Tuesday Onsite Presentation Session 4

International Education

Session Chair: Yueh Chun Huang

15:35-16:00

68948 | A Reflective Study on International Academic Exchanges: Envisioning International Studying Experiences and Effects

Wei-Jie Tiao, Chaoyang University of Technology & National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, Taiwan

Akira Yokokawa, Providence University, Taiwan

International mobility has become a popular trend of internationalization in higher education around the globe. However, internationalization in higher education is not merely the number of international student enrollments. They are more of the multicultural competencies international students develop after staying and studying abroad for a certain period. This study was empirically conducted to identify the authentic achievement of international students in terms of multicultural exploration and global mindset development while studying overseas for degrees. Highly concerned issues included these international students’ daily lives in a community with different cultures from their own, their adaption of studying on campus with classmates and professors of various cultures, and the development of multicultural competencies and global mindsets. This paper, through critical reflection, proposed a conceptual diagram for a deeper understanding of multicultural competencies in higher education under the internationalization trend. The methodology used consisted of qualitative interviews with international students in Taiwan. The data were analyzed using the content analysis technique. This analysis suggests that multicultural competencies in higher education involve several complex processes and challenges. To envision more successful international studying experiences, the host schools and peers can contribute in various supportive ways, as well as international students’ well-understanding of the culture in the host country.

16:00-16:25

69191 | Factors Influencing Thai University Students’ Decision in Participating in Study Abroad

Phanita Pooteang-on, Mahidol University International College, Mahidol University, Thailand

Chatwaroot Dulyachai, Mahidol University International College, Mahidol University, Thailand

Educators have long recognized that education abroad can be a path to job opportunities and personal growth. Pre-COVID, the number of students studying abroad had increased steadily year by year; this development was disrupted by the pandemic. As student mobility resumes post-COVID, there is a renewed interest in understanding the factors that motivate students to participate in studying abroad. This presentation shares the results of preliminary research conducted at a Thai university. The researchers surveyed 250 students to determine the factors that motivate them to study abroad as well as the obstacles that they perceive as preventing them from studying abroad. The top three factors were personal development, career development, and academic factors. International experience makes an impact on the CV as it does not improve only the students’ language skills but seems to shape their global citizenship mind which is essential in the industry. The top three obstacles were expenses, curriculum factors, and language barriers. The majority of Thai students are self-funded for their education abroad so the expenses are one of the main factors in their decision as well as the relevant course should not expand the study time. Additionally, students expressed interest in a wide variety of experiences beyond the traditional semester abroad, including work/study, short courses, internships, and research opportunities. The findings of this study will be of interest to educators who are interested in understanding students’ perceptions regarding studying abroad in order to increase student mobility and student satisfaction with the study abroad experience.

16:25-16:50

68308 | Worlding as Learning: Informal Learning in Higher Education Study Abroad Programs

Elena Jurasaite-O'Keefe, St. John's University, United States

The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate how and what university students learn in informal settings of study abroad programs while “worlding” in the host countries. Informal learning is theorized as an interactive web of meanings constructed by learners in the process of their interactions. Using a snowball sampling approach, 14 study abroad alumni from one university, who participated in various models of study abroad in numerous locations across the globe were interviewed. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis to build a grounded theory. After identifying major themes that defined the outcomes of learning in informal settings, the themes were arranged into a conceptual web. The findings demonstrate that students’ agency played a key role in how they explored, learned and internalized the knowledge during the unstructured time of their study abroad. The study illuminates ways in which students constructed their learning in partnership with the host country through interactions with environments and people. Using a unique approach of making tacit knowledge explicit by creating an interactive web of participants’ voices, the paper draws attention to learning opportunities in informal settings that happen while studying abroad as a way of expanding students' learning into a social-emotional domain.

16:50-17:15

69190 | A Comparison of Inbound and Outbound Students Mobility Between Taiwan and Korea and the Relevant Policies

Yueh-Chun Huang, National Chiayi University, Taiwan

The internationalization of education is an effective countermeasure to improve the narrow subjectivism of education. The number of internationally mobile students tripled from 2000 to 2019, from two to six million. Internationally mobile students' share of total world enrollments rose from 2.09% in 2000 to 2.58% in 2019. The purpose of the study is to compare the inbound and outbound student mobility between Taiwan and Korea and the relevant policies behind them. The methods used to collect research data include statistical illustration and documentary analysis. Main findings: 1. In 2020, the number of Korean students studying abroad was 171,343, while in the academic year 2020/21, approximately 60,307 students from Taiwan studied abroad. 2. International students increased from 17,000 in 2004 to 166,892 in 2022; in contrast, Taiwan's international students increased from 66,961 in 2012 to 92,963 in 2021. 3. The most relevant policy in Taiwan was the New Southbound Talent Development Program (2017–2020) to promote mutual talent mobility between Taiwan and New Southbound Policy countries. In comparison, the most crucial policy in Korea was the Global Korea Scholarship in 2010, and the name changed to Global Korea Scholarship.