Special Issue on the Internationalization of Higher Education: Introduction

The internationalization of higher education has developed rapidly over the past several decades and is now said to be central to the world of academia (Knight, 2012). In tandem with this rise, the volume of literature on internationalization has grown steadily and now constitutes a significant body of research (Kehm and Teichler, 2007). Internationalization is a common topic of discussion within academia (Dima and Vasilache, 2016). However, it is also both among the more widely researched and also among the more misunderstood topics (Altbach, 2002; Knight, 2011). There is considerable ambiguity about what internationalization means in the context of higher education, as it is a complex and multi-faceted topic covering many different areas and activities, and takes many forms (Criswell and Zhu, 2015; Knight, 2004). According to Knight (2011), it has become a “catchall phrase” that has started to lose its meaning. In this special issue on “The Internationalization of Higher Education”, the authors aim to shed more light on two facets of this important topic. These facets link to two key stakeholders in the internationalization process – faculty and students.

The first facet relates to the experiences of faculty members in the context of internationalization. It has been noted that faculty interest and participation is key to the success of internationalization efforts (Friesen, 2013). It is important to know if the impact of internationalization on faculty members is indeed positive, as internationalization is presumed to be beneficial and its effectiveness is not often questioned (Brandenburg and de Wit, 2011). On this facet, this issue includes two contributions from authors in Germany (Svenja Bedenlier) and India (Deepak Dhayanithy and myself), covering topics related to the views and experiences of faculty members in Colombia and India. Internationalization is a relatively recent phenomenon in Colombia’s higher education sector, and has been growing and developing in various ways since the opening up of the country to the rest of the world in the 1990s (Jaramillo, 2005). Bendenlier’s article explores the motivations and impacts of academics in Colombia who have returned home after a lengthy stint abroad. Research on a Latin American country such as Colombia is particularly opportune, since the role of internationalization in this region is under-researched (Berry and Taylor, 2014).

In the case of India, its higher education system is considered by many to be the largest in the world in terms of the number of institutions and the second largest in the world in terms of enrolment (India Brand Equity Foundation, 2018). India is also said to be the largest provider of management education today (The Economist, 2016), and this is apt, given its booming economy and large and youthful population. India is said to be particularly well placed among emerging nations to play an important role in the internationalization of higher education, and is likely to emerge as a major hub for international students (Altbach, 2002; Lavakare 2018). However, studies on the internationalization of higher education in India are sparse. The article by Dhayanithy and myself aims to provide a better understanding of what internationalization means to business school faculty in India. It is hoped that these two articles will help fill in some of the gaps in our understanding of the faculty-oriented internationalization processes underway around the globe.

The second facet relates to the experiences of international students. This is an important aspect of internationalization, and as Jane Knight notes in her article titled “Five myths about internationalization,” that while international students are expected to be harbingers of increased internationalization at an institution, in reality international students often feel alienated both academically and socially, and frequently experience difficulties in integrating with the broader community (Knight, 2011). In this special issue, three articles examine the experiences of international students and those of asylum seekers and refugees (ASRs) who aspire to become international students. Contributions from authors in the United States of America (Angie Chung, Kenneth Chen, Gowoon Jung, and Muyang Li), Turkey (Alper Calikoglu), and the United Kingdom (Lynn Schneider), examine issues related to Chinese and South Korean students in the United States, international graduate students in Finland, and Syrian ASRs in Germany.

The United States remains the dominant destination for international students, and hosts approximately one-sixth of the world’s international student population (Jon et al., 2014). However, comparatively little seems to be known about how students from diverse cultural and national backgrounds adapt to the social and educational systems of their host nations. The article by Chung and her colleagues aims to shine some light on this issue by exploring how international students from Asia adapt to academic and social life in the United States. While the United States and other English-speaking countries receive the major share of international students, other non-native English speaking countries have started to adopt policies to attract international students by offering courses in English (Jon et al., 2014), with Finland being one such nation. The Finnish government has the stated goals of increasing the number of international students studying in Finland and exporting Finnish higher education (Cai, 2012). However, research has shown that international students who graduate from Finland are rarely employed at Finnish firms (Cai, 2012). To further explore this phenomenon, in his article, Calikoglu looks into the motivations, challenges, and future plans of international graduate students in Finland.

