Article Type : Research Article
Authors : Çankaya I
Keywords : Systematic review; Globalization; Higher education; International student mobility; Internationalization
In this
study, it is aimed to examine systematically the articles published in the Web
of Science database between 1997-2023 in the field of educational sciences and
social sciences related to student mobility. Articles on international student
mobility increased significantly after Covid-19. Articles on equal
opportunities and Erasmus student mobility received the most citations. The
most used keywords in the articles are higher education, education mobility and
international students, while the least used keyword is distinction. Journal of
Higher Education was the journal that publishes the most articles on the
subject. Most articles were published in the field of educational research.
International student mobility has been evaluated to a limited extent in terms
of sociology, psychology and educational administration. In the published
articles, the issue was generally evaluated within the framework of quality in
education. The number of articles published on equality of opportunity in
education was quite low.
Higher education institutions are trying to become recognized by educating international students in order to adapt to rapid change and improve the quality of teaching [1]. Demand for higher education from less developed countries to developed countries is increasing rapidly. For this reason, higher education systems in developed countries are becoming increasingly open to student mobility. In other words, higher education is constantly gaining an international dimension. The number of students going to different countries for undergraduate and postgraduate studies has also been steadily increasing [2]. International student mobility contributes significantly to the scientific research capacity of higher education institutions and increases their international competitiveness. International education is not limited to economic returns. The presence of international students and teaching staff in a university directly affects the form and quality of education. It also allows for the development of intercultural dialogue [3]. Developed countries in need of qualified manpower have turned to practices that facilitate the mobility of foreign qualified manpower in order to gain an advantage in international competition. These practices include the re-establishment of course curricula for foreign students in higher education institutions, the issuance of internationally recognized documents, and the more effective use of new information and technology resources [4]. The leading position of developed countries in science and technology depends to a large extent on the talented scientists who come from different countries and continue to work [5,6].
International student mobility, which has increased
significantly especially since 2000, is becoming more and more important in the
world higher education field, both in terms of quality and social, cultural,
economic and policy aspects. International students offer significant
opportunities in terms of both economic and human capital. For this reason,
countries with advanced higher education systems compete fiercely to take
advantage of these opportunities. There are many reasons behind this
competition. In countries such as the United States, Australia, the United
Kingdom and Canada, which have the largest number of international students,
the contribution of international students to their economies is clearly
visible. In Canada, the total domestic expenditure of international students
can even outstrip the revenues generated by the country's most important export
sectors [3]. Due to globalization and internationalization processes in higher
education, there is a continuous increase in student mobility around the world
(Figure 1) [7].
As can be seen in Figure 1 according to OECD (2022)
statistics, the number of international students has increased significantly
over the years, from around 2 million in 1997 to 6.3 million in 2020. According
to UNESCO statistics institute data, the country with the highest international
student mobility in the world is the United States of America with 27.8% [8].
According to the same data, after the US, the UK ranked first with 16.3%,
Australia 9.7% and France 8.5%. Generally, the countries preferred by
international students are developed countries. Students especially prefer
English-speaking countries. According to a report published by the Institute of
International Education (IIE), 50% of the world's international students are
located in English-speaking countries such as the US, UK, Australia, Canada and
New Zealand [9]. As a result of the political, economic and cultural changes in
the world, international students who want to receive qualified education have
started to search for alternative countries. This search process has been
effective in increasing the number of international students in alternative
countries such as China, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore [10]. As a result of
the increasing number of international students in the world, these countries
are trying to find a place for themselves in the international student market
by developing different advertising strategies. In the report published by the
education organization Observatory, countries receiving international students
are classified as follows (Table 1) [11].
The economic, cultural and qualified human resource
contributions provided by internationalization in higher education have led
many countries to develop international student policies. The foreign labor
force working in the United States makes up 10% of the population. This working
foreign population represents 25% of the United States' science and engineering
workforce. Moreover, 50% of this foreign labor force holds a PhD degree [12].
International students increasingly contribute to the economy, culture and
human resources in different countries. Accordingly, countries invest in
promotion to attract international students to their countries (Figure 2) [13].
According to the UNESCO report, USA, UK, Canada and
Australia are the countries that generate the most income from international
students (Figure 2). Various socio-cultural and economic factors influence
foreign students' choice of destination country. While the factors that
determine the country where international students will study are called push
factors, factors that make them prefer a particular country or higher education
institution are called pull factors. Push factors include inadequate higher
education opportunities in the student's home country, the student's desire to
develop culturally and intellectually, and the desire to be employed.
