International Higher Education: Knowledge, Culture and Public Diplomacy

A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Higher Education".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2024) | Viewed by 4376

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Graduate Institute of Education, National Chung Cheng University, Chiayi 621301, Taiwan
Interests: comparative education; higher education; education policy and management

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Guest Editor
Department of Education, National Chiayi University, Chiayi 621302, Taiwan
Interests: Higher Education, Education Policy, Educational Administration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Higher education has increasingly been positioned as a strategic sector for promoting national status, economic competitiveness, and even cultural influence on the international stage. A wide range of initiatives and schemes have been launched by Western societies and other emerging donors with the aim of strengthening their diplomatic relations with foreign audiences through networking higher education institutions. As engines of knowledge production and scientific innovation, universities hold significant power in reshaping the dynamics of technological advancement on a global scale. Certainly, the mobility and circulation of students, researchers, and professionals across national boundaries also have significant cultural implications from the perspective of public diplomacy. It is widely believed that exchange programs tend to create positive cultural impressions due to affinity, interaction, and mutual understanding at the individual level. However, despite these assumed relationships, the diplomatic roles and positions of higher education are still subject to the complexities of domestic and international contexts in various countries. Changing geopolitics, economic competition, and national security concerns among major countries also alter the interactive patterns of the higher education sector. These new political and economic forces bring about dramatic transformations in public diplomacy within the context of higher education. It is within these broader contexts that this Special Issue aims to address the following themes:
  1. How and why are governmental policies in higher education formulated and crafted to address their diplomatic purposes at the international level?
  2. How do governments, non-state actors, and higher education institutions network to foster diplomatic relationships?
  3. What are the changing roles and strategies of universities in coping with intensified geopolitical competition and national conflicts at the institutional level?
  4. What are the effects and impacts of particular schemes and initiatives in higher education on foreign countries in terms of soft power?
  5. How can innovative conceptual or theoretical frameworks in international relations or political sciences empirically interpret these new developments?
  6. How are the identities, feelings, and values of individual actors restructured within the arena of public policy in higher education?

Prof. Dr. Sheng-Ju Chan
Prof. Dr. Cheng-Cheng Yang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • higher education
  • public policy
  • soft power
  • knowledge/education/culture diplomacy
  • international relation
  • institutional cooperation

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 608 KiB  
Article
Bridging Intellectual Traditions Through a Bi/Multi-Cultural Intellectual Mind
by Yuting Shen and Rui Yang
Educ. Sci. 2025, 15(2), 175; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15020175 - 2 Feb 2025
Viewed by 501
Abstract
This article examines why and how scholars could bridge intellectual traditions in research by developing the notion of “a bi/multi-cultural intellectual mind”. It begins with outlining the historical emergence of Western-centric dominance in global academia and its consequential unequal worldwide knowledge flows. Drawing [...] Read more.
This article examines why and how scholars could bridge intellectual traditions in research by developing the notion of “a bi/multi-cultural intellectual mind”. It begins with outlining the historical emergence of Western-centric dominance in global academia and its consequential unequal worldwide knowledge flows. Drawing on elements from the model of bicultural competence, including attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviors, this study suggests research directions for examining individual scholars to bridge intellectual traditions. It emphasizes that individual efforts can bridge intellectual traditions in research truly effectively. This article then highlights research pathways of examining intermediaries in global intellectual history, who successfully navigate Euro-American and their own intellectual traditions. In doing so, it proposes an analytical framework for the study of a bi/multi-cultural intellectual mind. Finally, this study calls for diverse and inclusive approaches to research on bridging intellectual traditions, while encouraging an equal dialogue between Euro-American and other intellectual traditions in the global higher education landscape. Full article
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36 pages, 3220 KiB  
Article
Quality Assurance System of Higher Education in Kazakhstan Through Stakeholders’ Eyes: An Empirical Study to Identify Its Challenges
by Aidos Mukhatayev, Serik Omirbayev, Khanat Kassenov and Yuliya Idiyatova
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(12), 1297; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14121297 - 26 Nov 2024
Viewed by 760
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to identify the problems of the quality assurance system of higher education in the Republic of Kazakhstan. To do this, the opinions of the stakeholders (students, teaching staff, employers, administrative, and managerial staff) in the process were [...] Read more.
The purpose of this study is to identify the problems of the quality assurance system of higher education in the Republic of Kazakhstan. To do this, the opinions of the stakeholders (students, teaching staff, employers, administrative, and managerial staff) in the process were screened. The data obtained were compared with the results of independent international ratings and other parameters. For screening, field studies were conducted using a questionnaire for students, teachers, non-academic employees of universities, and employers covering all regions of Kazakhstan in terms of quality assurance components. Based on the constructivist approach, the answers were interpreted to identify the problems of the quality assurance system in the understanding of the study participants. This study revealed that participants rate the quality of the content at a below-average level, the quality of the contingent at an average level, the quality of staff at a lower-than-average level, and the quality of infrastructure at a low level. Comparing the results of the survey and interviewing with the analysis of the results of entrance exams and ratings made it possible to identify the most pressing problems in ensuring the quality of educational programs, contingent, staff, and infrastructure of universities and draw conclusions about its improvement. The obtained results will help to customize the system of quality assurance of higher and postgraduate education, thus contributing to the training of highly competitive specialists for the country’s economy. Full article
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28 pages, 611 KiB  
Article
Transcending Shallow Internationalization: Best Practices for Attaining Excellence in International Higher Education
by Gerald W. Fry
Educ. Sci. 2024, 14(9), 968; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14090968 - 2 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1784
Abstract
The context for this study is the volatile, turbulent, and disruptive environment that affects higher education everywhere. A plethora of key problems facing higher education are identified. Among these are escalating costs and declining public support for higher education. This means that international [...] Read more.
The context for this study is the volatile, turbulent, and disruptive environment that affects higher education everywhere. A plethora of key problems facing higher education are identified. Among these are escalating costs and declining public support for higher education. This means that international education must compete with other possible priorities, such as strengthening disciplines or making campuses more attractive to prospective students. The basic aim of this paper is to develop a set of best practices to promote excellence and rigor in international higher education. In that sense, this could be called action research. This could also be considered the story of how to develop excellence and rigor in international higher education. The major methodology for this study is multiple case studies research and mixed methods research. Another method is reflective participant experience based on the author’s seven decades of engagement with the internationalization of higher education. Both value premises and positionality, which might influence the research are openly shared. In terms of theoretical foundations, key genres of internationalization are identified and described, such as critical, comparative, and comprehensive internationalization. Then, in terms of results, in the next quantitative section of the paper, eight statistical tables are shared that show the current status of international higher education, primarily in the U.S., while also including a table showing the most international universities in the world. Then, in the next qualitative part of the study, 11 exemplary cases are presented, such as CAMPUS Asia, Volunteers in Asia (VIA), and the International Cooperative Learning Project. These projects involve a total of about 20 countries. The criteria for selection were factors such as depth, sustainability, and impactful, transformative learning. The paper concludes with an articulation of the best practices to achieve excellence in international education and the principle that true liberal education is inherently international and intercultural. Full article
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