Finally, in an era of increasing cultural, ethnic, and religious conflict (Yusupova et al., 2015), the role of higher educational institutions in assisting ASRs is one of significant interest to academics. In particular, the conflict in Syria has led to a very large number of ASRs taking refuge in Europe, particularly Germany. Many of these ASRs are young people, who have either had their education interrupted, or find that their previous qualifications hold little employment value in their host nations (Krahn et al., 2000). ASRs are keen on progressing to higher education, but find their efforts impeded by a multitude of barriers (Dryden-Peterson, 2010; Shakya et al., 2010). It is important to gain an understanding of the challenges and aspirations of these disadvantaged groups in the context of higher education. The article by Schneider examines this pressing topic in the context of Syrian refugees in Germany. It is hoped that these three articles will help increase our understanding of the role of students in the ongoing internationalization of higher education.

Synopsis

Svenja Bedenlier in her article titled “ ‘The impact of my work would be greater here than there’: Implications of the international mobility of Colombian academics”, examines how the international mobility of academics from Colombia impacted their professional lives at Colombian institutions. The author finds that Colombian academics who spent time abroad gained from professional development and access to international research networks. These academics reported that they have had a positive impact on their institutions in Colombia, in addition to impacting students and fellow faculty members. The author concludes that returning faculty members play a key role in fostering internationalization efforts in Colombia through their international experiences, professional networks, and international contacts.

Deepak Dhayanithy and I, in our article titled “How faculty members develop views on internationalization: The case of a top-ranked Indian business school” explore how faculty members come to hold their views on internationalization. We find that management faculty in India hold heterogeneous views on what internationalization means to them, and we attribute these differing views to each faculty member’s unique set of international experiences, which we argue shapes their views on internationalization. We find that while Indian business school faculty are largely supportive of internationalization, they also expressed concerns regarding Western dominance and a perceived lack of appreciation for ancient Indian thought. We linked their views to the strategic drivers of internationalization posited by De Meyer (2012), and find that for Indian management faculty, the desire to enrich the home base is dominant, followed by a desire for global learning. We anticipate that these views will in turn drive the internationalization efforts of this and other similar leading Indian management institutions in the future.

Angie Chung, Kenneth Chen, Gowoon Jung, and Muyang Li contribute an article titled “Thinking outside the box: The national context for educational preparation and adaptation among Chinese and Korean international students”. They argue that the historic, cultural, and structural backgrounds of international students’ home nations influence how these students navigate their education experiences while studying abroad. They explore the experiences of South Korean and Chinese students studying in the United States, and find that Chinese students experience their study abroad period through a framework involving geopolitical concepts of nation and family, while South Korean students experience overseas education through what the authors call compressed neoliberal frameworks where traditional Eastern family roles and Western free-market ideas collide.

Alper Calikoglu in his article titled “International student experiences in non-native English-speaking countries: Postgraduate motivations and realities from Finland”, explores the motivations, challenges, and future plans of international graduate students in Finland. The author finds that international students have academic, financial, socio-cultural, and personal motivations to study in Finland. However, these students also face significant challenges while studying in Finland. He notes that while many were desirous to remain in Finland after graduation, they faced major cultural and linguistic barriers. The author argues that while non-native English-speaking countries will likely become more attractive to international students, these countries need to create tolerant multicultural, educational, and social environments in order to help international students overcome challenges.

Lynn Schneider in her article titled “Access and aspirations: Syrian refugees’ experiences of entering higher education in Germany”, looks at the challenges faced by recent ASRs to Germany from war-torn Syria. The author finds that ASRs aspire to be viewed as international students, a status seen by them to be socially desirable and perceived to be above that of asylum seekers and refugees. However, ASRs find that their dreams to be perceived as international students are impeded by their lack of resources and other unique challenges faced by them as displaced individuals. The author argues that German higher education institutions’ policy of subsuming ASRs into a common pool of international students, which although intended to provide equal treatment, ends up disillusioning ASR students who feel that their particularly difficult circumstances are disregarded.