Educational Migration in the Semantic Space of Political Science: a Review of Theoretical Approaches

Cover Page

Cite item

Full Text

Abstract

Among modern studies on the phenomenon of migration, of particular interest is the work studying and analyzing educational migration as one of the most popular and promising areas of migration. Despite numerous work devoted to the issue of educational migration, latter still remains the least studied migration category. In order to identify current trends and patterns of international educational migration and to trace development of theoretical constructions explaining migration process, author has conducted an analysis of more than 60 scientific publications (both theoretical and empirical studies) of foreign authors on the issues of consideration. Analysis of publications was carried out in context of a critical review of scientific theories and research concepts on educational migration. As the main theories, neoclassical theories of migration of macro (the concept of Push-Pull factors) and micro (the theory of human capital) level, transnational theory and theory of global knowledge were considered. As a result, author notes that educational migration studies are mostly aimed at studying economic aspects of migration, determinants and causes of migration, issue of highly qualified migration, processes of integration and adaptation of foreign students, new directions of student migration, transnational spaces and social migrant networks etc. Publications on the values and axiological aspects of educational migration are much less common. To sum up, based on results of the study, article reveals that vectors of educational migration studies are shaped by transformation occurring in the world and in the global educational environment that directly affects the nature of student migration flows.

About the authors

Vasilya V. Taisheva

Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University)

