Research on international student flows from a macro perspective: A network analysis of 1985, 1989 and 1995

By analyzing the 64 countries that represent the largest number ofinternational student exchanges, this article describes internationalstudent flows from a macro perspective. The findings indicate that theinternational student exchange network remained relatively stable. TheUnited States and most Western industrialized countries maintained theirposition at the center of the network, while East European and Asiancountries have become more central and the African and Middle Eastcountries have stayed peripheral. The results suggest an academichegemony consistent with world economic and political performance. Alliedwith World System Theory, the higher a country's position in the worldsystem, the more central it is in the international student exchangenetwork.     

学生全球流动网络国家格局的变化与中国选择

全球化进入深刻影响社会经济、政治与文化的新发展时期,学生全球流动网络的国家格局正经历重要变化。伴随新兴经济体与发展中国家的崛起,学生全球流动的"中心—半边缘—边缘"国家结构明显,中心与多极并存的全球学生流动网络国家新格局渐趋形成。作为世界最大的国际学生生源与新兴流动目标国,中国正成为全球学生流动网络中心的重要一极。在"一带一路"倡议与人类命运共同体新型国际关系的引领下,中国未来需要将"一带一路"沿线国家与地区学生流动作为国际教育优先战略,努力成为建设全球学生流动新秩序的典范。     

新自由主义与民族保守主义的钟摆交替:欧美国家国际学生流动政策的逻辑与演变

国际学生在一国发展中的战略地位毋庸置疑。在国际学生的招收和使用上,国家和政府不是被动的接收者,政府在国际学生的招收和使用方面扮演重要的建构性角色。通过梳理和解读国际学生流动政策和措施,文章进一步厘清了21世纪以来欧美发达国家国际学生流动政策背后的新自由主义和民族保守主义逻辑。欧美发达国家一方面意识到争夺国际学生对于在"全球人才竞赛"中增强国家竞争优势至关重要;另一方面为照顾本国日益消极的舆论和选民日益高涨的民族主义情绪,严格缩紧国际学生的移民签证。在不同阶段或者不同执政党领导时期,国际学生流动政策呈现出以国家利益为轴心,在新自由主义与民族保守主义之间来回摇摆的演变态势。如何在激烈的"全球人才竞赛"中保持优势与照顾到更加民族主义的国内舆论之间保持平衡,成为欧美国家国际学生流动政策的重点和难点。     

Retrospective and Prospects for China’s International Educational Exchange in the 40th Anniversary Year of Reform and Opening Up

International exchange is an important part of China’s educational opening up, cooperation, and connection with other countries. It also serves as a unique strategic resource, helping to develop and consolidate mutual political trust, diplomatic exchange, economic and trade relations, cultural exchange and educational cooperation between China and other countries in the world, thereby enhancing China’s international image. We have seen positive contributions made to our progress towards peace among peoples, and noted the irreplaceable role played by China. International educational exchange is an important part of global international student flows. Since the founding of the People’s Republic of China, especially in the 40 years of reform and opening up, China has experienced a development process in education from language students to students at all levels and from quantity to quality. The change in the type of international students studying in China and of Chinese students studying abroad reflects the Chinese spirit and the broadening the appeal of China’s programs. It can be interpreted as the fulfillment of the “Chinese Dream,” contributing to national revitalization. The trade imbalance between exporting countries and destination countries in international educational exchange has been reduced.     

全球化时代国际能源安全形势的特点及趋势

当前国际能源安全形势的显著特征是,石油生产国与消费国之间的矛盾加剧。从资源和生产要素的配置上看,它们对世界能源市场的依赖性都越来越大,因价格波动、供应中断或政局不稳所引发的动荡震撼整个世界。在经济全球化的背景下,各国共同参与应对能源安全、气候变化等全球问题已经成为国际社会的共识。各国定期交换关于本国能源形势的信息,以及中期和长期的能源发展规划与纲要,将有助于提高未来国际能源市场的透明度、稳定性和可预见性。     

借鉴澳大利亚经验转变我国留学生教育发展策略

如何扩大留学生教育规模,是目前高等教育国际化面临的热点课题。澳大利亚在较短时间内摆脱了留学生教育发展困境,一跃成为当今世界的主要留学生接收国,在国际留学生教育服务市场的占有率居高不下,其发展经验很有借鉴意义。本文集中对中澳两国留学生教育发展策略展开对比分析,力求以澳大利亚经验为基础,探索出一种切实可行的发展策略,推进我国留学生教育事业整体进程。     

The flow of international students from a macro perspective: a network analysis

This paper provides a network analysis of the international flow of students among 210 countries and the factors determining the structure of this flow. Among these factors, bilateral hyperlink connections between countries and the number of telephone minutes (communication variables) are the most important predictors of the flow’s structure, followed by trade, the physical distance between countries, a common border between countries and a common language between two countries. The USA is by far the most central country in the flow of international students, followed by China, the UK, France, Germany, Australia and India. These results are discussed in light of World-System Theory. Future research should examine how the network of international student flows changes over time and consider additional factors to provide a better understanding of the network as an international system.     

