Armenian Higher Education Perspectives On Internationalisation

Abstract

As truly mentions Knight (1999), given the rising interest in and understanding of “…international dimension of higher education…”, the usage of the term “internationalisation” is becoming more frequent. She underscores (Knight, 1999) two possible reasons for the aforesaid phenomenon: first, internationalization is becoming more crucial for higher education providers, yet second, she posits that this can be accounted for by the fact that the term internationalization is perceived differently by different people, thus giving rise to this plethora of interpretations. Even two decades following what Knight termed as “crucial” for higher education, we can still trace “globalization” and “internationalization” as being increasingly popular terms when studying contemporary writings on higher education (Tight, 2019). Judging from a wide range of up-to-date research and literature on internationalization of higher education, it can be inferred that the confusion and interchangeable use of the terms is still a reality all over the world, and Armenia is no exception. Given the ongoing debates on the terms and the scope each of them encompasses, the paper draws on international and Armenian literature and official documents to critically assess whether the term “internationalization” is perceived the same way across Armenian HEIs, and whether RA institutions have a set model for internationalization to compare their operations against. The research outcome will be principally important as it will provide insights into the generic picture of internationalization in general and the way it is seen by Armenian HEIs, and will provide fertile ground for building up further studies on the issue.