Author for correspondence.
Email: taisheva-vv@rudn.ru

assistant of the Department of Comparative Politics

6 Miklukho-Maklaya St, Moscow, 117198, Russian Federation

References

  1. Shkoler O., Rabenu E. Defining International Student Mobility and Higher Education. In: International Student Mobility and Access to Higher Education. Marketing and Communication in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2020: 1–27. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-44139-5_1
  2. Lipura S.J., Collins F.L. Towards an integrative understanding of contemporary educational mobilities: a critical agenda for international student mobilities research. Globalisation, Societies and Education. 2020; 18 (3): 343–359. doi: 10.1080/14767724.2020.1711710
  3. Page A.G., Chahboun S. Emerging empowerment of international students: how international student literature has shifted to include the students’ voices. Higher Education. 2019; 78: 871–885. doi: 10.1007/s10734-019-00375-7
  4. Roy A., Newman A., Ellenberger T., Pyman A. Outcomes of international student mobility programs: a systematic review and agenda for future research. Studies in Higher Education. 2019; 44 (9): 1630–1644. doi: 10.1080/03075079.2018.1458222
  5. Gümüş S., Gök E., Esen M. A Review of Research on International Student Mobility: Science Mapping the Existing Knowledge Base. Journal of Studies in International Education. 2019. doi: 10.1177/1028315319893651
  6. Pisarevskaya A., Levy N., Scholten P., Jansen J. Mapping migration studies: An empirical analysis of the coming of age of a research field. Migration Studies. 2019. doi: 10.1093/migration/mnz031
  7. Bommes M., Morawska E. International Migration Research: Constructions, Omissions and the Promises of Interdisciplinarity. Routledge; 2005. 304 p.
  8. Kaushal N., Lanati M. International Student Mobility: Growth and Dispersion. NBER Working Paper No. 25921. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series. 2019. 28 p.
  9. Kondakci Y., Bedenlier S., Zawacki‐Richter O. Social network analysis of international student mobility: Uncovering the rise of regional hubs. Higher Education. 2018; 75 (3): 517–535. doi: 10.1007/s10734-017-0154-9
  10. Lee C.S. Global linguistic capital, global cultural capital: International student migrants in China’s two-track international education market. International Journal of Educational Development. 2019; 67: 94–102. doi: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2019.03.001
  11. Raghuram P. Theorising the Spaces of Student Migration. Population, Space and Place. 2013; 19 (2): 138–154. doi: 10.1002/psp.1747
  12. Riaño Y., Piguet E. International Student Migration. Oxford University Press (Ed.), Oxford Bibliographies in Geography: NY, 2016. 24 p. doi: 10.1093/OBO/9780199874002-‐0141
  13. Raby R.L., Zhang Y.L. Changing Theoretical Perspectives on Transnational Mobility: A Review of the Literature. In: Rethinking Education Across Borders: Emerging Issues and Critical Insights on Globally Mobile Students. Springer Nature; 2020: 19–47.
  14. Sanchez Barrioluengo M., Flisi S. Student mobility in tertiary education: institutional factors and regional attractiveness. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2017. 92 p. doi: 10.2760/675338.JRC108895
  15. Ravenstein E. G. The Laws of Migration. Journal of Statistical Society. 1885; 48 (2): 167–235.
  16. Stouffer S. Interventing opportunities: a theory relating mobility and distance. American Sociological Review. 1940; 5 (6): 845–867. doi: 10.2307/2084520
  17. Zipf G. The Hypothesis: on the intercity movement of persons. American Sociological Review. 1946; 11 (6): 677–686. doi: 10.2307/2087063
  18. Todaro M. P. A Model of Labour Migration and Rural Unemployment in Less developed Countries. American Economic Review. 1969; 59 (1): 138–148.
  19. Harris J. R., Todaro M. P. Migration, Unemployment and Development: A Two-sector Analysis. American Economic Review. 1970; 60 (1): 126–142.
  20. Lee E.S. A Theory of Migration. Demography. 1966; 3 (1): 47–57. doi: 10.2307/2060063
  21. Rabenu E., Shkoler O. The Reasons for International Student Mobility. In: International Student Mobility and Access to Higher Education. Marketing and Communication in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2020: 61-125. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-44139-5_3
  22. Chellaraj G. The Economics of International Student and Scholar Mobility: Directions for Research. Policy Research Working Papers. World Bank Group, 2019. 40 p. DOI: 10.1596/ 1813-9450-8848
  23. Gonzalez C.R., Mesanza R.B., Mariel P. The Determinants of International Student Mobility Flows: An Empirical Study on the Erasmus Program. Higher Education. 2011; 62: 413–430.
  24. Abbott A., Silles M. Determinants of international student migration. World Economy. 2016; 39 (5): 621–635. doi: 10.1111/twec.12319
  25. Restaino M., Vitale M.P., Primerano I. Analysing International Student Mobility Flows in Higher Education: A Comparative Study on European Countries. Social Indicators Research. 2020. doi: 10.1007/s11205-020-02282-2
  26. Perez-Encinas A., Rodriguez-Pomeda J., Wit H.D. Factors influencing student mobility: a comparative European study. Studies in Higher Education. 2020. doi: 10.1080/03075079.2020.1725873