The policy implications of the global flow of tertiary students: a social network analysis

In 2016, approximately 5 million students, about 2% of global tertiary enrolments, studied abroad. As globalisation of education advances, tertiary student mobility is an important channel through which highly skilled immigrants arrive and work in different nation states. Informed by the multidisciplinary internationalisation frameworks, this study applies social network analysis techniques to the UNESCO data, to explore and compare the international tertiary student mobility networks in 1999 and in 2012. Based on the network visualisation and statistical analyses, this research emphasises that an individual country’s economic and political power and geographic location are increasingly significant in determining its position in the network. Compared to the 1999 networks, the developing world has played a more important role in the networks by becoming the new destination for study and sending out more students. Yet it is still the economically leading nations that serve as the critical bridges connecting the less developed countries/regions to the world. Underneath the seemingly balanced development, the developing nations might be in a more disadvantaged and peripheral position in 2012. This study is concluded with a discussion of the brain drain issue and how various nation states confront it in light of the global flow of tertiary students.     

International Students: The Canadian experience

This paper is an analysis of the results of a voluntary on-line survey administered to international students attending Canadian universities. The participants include students attending a full programme of study as well as English as a second language (ESL) and exchange students. This study examines the role of the university with reference to providing the pertinent information/services to the students, pre- and post-arrival. Certain choice patterns of international students in selecting Canada vis-à-vis other countries are also examined. The results of our analyses indicate that Canada seems to have performed well in meeting the expectations of international students. Furthermore, this study did help to illustrate some of our inherent strengths that, if marketed properly, could allow Canada to enlarge its share of the foreign student market.

     

Social network analysis of international student mobility: uncovering the rise of regional hubs

Research on the patterns of international student mobility and the dynamics shaping these patterns has been dominated by studies reflecting a Western orientation, discourse, and understanding. Considering political, economic, cultural, historical, and ecological factors, this study argues that international student mobility is not only an issue of the economically developed, politically stable, and academically advanced Western world but also one that involves countries with different economic, political, and academic characteristics. Taking into account various theoretical orientations, this study argues that political, economic, cultural, and historical factors have led to the emergence of non-traditional destinations for international students; these countries are labeled as emergent regional hubs. In order to empirically test this, a social network analysis was conducted on a worldwide dataset representing 229 countries. The findings evidenced the strong position of traditional destinations for international students. However, the results also suggest the rise of several regional hubs, which are undergoing internationalization processes in different forms and with different rationales. The mobility patterns in emerging regional hubs deviate from those in traditional destinations, which fundamentally change the nature of internationalization in this context.     

促进学生国际流动的国家政策:何以可以与何以可为?

随着全球社会发展与国际教育相互关系变得广泛与深刻,国家已成为参与国际高等教育竞争有影响力的行动者.作为国际教育竞争的基石与国家经济竞争力领域的关键结构,学生国际流动被视为促进国家公共外交与培养全球竞争力人才的重要政策工具.全球范围促进学生国际流动的国家政策呈现既复杂又不平衡的特点.以国际教育战略与项目计划为发展先导、参...     

International Students: The Canadian experience

This paper is an analysis of the results of a voluntary on‐line survey administered to international students attending Canadian universities. The participants include students attending a full programme of study as well as English as a second language (ESL) and exchange students. This study examines the role of the university with reference to providing the pertinent information/services to the students, pre‐ and post‐arrival. Certain choice patterns of international students in selecting Canada vis‐à‐vis other countries are also examined. The results of our analyses indicate that Canada seems to have performed well in meeting the expectations of international students. Furthermore, this study did help to illustrate some of our inherent strengths that, if marketed properly, could allow Canada to enlarge its share of the foreign student market.     

