{"title":"Impact of international student mobility in rural Portuguese regions","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ijer.2024.102439","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Existing research on the influence of international students on host higher education institutions (HEIs) has mainly focused on revenue diversification and the multicultural environment that students bring to campus. However, there is a significant gap in research on how international students can impact the development of the local community surrounding the host institution. In this paper, we explore the societal impact of international students, beyond the immediate financial benefits associated with their spending. Through interviews with representatives of four HEIs, this study sheds light on the transformative potential of international student mobility for local development in Portugal, especially in more disadvantaged regions. We found that the presence of international students contributes to demographic renewal, economic growth, cultural dynamism, and knowledge transfer, thereby serving as a catalyst for positive societal transformations. These findings accentuate the strategic role of HEIs in fostering regional development through internationalisation efforts, especially valuable for other countries and regions facing similar demographic and economic challenges.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48076,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Educational Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"International Journal of Educational Research","FirstCategoryId":"95","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883035524001253","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Existing research on the influence of international students on host higher education institutions (HEIs) has mainly focused on revenue diversification and the multicultural environment that students bring to campus. However, there is a significant gap in research on how international students can impact the development of the local community surrounding the host institution. In this paper, we explore the societal impact of international students, beyond the immediate financial benefits associated with their spending. Through interviews with representatives of four HEIs, this study sheds light on the transformative potential of international student mobility for local development in Portugal, especially in more disadvantaged regions. We found that the presence of international students contributes to demographic renewal, economic growth, cultural dynamism, and knowledge transfer, thereby serving as a catalyst for positive societal transformations. These findings accentuate the strategic role of HEIs in fostering regional development through internationalisation efforts, especially valuable for other countries and regions facing similar demographic and economic challenges.
期刊介绍:
The International Journal of Educational Research publishes regular papers and special issues on specific topics of interest to international audiences of educational researchers. Examples of recent Special Issues published in the journal illustrate the breadth of topics that have be included in the journal: Students Perspectives on Learning Environments, Social, Motivational and Emotional Aspects of Learning Disabilities, Epistemological Beliefs and Domain, Analyzing Mathematics Classroom Cultures and Practices, and Music Education: A site for collaborative creativity.