The discursive construction of internationalisation in Philippine Catholic university websites

Abstract

This study examines how the growing priority for internationalisation is constructed in Philippine Catholic universities through a discourse analysis of institutional websites. School websites have increased relevance in the current global education milieu, where internet connectivity is an important means to communicate with current and potential teachers, students, and institutional partners. Specifically, I explore what and how notions of internationalisation are expressed in websites of higher education institutions (HEIs). This qualitative research offers the novelty of focusing on the case of top Catholic HEIs in the Philippines. Caught up in the global pressure to internationalise and the dictum and desire to preserve their religious identity, Catholic HEIs represent a cohort with nuanced practices and ideological struggles related to tensions in global, institutional, and religious priorities. The findings have implications for Catholic HEIs across the globe as they compete for higher world rankings and participate in internationalisation.