新兴国家的崛起与国际格局的变化

2008年全球金融危机以来,新兴国家快速崛起,这个以发展中国家为主的群体,经济发展潜力巨大,与发达国家的经济差距不断缩小,面对金融和经济危机的冲击,其经济仍保持了较好的发展,对世界经济的增长作出了巨大贡献。新兴国家积极参与国际金融和经济秩序的变革,政治话语权不断提升,以更加平等的身份广泛参与国际事务,成为推动国际格局发展变革的重要力量。     

University studies as a side job: causes and consequences of massive student employment in Estonia

Student employment is increasingly common in many countries. Compared to earlier decades, not only more students work but they also work longer hours. Among European countries Estonia is one of the clear “leaders” in student employment. This study uses survey data from 2,496 students in Estonian public and private universities to examine the reasons for working on such a massive scale and its consequences on academic success. The results show that, unlike in most other countries, Estonian students from more privileged families are as likely to work as students from poorer families and they are even more likely to have a full-time job. Furthermore, working seems to have only a marginal negative effect on academic progress. These results seem to support the theory that in Eastern European countries student employment has become a signal of students’ capabilities and ambition, and that relatively low academic standards contribute to the strength of the signaling mechanism. A long-term solution to student employment would require changes in quality standards, student financing, alternative higher education opportunities, and perceptions of students, employers, and academics.     

The role of schools in bridging within-school achievement gaps based on socioeconomic status: a cross-national comparative study

Since the publication of the Coleman report in 1966, research on the role of schools in influencing student achievement relative to the role of family background has generated considerable interest and controversy. A large volume of international and comparative research has also been devoted to studying school effects on student achievement. Relatively few studies have examined international differences in the importance of schools in bridging achievement gaps based on socioeconomic status (SES). Using PISA 2012 data, this study examines the role of schools in bridging within-school SES gaps in achievement and compares findings across 61 countries. Contrary to prior research, we find that schools may have limited ability in bridging SES gaps that exist within schools. We also find that across all countries included in the study, specific factors such as the school’s learning environment and school context are not systematically associated with within-school SES gaps.     

Inequality in top performance: an examination of cross-country variation in excellence gaps across different levels of parental socioeconomic status

This article examines the extent to which parental socioeconomic status (SES) affects the likelihood of a child becoming a top-performing student, offering an international perspective by reporting this relationship in 31 developed countries. The impact of 3 important educational system characteristics (differentiation in terms of early tracking, standardisation, and private schooling) on the relationship between parental SES and top performance was determined. We employed multilevel logistic regression models on data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 (N?=?216,980) to reveal that children with low parental SES have a lower probability of becoming a top-performing student than those with high parental SES, although this association differs between countries. The negative relationship between a disadvantaged parental background and top performance was not affected by the educational system characteristics under investigation.     

UNIVERSITY GUIDANCE WITHIN THE ERASMUS PROGRAMME: THE GREEK EXPERIENCE

This article argues in favour of strong student information and counselling services in order to increase the rate of success of such international student and faculty exchange programmes as those of the ERASMUS Programme. After focussing on the role of guidance counsellors and the rate of participation in ERASMUS Programmes in selected European countries, the author turns to a specific examination of the Greek situation. She concludes with a plea not only for Improved informational services in the countries concerned but also for efforts to make the information available more target‐specific.     

英国高校国际学生学费的变化及其对高等教育的影响

在全球化时代，高等院校学生的全球流动给国际学生输入国的政治、经济以及高等教育带来了重要影响。英国作为国际学生的主要接收国之一，其优质的高等教育吸引着来自世界各地的学生。在新自由主义意识形态、国际教育服务贸易理念与高等教育财政拨款投入制度的影响下，英国逐步向国际学生收取高额学费。英国高校国际学生学费的变化呈现出新的特点，影响着国际学生的来源结构、生源数量与质量，可能导致高校课程调整与师资流失。国际学生学费的变化引发了英国社会对高等教育市场化取向与国际学生公平教育权益的讨论，并实施了将国际学生学费与院校国际教育质量挂钩、以奖助学金形式平衡国际学生学费压力等具体改革举措。     

From Green to Red Tomatoes or Is there a Shortcut by which to Change the Conceptions of Teaching and Learning of College Teachers?

No general shift from a teaching to a learning paradigm in higher education is possible without a parallel change in the conceptions that college and university teachers have of teaching and learning‐‐from teaching, conceived as transmission and reception of knowledge, to teaching as facilitation of student learning. Staff development and action research can play a useful role in “defreezing” the existing conceptions and attitudes. But for a substantial change in teaching practices in the direction of learning of high quality to occur, more substantial changes in organization, curricula, funding, staff recruitment, and professional development policies are needed. The international academic community can play an important role in this paradigm shift by presenting models of good practice as well as exchanges of experiences and incentives. Such assistance is especially important for small countries in transition, like Slovenia.