (University College London, 2015). It is realistic to charge non-natives higher amount than the natives. However, it is unfair to charge the foreign students very highly because it affects them in many ways. It hinders many people the opportunity to learn in the country because they cannot afford the expenses. Some international students come from poor backgrounds, which make it difficult for them to meet the high cost of education in the United Kingdom. They desire to pursue higher education in the country because it increases their employability skills. Many employers consider applicants who are culturally competent because they can work with customers from different backgrounds (Moran, Harris, & Moran, 2011, p. 154). Studying abroad is a good opportunity for international students to gain cultural competence. It indicates that higher tuition fees affect many students because they cannot afford the opportunity to learn in the institution, thus reducing their employability skills. The government should understand that international students come from different backgrounds. It is necessary to reduce the costs in order to increase affordability to many foreign students. High tuition fee forces many foreign students to work while they study. Their desire for quality education and a better future encourages them to implement all the possible strategies, despite the difficulties involved. They look for employment opportunities to supplement their capital in order to raise the tuition fees (University of Manchester, 2015). It forces them to work for long hours and extra hard in order to meet their demands and this affect their health. Policy makers should understand that many foreign students engage in straining jobs in order to pay for their tuition fees. The do not have adequate capital to pay all the expenses, thus forcing them to work for long hours. They have a little sleep, which affect their health and well-being. Therefore, it essential for the universities to charge a reasonable amount that increases affordability to the courses they provide. 3.0 Conclusion 3.1 Summary of the Chapters UK Higher education is a challenge for many foreign students. Universities in the country charge foreign students highly for the undergraduate and postgraduate courses. This discourages many people from pursuing their courses in the country because they cannot afford the high costs. Students from poor families cannot afford education in the country, which forces them to study in their home country. The foreign students in UK participate in jobs to enable them raise tuition fees. It affects their health because they develop stress because of the difficulties of balancing job and studies. It also affects their learning outcomes because they spend much time working at the expense of their studies. 3.2 Future Recommendations Policy makers in the country should reduce the costs of undergraduate and postgraduate in the country. Higher learning institutions should not charge foreign students highly because it discourages many people from studying in the country. It reduces the number of international students, which in turn minimises revenue generated by the country. Affordable tuition fees will also enable the students to avoid straining jobs that affect their health and education quality. The institution should also provide scholarships for the students from poor backgrounds to enable them increase their employability skills. Bibliography Alvesson, M., & Karreman, D. (2000). Varieties of discourse: On the study of organizations through discourse analysis. Human relations , 53 (9), 1125-1149. Brunel University. (2015). 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The Economic Journal , 113 (485), 150-166. Heller, D. E., & Claire, C. (Eds.). (2013). Student Financing of Higher Education: A Comparative Perspective. London; Uk: Routledge. Hsieh, H. F., & Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches to qualitative content analysis. Qualitative health research , 15 (9), 1277-1288. Institute of Education (IOE). (2015). Fee structure. Web. May 9, 2015 Retrieved, from http://www.ioe.ac.uk/studentInformation/14506.html Johnson, R. B., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., & Turner, L. A. (2007). Toward a definition of mixed methods research. Journal of mixed methods research , 1 (12), 112-133. Kotrlik, J. W., & Higgins, C. C. (2001). Organizational research: Determining appropriate sample size in survey research appropriate sample size in survey research. Information technology, learning, and performance journal , 19 (1), 43. Mannoia, V. J. (2015). Christian Higher Education: An Education that Liberates. Christian Higher Education , 14 (2), 89-107. Moran, R. T., Harris, P. R., & Moran, S. V. (2011). Managing cultural differences: global leadership strategies for cross-cultural business success. London; UK: Routledge. Universities UK. (2013). Where student fees go. Retrieved May 9, 2015 Universitry of Manchester. (2015). Working while studying. Retrieved May 9, 2015, from http://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/international/finance/working-while-studying/ Read More