(2136)UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL: EMPLOYING IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWSTO EXPLORE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OFLEARNING ENVIRONMENT AT A PRIVATE UNIVERSITY INMALAYSIA

摘要

The number of international students enrolling at higher learning institutions in Malaysia is increasingeach year. However, the quality of learning environment is not always easy to measure, particularly forprivate universities which are not financially aided by the government, where the learning environmentis characterized by their physical construct, quality of staff and academic atmosphere. There havebeen numerical quantitative researches on the perceptions of university learning environment but it isargued that a qualitative approach would add to existing knowledge by providing deeper insights, andfrom a different perspective. The purpose of the present study was to explore international students’perceptions of a private university through individual in-depth interviews. 15 international studentsfrom 10 different countries were selected for this study. Various themes emerged from the interviews,some of which have not yet been uncovered in past research investigating learning environment. Thefindings provide evidence that students expressed their common expectations, concerns, and hopesfor a quality university learning environment. This study also provides support for the employment ofqualitative methods in the study of perception and learning environment.