Understanding Chinese international students in the U.S. in Times of the COVID-19 crisis: from a Chinese discourse studies perspective

Using the Chinese Discourse Studies (CNDS) as a theoretical framework, this study seeks to challenge the cultural essentialism and uncritical roots of existing literature, with an aim to expose long-standing patterns of Western totalizing discourse in the field of international education research. This exploratory article explores how Chinese international students as cultural agents respond to the global pandemic and pandemic-related stereotypes. Through a critical analysis of 21 Chinese students' narratives, this article identifies three culturally specific characteristics that pervade Chinese normative dialogues: (1) Chinese dialectics, (2) Chinese harmony, and (3) Chinese self-criticism. They are often employed to emphasize Chinese optimistic attitudes in times of crisis, avoidance of confrontation for harmonious communication, and moral character of self-introspection to conform to the social norm. This article offers new empirical evidence for the reconstruction of the Chinese paradigm of discourse studies and reveals the inappropriateness of Western scholarship for understanding non-Western linguistic and communicative events and practices. In sum, this article demonstrates that Chinese discourse studies can be a potential decolonial option to depart from deep-seated scholarship in Western intellectual supremacy and a visionary framework to advance multicultural discourses about international education against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions and anti-Asian racism.

New directions towards internationalization of higher education in China during post-COVID 19: A systematic literature review

This study aims to explore the new directions towards internationalization of higher education in China during post-COVID 19. The systematic literature review is applied as an evidence-based policy analysis approach. The findings indicate that the challenges and difficulties of internationalization of higher education in the post-COVID 19 were considered as a high-frequency discussion topic. In order to address the crises of internationalization of higher education during the post-COVID 19, the idea of internationalization at home (IaH) is regarded as a beneficial approach to deal with the process of internationalization of higher education, systematically. This study also highlighted that the internationalization at home within Chinese higher education institutions not only brings opportunities for the development of China's higher education system, but also poses challenges to the reform of the current higher education system. In addition, the conclusion and implication were provided to analyze the rationales of promoting internationalization of higher education system in contemporary China.

Assessing Impact of Study Abroad on Graduation Rates of Underrepresented Students

EXPANDING INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION Fueled by globalization, technological advances, and more accessible travel, the role of international education on college and university campuses has had a period of immense growth. According to the Institute of International Education's 2019 Open Doors report, just over 340,000 US students participated in a study abroad program for credit during the 2017–2018 academic year. [...]there is interest among administrators, scholars, instructors, and policymakers to better understand the effects of study abroad on student learning and outcomes. Data Analysis An initial descriptive analysis yielded the means and standard deviations for each matching variable of interest, as well as the zero-order correlation between all matching criteria and the independent variable (see Appendix).

COVID-19, geopolitics and risk management Towards framing a reciprocal, coordinated, responsive and empathetic international education sector

Geopolitics is shaping the international education landscape. International education has trationally been used as a tool to boost transnational cooperation, foster multilateral and global ties, and reduce tensions between nations. Such a role has been eroded and international education has been weaponised in the context of escalating political turbulences and disputes over the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the relationship between Australia and China, with international student flows interrupted due to COVID-19, is overshadowed by escalating geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. Based on a qualitative study, this article examines stakeholders' views on the responses of the Australian international education sector and universities to emerging geopolitical tensions. The conjuncture of geopolitics, COVID-19 and Australia's former government responses magnified a sense of crisis for universities and the international education sector as it was at risk because of their financial reliance on international students. Based on the findings, recommendations are made for the framing of a reciprocal, coordinated, responsive and empathetic international education sector to mitigate geopolitical risks and ensure more sustainable and ethical development for the sector.

The International Education Index: A global approach to education policy analysis, performance and sustainable development

Before the COVID‐19 pandemic, the world struggled to address growing educational inequalities and fulfil the commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 4, which seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The pandemic has exacerbated these inequalities and changed how education functions, moving to online and hybrid methods. The challenges in global education highlighted and worsened by the pandemic make it necessary to re‐evaluate education systems and the policies in place to support access, quality and equal opportunity. This article focuses on analysing education policies at a national level. It tests a pilot policy analysis tool, the International Education Index (IEI), developed as a starting point to begin this reconsideration and create an accessible and comprehensive way to evaluate national education systems to inform decision‐making and policies in the new context. This research uses Ireland and Northern Ireland to test the IEI pilot tool. The IEI consists of 54 questions across nine indicators, including institutional frameworks, education strategies, digital skills and infrastructure, twenty‐first century skills, access to basic social services, adherence to international standards, legal frameworks, data gathering and availability and international partnerships. Countries can score 108 points to be categorised as having developed, emerging or nascent national education systems. Ireland scored 94 and Northern Ireland 81, indicating that they have developed national education systems.