Attractive factors include the quality of education in the destination country,
the international recognition of the higher education institution, the
availability of a credit recognition system, the language of instruction, the
cost of living in the country, the ease of the visa process, scholarship
opportunities and employment opportunities after graduation. With the process
of globalization and increasing competition in education, countries are paying
more attention to developing policies on attractive factors to attract foreign
students [14]. According to Findlay and King, in push-pull theory, pull factors
such as the prestige of certain countries and universities, scholarship
opportunities, education and the opportunity to work in the labor market after
graduation are usually more dominant. However, student mobility can be better
explained through four different conceptual frameworks: skilled migration,
globalization, youth culture and social class. International students are
associated with high-skilled migration. Globalization and high-skilled
migration are highly influential in the internationalization of higher
education. The internationalization of higher education is related to learning
centers abroad, accreditation of higher education curricula, international
cooperation in scientific research, cross-border mobility of institutions,
staff and students. However, when the concepts of globalization and
internationalization are compared, the content of international student
mobility changes. At the level of globalization, international student mobility
is about student mobility abroad, while at the level of internationalization it
is about the deployment and employment of human capital across national
borders. In this case, foreign students and skilled migrants are recognized as
components of the internationalization of higher education in host countries
[15].
It is seen that the articles on international student
mobility in the literature are mainly within the framework of globalization. A
bibliometric analysis of existing studies on international student mobility
will clearly show to what extent the issue is considered in the context of
internationalization and to what extent in the context of globalization. By
mapping all components of student mobility, changes in the internationalization
process in higher education can be more easily monitored. In this context,
answers to the following sub-problems were sought in the biblometric analysis
of the articles:
What is the appearance of
articles in terms of year of publication and language of publication?
The aim of this study is to determine the bibliometric
characteristics of the articles on "International student mobility"
in the journals scanned in the field of educational sciences and social
sciences using the Web of Science database. Bibliometric is a field of study
based on counting and is the study of published books, journals and articles by
mathematical and statistical techniques. The analysis of certain
characteristics of publications such as journal, subject, number of authors,
and publication information is described as bibliometric analysis [16,17]. The
research data and population consisted of 550 articles downloaded from the WOS
database. In the study, the articles scanned in the WOS database were analysed
in terms of annual publication numbers, citation numbers, publishing journals,
cited authors, publishing and cited countries, keywords used, fields and topics
of the articles. At the same time, social network analysis was used to conduct
co-citation analysis of authors and journals, network analysis of keywords
together, and analysis of country collaborations. Social network analysis is a
method used to obtain quantitative results of relationships between people, objects
or organizations [18]. Vosviewer program was used for the analysis of the
documents. The biblioshiny application integrated with Map was used to
visualize the data. While searching the WOS database, the words
"International Student Mobility" were used as title and key.
In this part of the study, data on the year of
publication, language, number of citations, keywords, country, cross-country
citation, country of publication, journals, cross-journal citation network,
authors, field of science and subject of the articles are shown in tables and
figures. In the study, 550 articles were analysed and the number of authors,
publishing universities and countries, Keywords and total number of references
are shown (Table 2).
Publications on international student mobility started
to increase after 1998, but increased significantly after the Covid-19 pandemic
(after 2020). As international student mobility has become an important
competitive tool among countries, academic publications on the subject have also
increased (Figures 3,4).
530 of the articles on international student mobility were published in English, 5 in Spanish, 3 in Hungarian, 3 in Russian, 2 in Chinese, 2 in French, 2 in Portuguese, 2 in Turkish and 1 in German. It was determined that the articles were generally published in English [19]. The most cited articles are on student mobility and its consequences. For example; in the 339 cited article "World class? A study on globalization, diversity and international student mobility" only discusses the concept of "world class" [20]. In this article, it is emphasized that new opportunities in education have emerged with student mobility, but inequality persists. 173 quotes from the article "Determinants of international student mobility flows: An empirical study on the Erasmus program" discusses the causes and consequences of the Erasmus program. In the less cited articles, the contributions of student mobility for countries were evaluated. 84 cited article titled "Policy options for managing international student migration: the sending country's perspective" states that countries such as Canada and Australia, which receive student migration, benefit while countries that send students are negatively affected in terms of human resources. 84 cited article titled "The Emergence of a Regional Education Hub: Rationales of International Students’ Choice of China as the Study Destination " emphasizes that South Korea is a regional hub for international student mobility and is attractive due to its English language education (Table 3) [21].
Figure
1:
Number of International Student Mobility.
