Impact and adjustment: foreign students in comparative perspective

Abstract

Foreign study is a multifaceted phenomenon -its impact is felt on academic institutions in both the 'host' and 'sending' countries, on the economies of nations, and of course on the individuals involved. With more than one million students studying abroad, foreign study has assumed considerable importance in higher education planning. This article considers the many aspects of foreign study and discusses the interrelationships of these elements. The policies of the 'host' nations, for example, have an impact on higher education planning in the sending countries. The non-return of foreign students, traditionally referred to as the 'brain drain', is considerably more complex than was once thought since Third World graduates settled in the industrialized nations often retain contacts with their home countries and increasingly return after a period abroad. This article also considers the various 'push' and 'pull' factors which determine the constantly changing flow of foreign students.Higher education is increasingly international -and foreign students are among the most important and visible elements of this internationalism. There are well over one million students studying outside the borders of their countries-about a million of these are in OECD nations. The large majority of the world's foreign students are from the developing countries of the Third World but flow patterns are complex and subject to change (Zikopoulos 1989). Other elements of the internationalization of higher education are also of considerable importance -the domination of the world's research enterprise by a small number of major industrialized nations, the centralization of publication and data transmission networks, the widespread use of English as the world's major scientific language and others have implications for foreign study as well (Altbach 1987). In fact, foreign students are at the center of a complex network of international academic relationships. They are the human embodiments of a worldwide trend toward the internationalization of knowledge and research in an integrated world economy.This essay is concerned with several important aspects of the foreign student phenomenon -those relating to the flow of students from the Third World to the industrialized nations including the impact of foreign students on academic institutions and the impact of foreign study on the students as well as policies relating to these key questions. Its purpose is to reflect on some of the most important generalizations of the available research literature (Altbach, Kelly and Lulat 1985; Altbach and Wang 1989).

The international student exchange network: 1970 & 1989

“…The end of the Cold War has resulted in the disintegration of the socialist bloc and consequently the reintegration of Eastern Europe, and perhaps eventually the now independent countries of the former Soviet Union, into the European intellectual community. It has created, as Altbach (1990) claimed, unprecedented possibilities for scientific and scholarly cooperation. The forthcoming changes are forming a new world economic and political order that will definitely have an impact on international interactions, including international student exchange.…”

Does price matter? Overseas students in UK higher education

“…Another set of papers examines the factors determining the decision to study overseas, for example Altbach (1991), Mazzarol (1998), Mazzarol & Soutar (2002) and Nattavud (2005), encompassing studies of both personal and family characteristics, and university attributes that influence student university choice decisions. Pyvis & Chapman (2007) focus on the decision to attend an offshore campus in the home country.…”

Higher educational services exports: sources of growth of Asian students in US and UK

“…Post 1984, through a broad review of both the business and education literature, we found a similar dearth of research on the drivers of international student. Furthermore, much of the research undertaken on international students has been from an educational perspective focusing on curriculum development and delivery issues as well as cross-cultural, psychological and adjustments issues (Altbach, 1991;Bourke, 2000). However, recent rapid growth in education trade, its economic significance for exporting economies and the emergence of the knowledge economy have all contributed in attracting the attention of researchers to developments in this sector.…”

“…However, recent rapid growth in education trade, its economic significance for exporting economies and the emergence of the knowledge economy have all contributed in attracting the attention of researchers to developments in this sector. Several studies have attempted to explain the drivers of international student mobility but these have tended to focus on education exporting countries rather than on the education importing countries (Altbach, 1991). For example, most studies have focused on the supply side by considering how service suppliers can improve the commercialisation of their respective educational services rather than focus on the demand side to understand what influences potential consumers of educational services (Brennan, 2001).…”