International Education Strategy Research Articles

LEGAL FRAMEWORK OF SOCIAL AND PEDAGOGICAL SUPPORT FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN THE UK HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM

The article analyzes legal framework of social and pedagogical support for international students in the higher education system of the UK. It is emphasized that in 2023, more than 679,970 international students chose to study in Great Britain, which indicates a high level of training. It is stated that there are a number of legal documents regulating the socio-pedagogical support of international students in higher education in Great Britain, which ensures equal opportunities for all students regardless of their origin. National policies on socio-pedagogical support of international students from 1999‒2023 are described. The author notes that national policies on international students can be broadly grouped into four main stages: the Prime Minister’s Initiative (PMI) 1999–2004; the Prime Minister’s Initiative (PMI2) 2006–2011; the Coalition’s International Education Strategy (IES) 2013–2017; the International Education Strategy 2019 – till now (with updating in 2021, 2023). The author underlines the considerable consistency with which the four phases of policy emphasize the importance of recruiting and attracting more international students, offering a warm welcome, recognizing the benefits of international students. It has been summarised that the policy changes are not sudden but gradual, and trends established under one administration are sustained, reinforced and developed by successive governments. The consensus that international students should be recruited only to the extent that they benefit the UK, however, is not changing radically.

Internationalisation For All: Rethinking University Internationalisation

Concerns about commercialisation, high costs of study, elitism, massification, and the challenge of quantity over quality are some of the common themes across the globe in the discussions on international higher education. Viewed through the lens of a small public university in the UK, this paper presents the results from a study examining the meaning of internationalisation, its practice, and what it means in the context of an inclusive international higher education strategy. It argues that in a world where 97% of the world’s student population engaged in higher education is not globally mobile for a variety of reasons, internationalisation to be inclusive must adopt a holistic approach and be woven into the fabric of the institution’s life. Implemented as a Whole Institution Initiative (WII), this must be accompanied by clear Intent, Investment, and Infrastructure (3 I’s), connecting strategy, policy, and day-to-day practices at all levels and functions of the institution. The framework that has been developed as a result of this study provides insight and practical guidance to Higher Education institutions on how to approach internationalisation holistically. At a strategic level, it will be useful to institutional leaders and national policymakers to understand the issues entailed in formulating international strategies, processes, and programmes in developing an inclusive internationalisation strategy and not merely focusing on international student recruitment and inward mobility. At a course/programme level, it provides valuable practical insight and guidance to academics and programme administrators involved in developing and delivering inclusive internationalisation.

Impact of Economic Growth on International Student Enrollment: A Comparative Analysis of Chinese Mainland and Taiwan

This study conducts a comparative analysis of the impact of economic growth on international student enrollment in Chinese mainland and Taiwan. Through regression analysis, this study discovered a counterintuitive negative relationship between GDP growth rate and international student numbers in China, suggesting additional factors beyond economic indicators influence student attractiveness. Potential variables such as tuition costs, visa regulations, and perceptions of higher education quality warrant further exploration. In Taiwan, the absence of a significant correlation emphasizes the prominence of cultural, educational, and policy-related influences. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive policymaking encompassing economic indicators, academic quality, cultural inclusivity, and support structures. By understanding these complex factors, both Chinese mainland and Taiwan can shape their international education strategies effectively, creating nurturing environments that cater to diverse student cohorts. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of international student mobility dynamics and informs strategies to enhance the attractiveness of higher education destinations.

Considering an Ethic of Care Framework to Counter Colonial Violence in International Education

This collaborative, theoretical essay considers how an Embodied Ethic of Care Framework (Sodhi, 2022) could offer a different way of being in internationalized educational contexts in Canada. We begin by describing international education in the Canadian context. We explain how a federal international education strategy that is focused on boosting the economy rather than on education leads to “conditional hospitality” (Ahmed, 2012) and the commodification of international students (Guo & Guo, 2017). We then introduce the Embodied Ethic of Care Framework which is informed by Black feminist thought and Indigenous African thought (Sodhi, 2022). The framework recognizes the collective energy of community (Sodhi, 2022). We juxtapose the five elements of the framework to instances of international education in Canada. Because language-based discrimination is still a commonly accepted practice in Canadian post-secondary institutions (Martin, 2022), our descriptions of internationalized contexts in Canada attend to languaging and dialoguing. We demonstrate how current connections with international students are transactional – which replicates harmful historical relationships between people of colour, capitalism, and colonialism. The Embodied Ethic of Care Framework is an antidote for this form of colonial violence because it places relationship building at the center. Through echolocation (Gumbs, 2020), we invite readers to consider how an ethic of care framework might inspire a different way of being that could redress coloniality and systemic racism in internationalized contexts in Canada and/or in their own contexts.