  27. Vögtle E.M., Windzio M. Looking for freedom? Networks of international student mobility and countries’ levels of democracy. The Geographical Journal. 2020; 186 (1): 103–115. doi: 10.1111/geoj.12329
  28. Lo W.Y.W. Beyond competition: a comparative review of conceptual approaches to international student mobility. Globalisation, Societies and Education. 2019; 17 (3): 261–273. doi: 10.1080/14767724.2018.1525283
  29. Li M., Bray M. Cross-border flow of students for higher education: Push-Pull factors and motivations of mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong and Macau. Higher Education. 2007; 53: 791–818. doi: 10.1007/s10734-005-5423-3
  30. Gesing P., Glass C. STEM student mobility intentions post-graduation and the role of reverse Push-Pull factors. International Journal of Educational Development. 2019; 65: 227–236. doi: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2018.08.008
  31. Iqbal K., Peng H., Hafeez M., Khan, N.H., Ahmad K., Iqbal Z. Should I Stay or Should I Go? Foreign-student Intent in China. Human Systems Management. 2019; 38 (3): 197–208. doi: 10.3233/HSM-180472
  32. Li W., Zhao S., Lu Z., Yu W., Li X. Student Migration: Evidence from Chinese Students in the US and China. International Migration. 2019; 57 (3): 334–353. doi: 10.1111/imig.12466
  33. Kaneko S. How studying abroad in Malaysia leads to transnational migration: interview results from former international students. Osaka Human Sciences. 2020; 6: 107–129. doi: 10.18910/73803
  34. Wells A. International Student Mobility: Approaches, Challenges and Suggestions for Further Research. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences. 2017; 143: 19–24. doi: 10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.07.350
  35. Hadler M. Intentions to migrate within the European Union: a challenge for simple economic macro-level explanations. European Societies. 2006; 8 (1): 111–140. DOI: 10.1080/ 14616690500491324
  36. De Haas H. Mobility and Human Development. UNDP Human Development Reports. Research Paper 2009/1. 2009. 70 p.
  37. Lulle A., Janta H., Emilsson H. Introduction to the Special Issue: European youth migration: human capital outcomes, skills and competences. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 2019. doi: 10.1080/1369183X.2019.1679407
  38. The human capital of Russian political elites. Political and psychological analysis. Ed. E.B. Shestopal, A.V. Selezneva. M.: Russian Association of Political Science (RAPN); Russian Political Encyclopedia (ROSSPEN), 2012. 342 p. (In Russ.).
  39. Komarov A.V. The role of education in human capital development in contemporary Russia. Humanities and Social Sciences. Bulletin of the Financial University. 2017; 7 (3): 83–88. (In Russ.).
  40. Sjaastad L.A. The Costs and Returns of Human Migration. Journal of Political Economy. 1962; 70 (5): 80–93.
  41. Moiseenko V.M., Chudinovskikh O.S. Theory of human capital and the study of migration processes in Russia. Problems of forecasting. 2000; 4: 124–137. (In Russ.).
  42. Scott C., Safdar S., Trilokekar R.D., Masri A.E. International students as “ideal immigrants” in Canada: A disconnect between policy makers’ assumptions and the lived experiences of international students. Éducation Comparée Et Internationale. 2015; 43 (3): 1–16.
  43. Chang C.-W., Chan S.-J. Transit point of global talent: social/cultural dimensions of short-term student circulation. Globalisation, Societies and Education. 2020; 18 (1): 30–42. DOI: 10.1080/ 14767724.2019.1690731
  44. Ziguras C., Law S. Recruiting international students as skilled migrants: the global ‘skills race’ as viewed from Australia and Malaysia. Globalisation, Societies and Education. 2006; 4 (1): 59–76. doi: 10.1080/14767720600555087
  45. Khadria B. Adversary analysis and the quest for global development: optimizing the dynamic conflict of interest in transnational migration. Social Analysis. 2009; 53 (3): 106–122. doi: 10.3167/sa.2009.530306
  46. Hawthorne L. Demography, migration and demand for international students. Globalization and Tertiary Education in the Asia-Pacific. 2010: 93–119. doi: 10.1142/9789814299046_0005
  47. Perkins R., Neumayer E. Geographies of educational mobilities: Exploring the uneven flows of international students. The Geographical Journal. 2014; 180 (3): 246–259. DOI: 10.2139/ ssrn.1857523
  48. Riaño Y., Lombard A., Piguet E. How to explain migration policy openness in times of closure? The case of international students in Switzerland. Globalisation, Societies and Education. 2018; 16 (3): 295–307. doi: 10.1080/14767724.2017.1412823
  49. Riaño Y., Van Mol C., Raghuram P. New directions in studying policies of international student mobility and migration. Globalisation, Societies and Education. 2018; 16 (3): 283–294. doi: 10.1080/14767724.2018.1478721
  50. Mahroum S. Highly Skilled Globetrotters: Mapping the International Migration of Human Capital. R&D Management. 2000; 30 (1): 23–32. doi: 10.1111/1467-9310.00154
  51. Suter B., Jandl M. Comparative Study on Policies towards Foreign Graduates – Study on Admission and Retention Policies towards Foreign Students in Industrialised Countries. International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), Vienna; 2006. 97 p.