International Student Mobility in Crises: Globalization and Foucault's Rhetoric Question

(1999) understand globalization as "a process (or set of processes) which embodies a transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and transactions—assessed in terms of their extensity, intensity, velocity and impact—generating transcontinental or interregional flows and networks of activity, interaction, and the exercise of power” (p. 6). Discussion: "Neoliberal globalization” and student mobility in crises I personally use the term neoliberal globalization in that I critique "neoliberalism as an ideology, political philosophy, economic doctrine and policy model has been embraced by many Western countries and multilateral institutions and embedded in contemporary globalization” (Zheng & Kapoor, 2020, Neoliberal globalization and opening-up section, para. 1) and argue ISM across national borders has been significantly influenced by neoliberal globalization and neoliberalism-doctrined supranational organizations like the World Trade Organization and the World Bank, which promote the removal of barriers and the liberalization of international trade. [...]ISM can be regarded as a flow because it bears the specific social and educational meaning and has caused some global effects as an increasing number of international students cross borders for education (Zheng, 2010). [...]China's outbound ISM might be affected in that it is confined to many uncertain factors, such as the capacity of foreign higher education institutions, available financial support for Chinese students from the Chinese government, students' family, or foreign higher education institutions, and visa requirement of foreign countries.

Tendency of Student Mobility During Crises: The Sunk Cost Theory Moderated by Emotions and Family Decisions on Studying Overseas

The perceived loss is more complicated when the mental accounting process involves a higher aspiration level (e.g., parents send their children abroad for elite higher education, career success, and permanent residence in the destination country) mixed with an increased possibility of regretting the decision (e.g., the regret induced by the outbreak of pandemic and the low morale of global economy). Instruction languages, textbooks, teaching style, learning environment, and evaluation methods are all essentially distinct between the two school systems. Even for whom stuck in AP- or IB-curriculums of international high schools, with generous family funds, those students can pursue alternative career paths in art performance, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, or take gap years. For other families who have already chosen public schools and then domestic universities, especially working-class families with budget constraints, they are predictable to become risk aversion and avoid the perceived anti-Chinese discrimination and other additional academic, psychological, or social challenges (Yu et al., 2019).

Google en Iberoamérica: expansión corporativa y capitalismo digital en educación

With the expansion of digital capitalism and as an effect of school closures due to the pandemic, the technology-based multinational corporations GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Microsoft) have consolidated their offer of educational services in the field of the Global Education Industry in Ibero-America. Of the group, Google has been a key player, by substantially increasing the number of users on its platforms through corporate strategies such as public-private partnerships, agreements with schools and teacher training. This article analyzes the strategies that this technological giant has promoted in a limited set of educational centers certified and "distinguished" by Google for Education, called Google Reference Schools located in Mexico and Spain. The pedagogical and political implications are analyzed. The research methodology uses the three-dimensional model of Critical Discourse Analysis applied to the reports produced by the reference schools themselves and hosted in the Google for Education directory. The results show the way in which Google is adopted in the educational centers as an option to underpin educational improvement but which also introduces forms of governance at a distance in the educational field. In the conclusions, we discuss whether placing the infrastructure of digital communication and interaction of educational centers in Iberoamerican schools in the hands of these new actors of the Global Educational Technology Industry means not only handing over power to a private actor with specific commercial and political objectives and interests, but also closing the doors to alternative ways of doing and knowing in education. As future lines of research, we consider that the analysis should be extended to other countries beyond the Ibero-American area.Alternate abstract:Con la expansión del capitalismo digital y como efecto del cierre de escuelas derivado de la pandemia, las corporaciones multinacionales de base tecnológica GAFAM (Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon y Microsoft) han consolidado su oferta de servicios educativos en el campo de la Industria Educativa Global en Iberoamérica. Del grupo, Google ha resultado un actor primordial, al incrementar sustancialmente la cantidad de usuarios en sus plataformas mediante estrategias corporativas como alianzas público-privado, convenios con centros escolares y formación docente. El artículo analiza las estrategias que este gigante tecnológico ha impulsado en un conjunto delimitado de centros educativos certificados y «distinguidos» por Google for Education, denominados Google Reference Schools ubicados en México y España. Se analizan las implicaciones pedagógicas y políticas de ello. La metodología de investigación utiliza el modelo tridimensional del Análisis Crítico del Discurso aplicado a los informes elaborados por los propios centros de referencia y alojados en el directorio de Google for Education. Los resultados muestran la forma mediante la cual Google es adoptado en los centros educativos en tanto la opción para apuntalar la mejora educativa pero que introduce también formas de gobierno en la distancia en el terreno educativo. En las conclusiones se discute si poner en manos de estos nuevos actores de la Industria Educativa Global la infraestructura de la comunicación e interacción digital de los centros educativos de Iberoamérica supone no solo entregar el poder a un actor privado que tiene objetivos e intereses comerciales y políticos concretos, sino que cierra también las puertas a caminos alternativos de hacer y saber en la educación. Como futuras líneas de investigación, consideramos que se debe ampliar el análisis a otros países más allá del área iberoamericana.

