Leadership Impact on Lecturer Retention at University Preparation Programs in Malaysia

Abstract

Many higher education institutions (HEIs) offer pre-university/foundation programs that help students transition from secondary school to universities, in Malaysia, or around the world. To be globally competitive and meet the needs of students looking to enter world class universities, HEIs in Malaysia often need to employ expatriate lecturers (ELs) (Trembath, 2016). Many ELs choose to depart their institution at the end of their first contract. This can have a negative impact on programs and adds additional recruitment costs to program budgets (Theron et al., 2014). This study’s purpose was to understand the importance of leadership and organizational climate on ELs’ decision to either renew their contract or depart. The objective was to provide the leaders of such programs with insights to help them mitigate the challenges expatriates face and develop a supportive environment that encourages longer-term commitment of lecturers beyond an initial contract.
 A convergent, parallel mixed methods research design was used for this study in which 63 participants completed an online questionnaire. In addition, 31 participants also completed a semi-structured interview. The research population for this study included current and former ELs who have worked at university preparation programs at Malaysian HEIs.
 Five themes that affect EL retention surfaced from the analysis of the qualitative and quantitative data: (a) professional growth and fulfilment, (b) the direct influence of the leader, (c) institutional factors, (d) cultural adjustment factors (Froese, 2012), and (e) country-specific factors. These key factors have influenced the decision making around contract renewal for ELs at Malaysian HEIs.
 Based on the results of this study, The Leadership Model for Expatriate Lecturer Satisfaction and Fulfillment was developed in order to guide program directors in developing a system to foster the conditions that encourage EL retention.