Research on Cultivating International Talents in China's Agricultural Master's Program under the Context of International Education

China's higher education is gradually becoming more internationalized, particularly in the areas of international education and internationalization of graduate education. This trend provides important opportunities for the cultivation of high-quality international talents in the field of agriculture, particularly for the agricultural master's degree. In the process of talent cultivation, the characteristics of international talents in the field of agricultural master's degree continue to deepen. By analyzing the international talent education strategies of domestic and foreign universities, we have found that the cultivation of international talents in the field of agricultural master's degree in China needs to strengthen internationalization construction in four aspects: cultivation concepts, foreign language teaching, student training, and faculty development, in order to improve the quality of talent cultivation and enhance the international competitiveness of China's agriculture.

International Education After the Covid Years: Recovery, Rebuilding, Reimagining - Towards a New Chinese Internationalism

Abstract This synoptic paper enquires into the status of international education after the Covid years in terms of the themes of ‘recovery, rebuilding, reimagining’. It reviews some recent adjustments to international education strategy to recapture the market for international students and looks to unesco’s new social contract for education as a barometer and index for futures of education in a very uncertain world that faces multiple crises. The paper argues that the unesco vision is a strength but must be tempered by a recognition of the shift of gravity in world economy and politics. International education took root based on the values of British and American liberal internationalism. Today it is recommended that scholars in the west also recognize the characteristics and development of Chinese internationalism that has come to inform Chinese international education.

Professional education of specialists in customs affairs in higher education institutions of the Russian Federation: trends, quality and partnership

The article considers tendencies and trends in higher education of specialists in customs affairs in higher institutions of the Russian Federation. The authors analyzed and described the international experience of professional education of customs specialists, defined similarities and differences between international and Russian education strategies, indicated unfolding trends in education of local customs specialists such as job-oriented learning methods at all levels of education, e-learning and distance learning opportunities with reference to the digital customs system, counseling and mentoring programs. The future prospects of customs education in Russia are bound to its further integration in the global system to avoid isolated professional education of customs specialists, creating attractive opportunities for foreign students to offer a wide range of skills and competences in customs programs based on platforms of Russian academic institutions as well as taking part in the membership programs in collaboration with the International Network of Customs Universities (INCU). The network approach to the international scientific and educational system integration is based on the growing collaboration between universities providing professional education as well as development of information and telecommunication technologies.

We just try to work with the needs in front of us

The Ontario government’s International Education Strategy (2015) establishes goals for international education and the hosting of international students in Ontario schools. Using a critical policy lens, we focus on teachers as key to enacting these policy objectives in local contexts. The article presents findings from four focus groups of Ontario teachers working in schools with large international student cohorts. We found teacher participants were generally unaware of a broader vision or strategic goal for the presence of these students in their schools. They found it difficult to meet the needs of this growing cohort, and they faced this challenge with varying degrees of enthusiasm. Factors that influenced their enactment included personal background and education, as well their ability to collaborate and work in contexts with a professional ethos. Overall, teachers expressed a desire for more information, support, and professional development, including opportunities for collaboration, with regard to educating international students in their schools.

China’s higher education branding: Study in China as an emerging national brand

ABSTRACT In the context of the internationalization and marketization of higher education, it has become a trend for a nation to build its higher education brand for global competitiveness. This paper analyses what is seen as the urgent need to enhance China’s international education strategy and how branding has assisted in this process. Drawing on document analysis and employing Khanna, M., Jacob, I., & Yadav, N. (2014). Identifying and analyzing touchpoints for building a higher education brand. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 24(1), 122–143. brand touchpoint wheel model and Kaneva, N. (2011). Nation branding: Toward an agenda for critical research. International Journal of Communication, 5, 117–141. categories of nation branding, this research aims to explore the historical development of China’s HE brand building, its strategies and main characteristics, and its relations to broader nation branding. Suggestions are made to improve policymaking and strategy design in the future. The article contributes insights into China’s case and experience in building a national higher education brand, offering an example and reference for other countries.