COVID19 and China's International Higher Education Policies

In 2010, China announced its aspiration to build the Study in China initiative into a global education brand. A decade of active and strategic policymaking ensued and spurred the growth of international higher education in the rising Asian power. Its overarching objective of becoming the largest study-abroad destination in Asia by 2020 was fulfllled ahead of schedule in 2017. However, as the COVID19 pandemic disrupted international mobilities and stunted international education in many countries, the Study in China initiative has also encountered unprecedented challenges. This study analyses the Chinese policies on international higher education between 2020 and mid-2022, and international students' online queries and responses to these policies. This paper concludes with implications of international students' experiences since-COVID for China's international education sector. © QI JING AND MA CHENG, 2023.

International Education After the Covid Years: Recovery, Rebuilding, Reimagining - Towards a New Chinese Internationalism

This synoptic paper enquires into the status of international education after the Covid years in terms of the themes of 'recovery, rebuilding, reimagining'. It reviews some recent adjustments to international education strategy to recapture the market for international students and looks to UNESCO's new social contract for education as a barometer and index for futures of education in a very uncertain world that faces multiple crises. The paper argues that the UNESCO vision is a strength but must be tempered by a recognition of the shift of gravity in world economy and politics. International education took root based on the values of British and American liberal internationalism. Today it is recommended that scholars in the west also recognize the characteristics and development of Chinese internationalism that has come to inform Chinese international education. © MICHAEL A. PETERS, 2023.

COVID-19 AND THE INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE: A COMPUTER-ASSISTED DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF #IBSCANDAL

Covid-19 has occasioned ongoing shifts in discourse as language changes to reflect and shape new stages of the global pandemic and different voices weigh in on topics, such as infectious diseases and vaccine efficacy. This study looks at an instance of this that relates to the ‘global education industry', where cancellation of the International Baccalaureate's May 2020 high stakes examination instigated a wide-ranging discussion about the organisation. This was triggered by the publication of IB results for 174,355 students in 146 countries, many of which showed large discrepancies between predicted and final grades. Using computer-assisted discourse analysis and a corpus of tweets containing the hashtag #ibscandal, patterns of language use are analysed, providing valuable new insights into the impact on students in different national contexts.

International Student Mobility in a Deglobalizing and Post-Pandemic World: Resilience, Reconfiguration, Renewal

Writing about international student mobility (ISM) at such a juncture, there is a certain temptation to go with hyperbolic statements about how the ISM landscape has shifted dramatically in a world characterized by deglobalizing momentum (Irwin, 2020) or how the COVID pandemic was a "game-changer” (Yang & Lu, 2022, p. 133). Undoubtedly, the past several years have been volatile for international students and all those involved in various aspects of ISM. The unsynced trajectories of the pandemic in different regions/countries of the world, aggravated by the pandemic's multifarious global repercussions – social, economic, geo-political, etc. – have created a cacophony of experiences for international students, about which scholarship is rapidly emerging, both in this journal (to mention just a few: Sustarsic & Zhang, 2021;Thorson et al., 2021;Zabin, 2022) and elsewhere (e.g., Gomes, 2022;Xu & Tran, 2022;Yang, 2022b). © The Author(s) 2015. All Rights Reserved.

