A 'proper university'? Students' expectations and experiences relating to education quality at a private higher education institution in Hong Kong

Abstract

The higher education in Hong Kong has experienced remarkable massification and privatisation over the past few decades. There have been increasing concerns on education quality and equality, and the survival of private higher education institutions (HEIs) under the competitive environment. To address these issues, understanding students’ perspectives has become important for the private HEIs. This qualitative study aimed to develop understandings of students’ expectations and experiences relating to education quality at a private HEI in Hong Kong. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews with 20 undergraduate students. Two sequential stages of data analysis were conducted – firstly through inductive thematic analysis and then theoretical thematic analysis by drawing on Nancy Fraser’s social justice framework of participatory parity.

This study finds that students held a wide spectrum of expectations relating to educational outcomes and processes. Students perceived that their outcome-related expectations (employment, knowledge and skills, social networks, and personal development) were largely met; but regarding their process-related expectations, only those on teaching support were largely met, while those on other aspects (administrative services, university life and campus environment) were largely unmet. As such, some students suggested that their college was not a ‘proper university’. Students also perceived that the education they had experienced was of inferior status to that offered by public universities, giving rise to a strong sense of injustice. This suggested that their college, to a certain extent, was unable to provide students with equitable opportunities to participate in quality higher education.

This study has enhanced the understanding of students’ expectations and experiences in the context of private higher education sector in Hong Kong and has signalled priority areas for institutional and education quality improvement. Students’ experiences reflect that the massification of higher education has furthered the traditional elitism and reinforced inequality in higher education participation, as well as illuminate the negative public perception towards private higher education in Hong Kong. This study argues that more resources and support should be given to students in private HEIs for ensuring parity of participation in relation to their peers, and student participation and voice should be actively engaged for continuous quality improvement.

Date of Award	18 Mar 2025
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Rafael Mitchell (Supervisor) & Sue Timmis (Supervisor)