Internationalization Policies of Public Schooling and Neoliberal Discourses: A Stephen Ball Informed Analysis

This article examines the neoliberal underpinnings of current internationalization policies of public schooling in Canadian contexts. It goes beyond the existing institutional practices and approaches to internationalize K–12 public schooling and focuses more on the federal and provincial international education policies and strategies that govern the institutional practices. The article pays more attention to the neoliberal developmental contexts of these governmental policies. It employs Stephen Ball’s writings, particularly his views of policy as text and policy as discourse, to analyze the ways in which global neoliberalism and its public discourses on public education marketization, privatization, and expansion of policy communities relate to the development of current internationalization policies of K–12 public schooling as texts and as discourses in Canada. The analysis suggests that the global neoliberal ideology and its public discourses are the contexts that promote and legitimize the development of current market-oriented internationalization policy texts and discourses. These neoliberal discourses view public education as an internationally tradable commodity that the private sector may provide for international students and contribute to its policy development. In that context, current international education policies pay more attention to the recruitment of fee-paying K–12 international students with an increased role for the private sector in this process.

Projecting the Nation(s) in Multinational Federal Systems: International Education and Nation Branding in Canada/Quebec

AbstractThis article pursues a novel endeavor by anchoring the study of nation branding in the context of multinational federal systems. Through an examination of the manner in which international education strategies are used to cultivate images of “nation” in Canada and Quebec, the study underlines how the “politics of recognition” at the heart of Canada/Quebec relations play out in the international education sphere. The results point to the significance of policy effectiveness for the “politics of recognition,” contributing to the literature on majority–minority tensions, which tends to highlight the symbolic role of policy control as opposed to the realization of said policies. The research also sheds light on the potential interplay between the political autonomy of minority nations and their symbolic recognition, by highlighting how the provision of policy control can work to substantiate the (external) recognition of their distinct nation status.

Geographic Embeddedness of Higher Education Institutions in the Migration Policy Domain

In 2014, Canada issued its first International Education Strategy, articulating targets for international enrollment and its economic benefits, but lacking international student retention goals. Universities and colleges used to be places where students could get immigration advice, but past Bill C-35 only Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants can provide such advice. There is no requirement for institutions to hire these consultants. I investigate the geographic stretch of the education domain’s engagement with retention, through an examination of immigration advising support provision across Canada’s campuses. This provision is highly uneven, with a moderate association with school size, reflecting the voluntary nature of such engagement. A defined international student retention strategy could possibly change the current state of immigration governance through the education domain.

University of British Columbia’s International Student Initiative: Implications for Provincial Public Higher Education

The public and private universities and colleges of the Province of British Columbia (BC), Canada, have been given a green light to admit as many international students as they can by Canada and BC’s international education strategies, becoming important instruments of not just higher education policy but also immigration, trade and labour market policy. This paper examine this issue in the context of the BC’s flagship public university, the University of British Columbia (UBC), and the implications for both UBC and the BC higher education system in general. The paper finds a neoliberal policy disconnect between immigration, trade and labour market policy on the one hand, and domestic higher education policy on the other. With public universities such as UBC aiming to have over 30 percent of their students international by 2022, does attention to attracting international students reduce attention to the skills and training of BC and Canadian students?

From neoliberal to supra-neoliberal: Canadian education industry formation

In 2014, Canada released its first national International Education Strategy, and in 2019 – its second. This paper argues that emergence of a national document strategizing Canada’s education selling and inevitably regulating international student mobility, with strictly provincial regulation of the sector, would not be possible without bottom-up proactive initiatives originating in the institutional domain. Treating policy as a process involving multiple domains, I critically examine publicly available pre-budget submissions, briefs, and other documents, produced by the invested beneficiaries of the first Strategy, higher education institutions. Universities, united under their networking organization Universities Canada (UC) had become active advocates for a national education strategy that would bring international education into the federal domain, vertically transcending the provincial/territorial level. UCs’ stakeholder advocacy helped to elevate the largely ungoverned international education from individual university neoliberal modes to a national priority, leading to a state of education governance in Canada that can be characterized as a ‘supra-neoliberal’ education industry.

