Giving Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis a New Home: Teaching a Western BSc Program in a Malaysian College

In 2012, I began studying for a part-time doctorate; since this was to take 5 years of my life, both inside and outside of work it had to be something I had a real interest in. One of my roles at the University was liaising with colleges in Malaysia. I had worked closely with Malaysian teachers at one college for over a decade, wanted to give them a voice, and make known their experiences of teaching one of our courses. This research investigates the application of the interpretative phenomenological analysis to a discipline where it has not been used before. The study explores the experiences of staff at one Malaysian college who are teaching a British undergraduate course. The influence of Chinese Heritage Culture on the identity of the teachers is examined in detail through the application of interpretative phenomenological analysis. The work finds that there are influences on Malaysian teachers not found in Western academics and that cultural influences and expectations of both students and staff play a large part in the way that teachers in Malaysia deliver a Western program.