El profesorado en el punto de mira: estrategias de influencia de las empresas españolas en el sistema educativo

The Spanish educational system has traditionally been characterized by the presence of public-private partnerships in the education provision. However, in the expansive context of the Global Education Industry (GEI), emerging actors are now developing new influence strategies. This paper analyses the free educational programs offered through the foundations of four enterprises characterized by being located in Spain and having a business sector different from education. The selection of the programs seeks to identify in the context of the Spanish school system the presence and the influence actions of businesses actors which don't have an educational profile but that target their products to that sector, mainly teachers. The analysis of the educational products has been carried out through the three moments identified by Jessop within the Cultural Political Economy approach: variation, selection and retention. Results show the legitimation of the participation of private actors into the educational systems as the basis on which the programs operate, reflected on the absence of justificatory discourses;the focus of the educational products on school practices, specifically on curriculum elements (competencies, contents, teaching methodologies) and teachers training;and the use of economic rewards and technological compensations, courses and standardized teaching materials as main influence actions. As a whole, these actions seek to impact the educational system by placing teachers as recipients of their interventions, but at the same time they develop hybridization strategies through collaboration with public institutions. With their speeches and actions, companies build a system of market educational knowledge that emphasizes the utilitarian value of the education system and that has public institutions as collaboratorsAlternate abstract:El sistema educativo español se ha caracterizado históricamente por la colaboración entre iniciativas privadas y públicas en la provisión de educación. Sin embargo, en el contexto expansivo de la Industria Educativa Global (IEG) numerosos y diversos actores emergen con nuevas estrategias de influencia. En este artículo abordamos el estudio de los programas educativos ofrecidos de manera gratuita por las fundaciones de cuatro empresas (Samsung, Endesa, Mapfre, Repsol) que se caracterizan por tener su base en España y por no operar en el sector educativo como área de negocio. La selección de estos programas responde al objetivo de identificar en el contexto del sistema educativo español la presencia y las acciones de influencia de agentes empresariales que no tienen un perfil educativo, pero que dirigen sus productos a actores de dicho sector, especialmente al profesorado. El análisis de los productos educativos se ha desarrollado empleando los tres momentos identificados por Jessop desde el enfoque de la Economía Política Cultural: variación, selección y retención. Los resultados muestran la legitimación de la participación de agentes privados en el sistema educativo sobre la que se asientan los programas que se refleja en la ausencia de discursos justificativos de los programas;el foco de las propuestas formativas en las prácticas escolares, concretamente en elementos curriculares (competencias, contenidos, metodologías didácticas) y la formación de profesorado;y el empleo de premios económicos y compensaciones de carácter tecnológico, cursos y materiales didácticos estandarizados como principales acciones de influencia. En conjunto estas acciones buscan impactar en el sistema educativo situando al profesorado como destinatario de sus intervenciones. Las empresas construyen con sus discursos y acciones un régimen de conocimiento educativo de mercado que enfatiza el valor utilitario del sistema educativo y que tiene a las instituciones públicas como colaboradoras.

El entusiasmo intelectual, el patio de juegos, el trabajo de Dios: comprendiendo las lógicas de los contratistas para realizar contratos de evaluaciones internacionales a gran escala

Why are contractors keen to develop, implement, and analyse International Large-Scale Assessments (ILSAs) when they appear to make no financial gains? What makes ILSA contracts so attractive? This paper takes as its starting point the fact that almost all ILSA contractors interviewed stated their ILSA work is an investment, either in the form of a breakeven or a loss contract. Applying policy borrowing and lending theory to non-state actors, and analysing 35 interviews with OECD and IEA staff and ILSA contractors, the paper discusses why contractors carry out ILSA contracts or donate to ILSAs. Rationales relate to interests in methodological developments and innovation;research;social responsibility;learning;exposure;prestige;credibility;networks;business opportunities;and individual rationales. The paper identifies parallels with the motives of corporate philanthropy in education. The paper concludes that ILSA contractors are using ILSAs to forward their political agendas, which include growing the learning assessment market.Alternate :¿Por qué los contratistas muestran interés por desarrollar, implementar, y analizar evaluaciones internacionales a gran escala (ILSA, por sus siglas en inglés) cuando éstas no parecen generar beneficios financieros? ¿Qué hace a los contratos de ILSA tan atractivos? Este artículo toma como punto de partida el hecho de que casi todos los contratistas de ILSA entrevistados manifestaron que su trabajo en ILSA es una inversión, en la forma de un contrato en el punto de equilibrio o con pérdidas. Aplicando la teoría del préstamo de políticas (policy borrowing and lending theory) a los actores no-estatales, y analizando 35 entrevistas con personal de la OCDE y la IEA y contratistas de ILSA, el artículo discute por qué los contratistas llevan a cabo contratos de ILSA o donan a ILSA. Las lógicas se relacionan con intereses en desarrollos metodológicos e innovación;investigación;responsabilidad social;aprendizaje;visibilidad;prestigio;credibilidad;redes;oportunidades de negocio;y lógicas individuales. El artículo identifica paralelismos con los propósitos de la filantropía empresarial en educación. El artículo concluye que los contratistas de ILSA están usando las ILSA para avanzar sus intenciones políticas, que incluyen hacer crecer el mercado de evaluación del aprendizaje.

