A FRAMEWORK FOR QUALITY IN INTERNATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION: POLICY AND PRACTICE IN CHILE AS A CASE STUDY Emeline Jerez orcid.org/0000-0001-6697-0745 Submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy October 2018 Melbourne Centre for the Study of Higher Education Melbourne Graduate School of Education The University of Melbourne ABSTRACT In a globalised environment, internationalisation has become increasingly important to the higher education sector, with varying rationales and intensities. Even though higher education has long had an international dimension, the elevation of internationalisation to one of its primary functions is evolving its character in many countries. An increased inflow of international students and greater academic collaborations, alongside intense competition, now characterise an international higher education arena where national boundaries become blurred. These blurred boundaries raise questions about protection of consumers and reputation for the quality of national systems. Like internationalisation, a focus on quality has become increasingly embedded in the higher education culture since the 1990s. Despite being contemporary processes, there are relatively few studies concerned with their convergence, particularly, the examination of the factors or variables explaining quality in international higher education. This study explores the main elements that contribute to success in international higher education at the system level. The study adopts a national, case study approach. Qualitative data is collected through document analysis, questionnaires to international experts and semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in Chile, the context of the case study. Based on an adaptive theory approach, the study constructs a framework for quality in international higher education following an iterative process that brings together the previous management theory of quality as continuous improvement and a novel theory emerging from the empirical data. This process yields an expanded and adapted framework for a bounded higher education system. The significance of this study lies in the contribution of its empirical findings to theory as well as policy and practice. The study adds to theory by building a comprehensive understanding of quality in international higher education that identifies operational dimensions of ‘excellence’ in the area. Based on this theoretical understanding, a conceptual framework is developed which includes instruments, actors and structures that explain success or failure in international higher education. The applicability of the model is assessed using the case study of Chilean higher education. This new understanding helps to expand on the future of quality in international higher education by setting out several recommendations for policy and practice. The insights gained from this study are of particular assistance to Chilean higher education to better respond to the globalisation challenges and meet the ambition of being more competitive internationally. This study shows that the lack of a national strategic perspective towards international higher education is one of the main factors inhibiting the operation of the full quality cycle. Even though there has been major advancement at the level of individual higher education institutions, there are structural elements that are contingent on national policy. Among these are proper regulation, funding schemes and second language developments in lower educational levels. This study enhances our understanding of quality in international higher education and sheds light on the series of factors and variables that, in a structured and organised way, help in its management. It develops a framework that contains new innovative analytical tools for predicting and managing success in international higher education at the macro (government), intermediate (agencies) and micro (higher education institution) levels. The viability of the model is assessed using the case study of Chile but its applicability can be examined in other countries. Therefore, this framework may be of interest to policymakers, practitioners and researchers in the field of international higher education for the study of other national contexts as well as cross-country analysis to identify differences between systems. i DECLARATION This is to certify that: i. The thesis comprises only my original work towards the PhD, ii. Due acknowledgment has been made in the text to all other material used, iii. The thesis is fewer than 100,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, bibliographies and appendices. Signature: Emeline Jerez October 2018 ii PUBLICATIONS FROM THIS THESIS The following publications derived from this research: 1. Jerez, E., & Blanco, C. (2018). Transforming quality assurance in Chilean higher education: Development, reviews and reform. In A. C. McCormick, H. Coates, & E. Hazelkorn (Eds.), Research Handbook on Quality, Performance and Accountability in Higher Education (pp. 508). Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. This book chapter emerged from the literature review relating to Chilean higher education. It focuses on the national quality assurance policy since the 1990s and how it has evolved in terms of emphasis and maturity. These elements are discussed in Chapter 3. 2. Coates, H., Weerakkody, S. U., Jerez, E., Wells, M., & Popenici, S. (2018). Transparency is the lynchpin for higher education success. In B. Cantwell, H. Coates, & R. King (Eds.), Handbook on the Politics of Higher Education (pp. 392). Cheltenham, United Kingdom: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. A section of this book chapter emanated from the literature review relating to quality in higher education. It focuses on the evolution of prevailing trends in the sector, which are discussed in Chapter 4. 3. Weerakkody, U., & Jerez, E. (2018). International student success: A multilevel perspective of factors that contribute to the success and quality of the experience abroad. International Journal of Chinese Education, 7, 22-41. doi: 10.1163/22125868-12340088 The second segment of this journal article derived from the literature review relating to instruments of quality in international higher education, and the international expert consultation. It focuses on quality assurance mechanisms that contribute to international student success, which are discussed in Chapters 6 and 7. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A very special gratitude goes out to all the international experts and Chilean stakeholders who participated in this study. Without their valuable insights, this research would not have been possible. I would like to thank each of them for sharing their experiences and thoughtful ideas about quality in international higher education which contributed to this study to transit from abstract to practical interpretations. I gratefully acknowledge the Chilean Government for funding this PhD research under the Becas-Chile Programme. The support and encouragement provided by my supervisors at the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (MCSHE) have been invaluable. I thank Professor Leo Goedegebuure for his insightful comments. They were a significant contribution to my thinking and helped me find new perspectives to enhance my work. I thank Professor Hamish Coates for his guidance throughout each stage of my study. I truly appreciate his dedication, enthusiasm and enlightening thoughts. I also thank Dr Gwilym Croucher for his valuable feedback which became an inspiration to my writing. I owe them much gratitude for showing me the way to navigate this research journey. My sincere gratitude also goes to my advisory committee chair, Professor Fazal Rizvi, who kindly shared his knowledge about the area, providing valuable advice to shape the study. I am grateful to Dr Ryan Naylor, Dr Victoria Millar, Dr Paula Kelly and Professor Simon Evans who also offered expert advice in the early stages of my research, with a special mention to Professor Peter McPhee for his valuable feedback on my findings. Beyond the University of Melbourne, I would like to thank Dr Iring Wasser for his support and expert advice. His profound knowledge about methods of quality in higher education across the world has been an inspiration to this PhD. My special words of thanks also go to fellow PhD students at the MCSHE, for contributing every day to create a supportive environment and giving me the opportunity to learn about new cultures. I thank my friends Umesha, Claudia, Lis, Loan, Thuy and Hang for stimulating conversations during lunch time. I thank Paul, Sam and Ken for their continuous support. I also thank Marian, Nora and Cat for sharing their more senior experience as PhD students. Their success has been an example to follow during this process. I would like to acknowledge Diana Langmead's professional copy-editing assistance in some selected chapters to produce a polished thesis. I am deeply grateful to my family, my parents Manuel and Carmen for being a source of emotional support across the distance and my siblings, Pablo, Elizabeth and Matti for the warm words when I needed them the most. I am eternally thankful to my beloved daughter Lizette, for accompanying me throughout this four-year process. Her smile helped me to overcome the challenges and gave me the strength to continue the journey. This thesis is dedicated to you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT .........................................................................................................................................