International student mobility as “aspiration on the go”: stories from African students at a Chinese university

Wu, Daisy Binfang; Hou, Song

doi:10.1007/s10734-022-00864-2

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The primary influences driving students to seek education in a foreign country often arise from economic and political situations within their home country and the limited capacity of local universities (Maringe & Carter, 2007;Slotwinski et al, 2023). Additionally, students consider factors such as travel expenses, tuition fees, security concerns, violence, and crime levels (Wu & Hou, 2023). Their motivations are frequently tied to recommendations received from parents and friends regarding higher education in the host country, their social connections with the host country, and limited job opportunities in their home country, among other factors (Huisman et al, 2022;Shkoler & Rabenu, 2023).…”

Section: Motivations To Study Abroadmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Almost all of the interviewed students mentioned that they chose Portugal to gain and develop skills and knowledge that would later help contribute to their respective home country's development. The students expressed a strong commitment to hard work, holding on to optimistic aspirations for their future (Wu & Hou, 2023). Students' inner drive to learn, to experience a different culture, and to embrace challenges were factors also considered important to them.…”

Section: Motivations To Study In Portugalmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

“Looking for a Better Future”: Examining African Portuguese-Speaking Students’ Motivation to Study in Portuguese Higher Education

Doutor,

Alves

2024

EDUPIJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background/purpose. While the existing literature explores the internalization of higher education, a significant gap remains in comprehending the motivations behind international students choosing Portuguese higher education. This study aims to address this gap by examining the motivations of a specific group within Portuguese universities: international students from Portuguesespeaking African countries. Materials/methods. The study was conducted with a qualitative approach using data obtained from biographical interviews with African Portuguese-speaking international students. The collected data were then analyzed according to content analysis. Results. The findings demonstrate that the students' motivations for studying at Portuguese higher education institutions varied. Their reasons include the international reputation of Portugal, the quality of its education, upon recommendation from family members, the Portuguese language, lower tuition fees compared to their home institutions, cultural proximity, scholarship opportunities, and the perception of Portugal as a safe country. Conclusion. Through an examination of the motivation of students from Portuguese-speaking African countries pursuing higher education in Portugal, this study provides fresh perspective on the existing literature concerning international student mobility. Opting to study in Portugal is seen as a chance for African students to access quality higher education and to obtain an academic degree with significant recognition in the country of origin, with anticipated positive impacts on the personal, social, and professional aspects of their lives.

show abstract

Section: Motivations To Study Abroadmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Motivations To Study In Portugalmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Looking for a Better Future”: Examining African Portuguese-Speaking Students’ Motivation to Study in Portuguese Higher Education

Doutor,

Alves

2024

EDUPIJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The second pool examines international students' study and life during studying abroad. These studies have widely documented international students' struggles and adaptational processes in academic learning, social relationship-building, cultural adaptation, and identity negotiation (Bótas & Huisman, 2013;King & Ruiz-Gelices, 2003;Streitwieser & Light, 2018;Wu & Hou, 2022), demonstrating the challenges, complexities, and individual agencies in the capital-generating or capital-accumulating process of international educational mobility.…”

Section: Overview Of International Students Studying Abroadmentioning

confidence: 99%

Subject in motion: (de)capitalization and coping strategies of Tibetan “Sea Turtles” in China

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Previous studies on Chinese overseas students have generally presumed a smooth transition from mobility to mobility capital and have lacked an ethnic perspective. In this study, we adopt mobility capital as an analytical lens to explore the life trajectories of a group of Tibetans with studying abroad experiences. Drawing on qualitative data through multiple methods, we find a shift from collective-oriented expectations regarding studying abroad to individualist life planning and lifestyles after returning to work in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Before studying abroad, the informants viewed such experiences as important capital that could be later used to make a change for the Tibetan group, their local societies, and the state. Those views met a different reality after returning to TAR because the informants generally felt they were being viewed as potentially risk subjects in the workplace, which significantly impeded the capitalization of educational mobility at the institutional level. However, the informants developed coping strategies to find self-worth in private life by capitalizing on educational mobility. By addressing the subjective experiences of Tibetan informants in TAR and their associations with institutional contexts, this article not only engages an ethnicity-sensitive perspective to understand the politics of international educational mobility but also extends the discussion on individuals’ experiences of educational mobility to the successional stage upon returning to their home societies. This article ultimately emphasizes the need for more culturally and politically reflexive policies that can sustain the flow of ethnic talents and help them realize their self-worth.

show abstract

“…In addition, scholars have developed an aspiration and desire model to explain student mobility (Carling & Collins, 2018;Huang & Ren, 2023;Wu & Hou, 2023). Nestled within the intersection of non-economic and economic factors lies the discourse on aspiration and desire, extensively utilised terms in migration scholarship yet devoid of a proper theoretical framework in the realm of international student mobility.…”

Section: Conceptual and Theoretical Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, a focus on aspiration and desire sheds light on the personal, psychological and social factors and their relations to the opportunity migration may accrue (Carling & Collins, 2018). Scholarly discussions regard aspiration not as a rigid mechanism of motivation but rather as a dynamic process responsive to each individual's unique circumstances (Huang & Ren, 2023;Wu & Hou, 2023). Wu and Hou have introduced a conceptual framework of 'aspirations on the go' to capture the contradiction between the aspirations before migrating and the realities experienced in the host country.…”

Section: Conceptual and Theoretical Issuesmentioning

confidence: 99%

International Student Migration to the GCC States: A Comparative Study

Umar,

Rahman

2023

Migration and Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article examines the migration of international students to the Gulf Coop-eration Council (GCC) states from a comparative perspective. Over the past few decades, the GCC states have made significant investments in their education sec-tor, leading to notable improvements in educational infrastructure and quality, the establishment of new universities and knowledge parks, as well as the emergence of international university branches. Consequently, this transformation has attracted a growing number of international students to the Gulf region, including non-national resident students and foreign students arriving in the Gulf specifically for educational purposes. Student migration entails more than just entering a host country; it also involves university admissions policies, tuition fees, scholarship programs, immigration status and the pathways available for employment after graduation. Therefore, this article delves into the intricate aspects of student migration to the GCC states, shedding light on migration patterns, student compositions, admissions processes, financial considerations and integration into the Gulf labour market. The findings of this study indicate that the GCC states have made some headway in managing international student migration. However, there is still a need for the development of a comprehensive student migration policy that fully capitalises on the benefits of student migration to promote economic development in the Gulf states.

show abstract

International student mobility as “aspiration on the go”: stories from African students at a Chinese university

Cited by 11 publications

References 36 publications

“Looking for a Better Future”: Examining African Portuguese-Speaking Students’ Motivation to Study in Portuguese Higher Education

“Looking for a Better Future”: Examining African Portuguese-Speaking Students’ Motivation to Study in Portuguese Higher Education

Subject in motion: (de)capitalization and coping strategies of Tibetan “Sea Turtles” in China

International Student Migration to the GCC States: A Comparative Study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About