Motivations and experiences of international students at UK private Further Education colleges that were closed down by the Home Office: Implications of the points based system

Abstract

British universities are renowned for their excellence and high standards in delivering quality education in a diverse, creative and inviting environment and have always attracted international students from across the world. This study explores the motivations and experiences of international students studying at UK private Further Education (FE) colleges and in particular the effect of the Points Based System (PBS). The PBS was introduced by the UK Labour Government in 2009 to control and monitor so-called ‘bogus’ colleges and students. The immigration status of international students and the effect of the PBS have remained a matter of political controversy and debate to the present day. The thesis explores the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of a sample of 33 international students at private FE colleges, pursuing their goal of obtaining a UK degree which were closed down by the Home Office. It critically examines the different effects of the PBS on their studies. It is based on the fusion of two theoretical approaches, Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Organismic Integration Theory (OIT). In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with these students, recruited to the research using snowballing sampling techniques. Their responses have been thematically analysed to give insight into their experience of the challenges, and hardships they faced due to the change in government policy. Their reactions to this can be seen through the different levels of motivation (external, introjected, identification and integrated) which have been identified and co-related to the key themes such as ‘status’ and the ‘impact of immigration policy’ which constitute the extrinsic factors of motivation from those that emerged. This study demonstrates how this has affected their level of motivation and legal status in the UK. Further, the study shows that social environment plays a major role in the need to satisfy psychological needs which can either promote or hinder personal growth and motivation. To conclude, this thesis qualitatively investigates international students’ experiences whilst they pursue their studies in UK private FE colleges. It also contributes to the existing literature because the implications of the PBS on international students studying at private FE colleges have not been investigated to the same extent as in Higher Education universities and state funded colleges in the UK.