Higher education in a world market

Abstract

Recognizing that academic, scientific and technological strengths have become increasingly important in international relations, this study hypothesizes that the flow of knowledge resources among nations is interconnected with global political, economic and cultural relationships. As a means of validating this premise, this study analyzes one component of academic interaction -international study at the level of higher education. This article outlines changes in international study patterns in the decades following World War II and explores how the postwar context affected international exchange relationships. Intemational exchange during the 1960s and 1970s indicated strong participation by students from Third World nations and the popularity of five industrialized host nations. These relationships are explored through a statistical study of the flow of students from 18 developing nations out to the world and to the United States in particular. The findings assess the importance of key economic factors (such as involvement in global trade and concentration of trade), educational variables (including national emphasis on education and the availability of domestic opporttmities) and political arenas (such as international assistance and scholarship dependency) in determining intemational study patterns. As current shifts in our postwar world order unfold before us, better understanding of historical factors underlying international exchange may be instrumental as we anticipate its future within the context of new geopolitical alliances.

Are Postgraduate Students ‘Rational Choosers‘? An Investigation of Motivation for Graduate Study Amongst International Students in England

“…Overseas study decision making has often been understood to comprise a combination of 'push' and 'pull' factors (McMahon, 1992;Mazzoral & Soutar, 2002;Maringe & Carter, 2007;Woodfield, 2010;Macready & Tucker, 2011) and this appears to be a consensus within the existing literature (Wilkins & Huisman, 2011). Generally, what this means is that students are initially prompted to study abroad by 'push' factors from the source country, and they are consequently drawn to a host country and institution based on 'pull' factors.…”

Academic attractiveness of countries; a possible benchmark strategy applied to the Netherlands

“…One way to cluster these explanations is to use the push and pull models. Examples of the application of these models we can find in are, for example, Mazzarol and Soutar (2002), McMahon (1992), Chen and Barnett (2000) and Cremonini and Antonowicz (2009). These models take the motivations to leave a certain country as push factors and the reasons to go to a certain country as pull factors.…”

Decision Making in International Tertiary Education: The Role of National Image

“…Students go abroad to study because they are interested in the advanced degrees and the promise of individual advancement that education provides (McMahon, 1992). Furthermore, they are interested in the higher prestige offered by a foreign degree.…”

“…Many students choose the host country for study before selecting the host institution (Bourke, 2000;McMahon, 1992). The image of the nation in which the university is located is used as a signal of quality and influences a student's choice of international tertiary education (Srikatanyoo & Gnoth, 2002) much as the country of origin effect influences the purchase of a physical product, such as a motor vehicle.…”