ACADEMIC EXPATRIATION INTO EUROPEAN UNIVERSITIES: APPLICATION OF PERSON IN ENVIRONMENT THEORY

Abstract

Academic staffs migrate from one institution to another, some within the same country while some academics migrate to foreign institutions. Academic migration to foreign institutions entails greater challenges due to various factors including different national policies, language and cultural adaptations. Based on the theoretical concept of "person-in-environment", this research focused on three factors that would appeal to foreign academics who seek engagement with universities in the European Union countries, i.e. 1) accessibility to rules of conducts at EU universities, 2) understandable languages for foreign academics, and 3) organizational units assisting with the integration of foreign academics. Thirty-one universities from countries within the EU were randomly selected for the purpose of data collection. A formal analysis was carried out on the selected university websites to assess both the presence and the extend of the three factors of this research. The findings show the existence of ethical principles in the universities’ internal rules and practical manuals available to help solve situations associated with foreign academics adaptation into the work and social environment. However the availability of such support is not adequately available in all institutions and are limited in many institutions. Comprehensive support is found in the four universities - the University of Limerick in Ireland, the University of Heidelberg in Germany, the University of Malta, and the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands. The Swedish University of Linköping also has rules in place for whistleblowing, paving the way for other EU universities to emulate. The ethics of the 21st century will have to address new situations, and dilemmas in relation to migration, and different values among social, cultural, and religious backgrounds. This article provides guidelines for better integration in the working environment abroad by introducing the three factors for integration, and points out the need to shift basic standards into practice to cater for better assimilation of expats into host country environment.