Figure 2: Countries generating the most revenue from international students.
Figure 3: Number of articles on ?nternational student mobility by year.
Figure 4: Publication language of articles.
Figure 5: Keywords.
Figure 6: View of articles by country.
Figure 7: Citation network for articles.
Figure 8: Citation network for ?nter-university articles.
Figure 9: Journals with the most articles on the subject.
Figure 10: Inter-journal citation network.
Figure 11: Most cited authors.
Figure 12: Distribution of articles according to scientific fields.
Figure 13: Distribution of articles according to topics.
Table 1: International student countries category
Big
Players
|
United
States, United Kingdom and Australia
|
Middle
Powers |
Germany
and France |
Developing
Places |
Japan,
Canada and New Zealand |
Emerging
Competitors |
Malaysia,
Singapore and China |
Table 2: Data related to the articles analyzed.
Article 550 |
Total
citations 7419 |
Author 96 |
Publishing
university 66 |
Broadcasting
country 30 |
Keywords 184 |
References 2347 |
The following keywords were used in the articles
published on "International Student Mobility": Higher education,
educational mobility, international students, mobility, China, students
support, Europe, space, transnationalism, migration, Erasmus, distinction,
regional hubs, home. Higher education is the most frequently used keyword,
while distinction and regional hubs are among the less frequently used keywords
(Figure 5).
The distribution of articles on international student
mobility by country is listed below:74 articles were published in England, 73
in the USA, 69 in China, 57 in Germany, 19 in the Netherlands, 18 in Scotland,
17 in Italy and 12 in Turkey. Most of the articles on the subject have been
published in countries such as the UK, the USA, the Netherlands and Germany,
where international students primarily prefer to study (Figures 6,7).
According to the citation network of published
articles on the subject; Articles published in the UK were cited more than
articles published in the USA, the Netherlands, Scotland, Singapore and China.
On the other hand, articles published in Turkey, Italy and Australia often
cited articles published in Germany. It is seen that there are two separate
centers, England and Germany, in inter-article citations (Figure 8).
Dark yellow-green colors indicate intensity. The
universities with the most cited publications on International Student Mobility
are as follows: University of St Andrews (UK), Dundee University (Scotland),
Groningen University (Netherland), Bielefield University (Germany), Latvia
University (Latvia). Articles published in universities originating in England
and Scotland are more frequently cited.
The journals in which the most articles on
international student mobility were published are as follows: Higher Education
(42 article), Journal of International Students (28 article), Globalisation
Societies and Education (25 article), Journal of Students in International
Education (14 article), Students in Higher Education (13 article), Journal of
Ethnic and Migration Studies (9 article), European Educational Research (9
article), Compare a Journal of Comparative and International Education (9
article). It is seen that the journals that publish the most on the subject are
educational journals. According to the inter-journal citation network, Higher
Education and Population Space Place are the most cited journals. Higher
Education journal has been cited mostly by other education journals (Journal
Study International Education, Comparative Education Review, Globalisation
Societies and Education). Population Space and Place was mostly cited by
journals on migration and demography (International Migration, Social and
Cultural Geography, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies) (Figures 9,10).
The most cited authors are shown (Figure 11). Van mol Christof's "Should I
Stay or Should I Go? An Analysis of the Determinants of Intra-European Student
Mobility" is the most cited article. In this article, students on mobility
to Europe are evaluated in terms of social and personal characteristics [22].
Soutu-otero "The Socio-Economic Background of Erasmus Students: A Trend
Towards Wider Inclusion?", the topic of his article is to determine the
reasons for participating in the Erasmus program and the economic level of the students
participating in this program [23]. Articles published on international student
mobility are categorized in 9 different scientific fields. 320 of the published
articles belong to the field of educational research. 62 articles belong to
Geography, 36 to Sociology, 34 to Demography, 31 to Social Sciences, 15 to
Management, 13 to Environmental Sciences, 15 to Field Research, 13 to Business
and 11 to Economics. It is seen that the articles were mostly published in the
field of educational sciences. The articles published on international student
mobility are listed as follows in order by subject: 472 articles are related to
"Quality Education", 40 to "Reduced Inequality", 15 to
"Good Health and Wellbeing", 15 to "Industrial Innovation",
8 to "Sustainable Cities and Communication". The topic of the
articles is usually limited to quality in higher education (Figures 12,13).
Table 3: Most cited articles.