  52. Yin M., Yeakey C.C. The policy implications of the global flow of tertiary students: a social network analysis. Oxford Review of Education. 2019; 45 (1): 50–69. DOI: 10.1080/ 03054985.2018.1489788
  53. Baláz V., Williams A.M., Kollár D. Temporary versus Permanent Youth Brain Drain: Economic Implications. International Migration. 2004; 42 (4): 3–34. doi: 10.1111/j.0020-7985.2004.00293.x
  54. Findlay A.M., King R., Stam A., Ruiz-Gelices E. Ever Reluctant Europeans: The Changing Geographies of UK Students Studying and Working Abroad. European Urban and Regional Studies. 2006; 13 (4): 291–318. doi: 10.1177/0969776406065429
  55. Khadria B. Shifting Paradigms of Globalization: The Twenty-First Century Transition Towards Generics in Skilled Migration from India. International Migration. 2008; 39 (5): 45–71. doi: 10.1111/1468-2435.00171
  56. Baas M. The Education‐Migration Industry: International Students, Migration Policy and the Question of Skills. International Migration. 2019; 57 (3): 222–234. doi: 10.1111/imig.12540
  57. Liu‐Farrer G., Tran A.H. Bridging the Institutional Gaps: International Education as a Migration Industry. International Migration. 2019; 57 (3): 235–249. doi: 10.1111/imig.12543
  58. Li W., Lo L., Lu Y., Tan Y. & Lu Y. Intellectual migration: considering China. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 2020. doi: 10.1080/1369183X.2020.1739393
  59. Li W., Yu W. Chinese Intellectual Migration to the US. In: Guo S., Guo Y. (eds) Spotlight on China. Spotlight on China. Sense Publishers, Rotterdam, 2016: 269–284. doi: 10.1007/978-94-6300-669-9_16
  60. Li J. Trends and Implications of International Student Mobility. In: Conceptualizing Soft Power of Higher Education. Perspectives on Rethinking and Reforming Education. 2018: 189–213. doi: 10.1007/978-981-13-0641-9
  61. Staniscia B., Deravignone L., González-Martin B., Pumares P. Youth Mobility and the Development of Human Capital: Is there a Southern European Model? Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 2019. doi: 10.1080/1369183X.2019.1679417
  62. McGarry O., Krisjane Z., Sechi G., MacÉinrí P., Berzins M., Apsite-Berina E. Human Capital and Life Satisfaction Among Circular Migrants: An Analysis of Extended Mobility in Europe. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 2019. doi: 10.1080/1369183X.2019.1679421
  63. Baláž V., Williams A.M., Moravčíková K., Chrančoková M. What Competences, Which Migrants? Tacit and Explicit Knowledge Acquired via Migration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 2019. doi: 10.1080/1369183X.2019.1679409
  64. Schiller N.G. Theorising Transnational Migration in Our Times: A multiscalar temporal perspective. Nordic Journal of Migration Research. 2018; 8 (4): 201–212. doi: 10.2478/njmr-2018-0032
  65. Martí G.-M.H. The Deterritorialization of Cultural Heritage in a Globalized Modernity Transfer. Journal of Contemporary Culture. 2006; 1: 92–107.
  66. Kahn P.E., Misiaszek L.I. Educational mobilities and internationalised higher education: critical perspectives. Teaching in Higher Education. 2019; 24 (5): 587–598. DOI: 10.1080/ 13562517.2019.1625120
  67. Schiller N.G., Basch L., Blanc‐Szanton C. Transnationalism: A New Analytic Framework for Understanding Migration. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1992; 645 (1): 1–24. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1992.tb33484.x
  68. Collins F.L. Bridges to learning: international student mobilities, education agencies and inter-personal networks. Global Networks. 2008; 8 (4): 398–417. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0374.2008.00231.x
  69. King R., Raghuram P. International Student Migration: Mapping the Field and New Research Agendas. Population, Space and Place. 2013; 19 (2): 127–137. doi: 10.1002/psp.1746
  70. Madge C., Raghuram P., Noxolo P. Conceptualizing international education: From international student to international study. Progress in Human Geography. 2015; 39 (6): 681–701. doi: 10.1177/0309132514526442
  71. Murphy-Lejeune E. Student Mobility and Narrative in Europe: The New Strangers. London and New York: Routledge; 2002. 288 p.
  72. De Jong S., Dannecker P. Connecting and confronting transnationalism: bridging concepts and moving critique. Identities. 2018; 25 (5), 493–506, doi: 10.1080/1070289X.2018.1507962
  73. Waldinger R. A cross-border perspective on migration: beyond the assimilation/transnationalism debate. Journal of ethnic and migration studies. 2017; 43 (1): 3–17. doi: 10.1080/1369183X.2016.1238863
  74. Simmel G. The Stranger. In: Georg Simmel: On Individuality and Social Forms (ed. by Donald Levine), Chicago: University of Chicago Press; 1971. P. 143–150.
  75. Karakayali N. Social Distance and Affective Orientations. Sociological Forum. 2009; (3): 538–562. doi: 10.1111/j.1573-7861.2009.01119.x
  76. Best S. The Stranger. London: Routledge; 2019. 172 p.

Copyright (c) 2020 Taisheva V.V.

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This website uses cookies

You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website.

About Cookies