A decade review and bibliometric analysis of the journal Compare

Compare is a leading journal in the comparative and international education research field. To assess this journal's productivity and influence, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of 428 papers published in Compare between 2010 and 2019. The findings show that in the past decade, Compare experienced significant growth in the number of publications and citations. This growth primarily stemmed from England, which yielded over half of the top 20 most productive authors and institutions. Among the numerous research topics discussed in Compare, the disciplinary development of comparative and international education, the internationalisation of education, gender studies in education, and citizenship education were the most frequently addressed. A detailed analysis of these four topics reveals that despite having published many papers falling within the scope of international education, Compare is encouraged to publish more papers about this subfield in the post-COVID-19 era.

Starting university during the pandemic: First-year international students' complex transitions under online and hybrid-learning conditions.

International education activities suddenly halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, severely disrupting student mobility and academic learning. Many educational institutions have delivered programs to students through digital devices globally rather than in situ. Such a shift presents a unique opportunity to assess the impact of online and hybrid education for international students. This qualitative study interviewed 30 international students who had arrived on campus and shared their first-year university transition experiences during the pandemic. The analysis shows that spatial and temporal circumstances created two scenarios and thus resulted in different first-year university experiences. Although all students were dissatisfied with online learning, studying at a distance in different time zones was particularly detrimental to international students' mental and physical health. The (im)mobile environments led to mismatches in expectations, roles, activities, and realities, negatively affecting student learning and adjustment. This study highlights the complex international transition issues and offers implications for sustainable online and hybrid-learning practices in the educational system.

The academic impact and value of an international online surgery lecture series.

Due to the worldwide travel restrictions caused by the 2019 coronavirus disease pandemic, many universities and students lost opportunities to engage in international exchange over the past 2 years. Teleconferencing systems have thus been developed to compensate for severe travel restrictions. Kansai Medical University in Japan and Vilnius University in Lithuania have a collaborative research and academic relationship. The two universities have been conducting an online joint international surgery lecture series for the medical students of both universities. Fifteen lectures were given from October 2021 to May 2022. The lectures focused on gastrointestinal surgery, gastroenterology, radiology, pathology, genetics, laboratory medicine, and organ transplantation. A survey of the attendees indicated that they were generally interested in the content and satisfied with attending this lecture series. Our efforts were successful in providing Japanese and Lithuanian medical students with the opportunity to engage in international exchange through lectures held in each other's countries.

The Role of School Teachers' and International Education Project Leaders' Digital Competence during Covid-19 Pandemic

This paper analyses the significance of digital competence in the light of the impact of the Covid-19 on formal and non-formal education settings. The Authors discuss the definition of digital competence, as provided by the European Commission, and quote key international research data on digital competence in education. Furthermore, based on research carried out by the Authors during the Covid-19 pandemic among school teachers familiar with digital technologies in learning, and international education project coordinators, the Authors claim that digital competence has become one of the most substantial elements in contemporary classroom and international education project management. © 2022 WMSCI.All rights reserved.

The Bentley Global Experience Initiative: An Application of Assessment Data towards Pedagogical Development

Since 2009, Bentley University has engaged in assessment of intercultural effectiveness in undergraduate students. The instrument used was the Intercultural Effectiveness Scale, which measures six dimensions using a self-report instrument. The longitudinal data analysis showing results in correlation and causation indicated that while international education experiences have a significant positive effective on Global Mindset, they do not indicate a positive significant effect on other dimensions of intercultural effectiveness (Berdrow, Woolford, Skaletsky, Bird, 2020). In 2018, Bentley University engaged in a curriculum design process to re-envision its undergraduate core curriculum. Taking the opportunity to apply lessons from the assessment of intercultural effectiveness, a component of the new design was the Global Experience. This paper briefly outlines the assessment initiative and the curriculum design outline, with an emphasis on the creation of the Bentley Global Experience Initiative, a comprehensive program supporting faculty and students.