International Graduate Outcomes in the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom’s International Education Strategy sets a target to attract 600,000 international students by 2030, an increase of 30 percent. With Brexit, there is a sharper awareness across government of the benefits that international students and graduates confer in economic terms and in long-term positive influence on perceptions of the United Kingdom itself. To reach this target, the country needs to offer opportunities for international graduates to remain in the United Kingdom and work for a period post graduation. It also needs to understand, and where possible improve upon, the strength of its offer to prospective international students.

Examining the need for culturally responsive digital learning


 
 
 
 This article addresses the pedagogy and practice of tertiary learning, and in particular it asks, how is there a need for culturally responsive digital learning? Research shows how, worldwide, classroom content is being delivered through shifting, digitally-infused curriculum (van Dijck, 2013; Netsafe, 2016; Orr, 2016; Revere & Kovach, 2011). The focus of this article is to examine ways in which online, participatory structures work to engage all learners. In New Zealand tertiary contexts, there is an increasing number of culturally diverse student cohorts (particularly due to international education marketing and strategies [Ministry of Education, 2017]). I consider how common spaces in the digital platforms available for educational purposes can be seen to embody a common culture. Research informing this article comes from two studies I have undertaken. The first is a practical inquiry of the use of online spaces in the ‘global classroom’ (a term defined in this case as the world wide web of information, and also an institution’ s role to educate within a multinational, multicultural population). The second is a qualitative look into how educators discovered effective learning practices, for international students in particular, based upon a study that included educator interviews at one tertiary institute. Merging data from both studies indicated that incorporating digital learning through the now-familiar online spaces requires more dynamic, culturally responsive pedagogy. This research aims to provide some improved insight for all educators looking to answer this posed question. 
 
 
 

国際教育政策の借用メカニズムに関する一考察 : カナダ国際教育戦略を事例に (特集 高等教育の国際化とグローバル化への対応)

国際教育政策の借用メカニズムに関する一考察 : カナダ国際教育戦略を事例に (特集 高等教育の国際化とグローバル化への対応)

A Synthesis of International Rural Education Issues and Responses

This article synthesizes problems impacting rural primary and secondary schools and describes how schools and relevant organizations have responded to the challenges. Given the context of a globally-compressed world, the focus of the literature review is on international rural education research and strategies. The exploration took the path of topical rather than regional or methodological investigation of rural education for the purpose of thematic understanding of issues. The paper opens with a discussion of the ambiguity of the definition of “rural” to reinforce an epistemological challenge with rural education research. An adaptation of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory is used as a framework for the literature review; rural education challenges are synthesized into macro-, mezzo-, and micro-systemic level issues. The paper culminates by positing that rural education issues require inter-sectoral and collaborative responses.

Examining the need for culturally responsive digital learning

This paper addresses the pedagogy and practice of tertiary learning, and in particular it asks, How is there a need for culturally responsive digital learning? Research shows that worldwide there is established classroom content being delivered through shifting, digitally-infused curriculum. Looking from the New Zealand tertiary perspective, populated by an increasing number of diverse student cultural cohorts (particularly due to international education marketing and strategies), examined here are the ways in which online, participatory structures work to engage all learners. Considered is how common spaces in the digital platforms available for educational purposes can be seen to embody a common culture. Research informing this article comes from two studies I have undertaken. The first is a practical inquiry of the use of online spaces in the ‘global classroom’ (a concept defined in this case as including the worldwide web of information alongside an institution’s role to educate within a multinational, multicultural population). The second is a qualitative look into how educators discovered effective learning practices for international students in particular, based upon a study that included educator interviews at one tertiary institute. Merging data from both studies found how incorporating digital learning through the now-familiar online spaces requires culturally responsive consideration. This paper is meant to provide some improved insight for all educators looking to answer the initial question posed.

Making Soft Power Work: Theory and Practice in Australia's International Education Policy

Policy makers around the world are increasingly concerned with the challenge of cultivating and capitalizing on soft power. Yet government efforts to increase others’ feelings of attraction toward their countries face conceptual and practical challenges. This article examines Australia's attempt to operationalize soft power in Asia through its international education strategy. Drawing on interviews with key officials, we show how the design of Australia's international education policy was consciously informed by multiple dimensions of soft power. Yet the nature of soft power means that whether the policy will achieve its soft power objectives is up to Asia, not Australia.