Article |
Attribution |
World
class? An investigation of globalisation, difference and international student
mobility |
339 |
The
determinants of international student mobility flows: an empirical study on
the Erasmus programme |
173 |
An
Assessment of Supply and Demand-side Theorizations of International Student
Mobility |
167 |
Mobility as
"becoming': a Bourdieuian analysis of the factors shaping international
student mobility |
119 |
Barriers to
International Student Mobility: Evidence From the Erasmus Program |
111 |
Three waves of
international student mobility (1999-2020) |
106 |
International
student mobility: the role of social networks |
94 |
Student
Mobility and Internationalization: trends and tribulations |
90 |
Policy options
for managing international student migration: the sending country's
perspective |
84 |
The emergence
of a regional hub: comparing international student choices and experiences in
South Korea |
84 |
In this study, a total of 550 articles scanned in the
Web Of Science database were examined and the results of bibliometric analysis
of the articles were evaluated in terms of the following criteria: When the
distribution of articles on international student mobility by years was
analysed, it was found that although international student mobility accelerated
after 1980 [24]. Publications on the subject started to increase after 2000.
This can be attributed to the fact that internationalization in higher
education covers a longer period of time than global interaction. In terms of
language of publication, it was determined that 530 articles were published in
English. The reason why publications are usually in English is that there is
more international student mobility to English-speaking or English-medium
countries. The most cited articles focused on the reasons for international
student mobility. In the less cited articles, the countries sending and
receiving students abroad were compared. When analysed in terms of Keywords,
within 550 articles, the most used keywords are the following: Higher
education, educational mobility, international students, mobility, China,
students support, Europe, space, transnationalism, migration, Erasmus,
distinction, regional hubs, home. International student mobility is evaluated
within the framework of student and educational mobility, most preferred
countries and the impact of globalization on higher education. Social
inequality, social injustice and access to education were evaluated to a more
limited extent in the articles. When articles are analysed by country, most
articles were published in the UK, USA, China, Germany, Germany, the
Netherlands, Scotland, Italy and Turkey. It has been observed that there are
also more publications on the subject in countries receiving international
students. In the countries that send the most students, the number of
publications on the subject is limited. The universities with the highest
number of citations for International Student Mobility, respectively, are as
follows: University of St Andrews (UK), Dundee University (Scotland), Groningen
University (Netherland), Bielefield University (Germany), Latvia University
(Latvia). All of these universities are located in the Eurozone, the region
most preferred by students. Although the USA, Canada and Australia are among
the countries preferred by foreign students, publications on the subject in
universities in these countries have lagged behind the Eurozone. The journals
that publish the most on the subject are as follows: Higher Education, Journal
of International Students, Globalisation Societies and Education, Journal of
Students in International Education, Students in Higher Education, Journal of
Ethnic and Migration Studies, European Educational Research, Compare a Journal
of Comparative and International Education. It was observed that publications
on the subject were generally published in education journals, but more
limitedly in journals on sociology, psychology and migration. When analysed
according to citations to journals, Higher Education and Population Space Place
are the most cited journals. The fact that the journal "Higher
Education" received the highest number of citations shows that the issue
is generally evaluated within the scope of higher education. The most cited
authors on the subject were Van mol Christof and Soutu-otero. In their article,
these authors examined the socio-economic level of foreign students, their
personal characteristics and their reasons for participating in mobility. The
largest number of articles were published in the fields of educational
research, geography, sociology, demography, social sciences, management,
environmental sciences, field research, business and economics. Student
mobility has been assessed mainly in the context of education and to a limited
extent in sociology, economics, human geography and other social sciences.
According to the subject of the published articles, they are as follows:
“Quality Education”, “Reduced Inequality”, “Good Health and Wellbeing”,
“Industry Innovation”, “Sustainable Cities and Communication”. The highest
number of articles were published on the subject of "The Search for
Quality in Education". The more limited number of articles have been
published in terms of "Reduced Inequality". As a result, it is seen
in the literature that articles describing and explaining student mobility are
generally published. Publications on the impact of international student
mobility on the internationalization of higher education are quite limited. The
articles did not cover accredited programs in higher education, accredited
language courses, scholarship opportunities and the functions of international
offices. International student mobility is not limited to mobility in
education, but should be considered from different perspectives such as social
inequality, social injustice, reducing inequality and managing risk groups. It
is not only about the prestige of the education systems of the receiving
countries. It should also be considered as a critique of the education systems
of countries that send students abroad. OECD's annual international education
report should include data on internationalization in higher education in
addition to student mobility. In addition to student mobility in research and
graduate theses, internationalization activities in higher education should
also be focused.