The dynamics of international student mobility: structural contexts of opportunities

SuYeong Shin

doi:10.17077/etd.005510

This thesis examines the social dynamics that shape patterns of international student mobility (ISM). I rely on theories of both credentialism and educational stratification to construct guiding hypotheses and make inferential conclusions. Specifically, I use the concept of education as a positional good (Bills, 2016; Di Stasio et al, 2016; Hirsch, 1977; Shavit & Park, 2016) to understand how the inequality mechanism self-generates at the expanded states. I posit that individuals in societies that have achieved universal access to tertiary education would pursue a new way of education to differentiate themselves and have a comparative advantage (e.g., Lucas, 1997). In this thesis, ISM is highlighted as a way in which socioeconomically advantaged actors will seek to differentiate themselves from others after postsecondary education becomes accessible at a mass level. This thesis consists of two complete articles that address the research questions whether (1) institutional reputation and selectivity and (2) the degree to which higher education is saturated, are systematically related to ISM. Through a set of quantitative analyses, I demonstrate differentiation and stratification of ISM by providing a rigorous illustration. In my first empirical chapter, I analyze the quantitative aspects of international mobility. Using network analysis techniques, I examine what country-level features influence the magnitude of student mobility between countries and how/whether those patterns change over time. Specific attention is given to the growth of the overall college attainment rate and the impact of the emergence of the institutional reputation recognition system, such as world university rankings. I constructed a unique data set of ISM network of 50 countries in 1998 and 2015 using multiple international data sources. Results show that while the density and complexity of ISM have increased worldwide, the increased international connectedness does not result in more diversity in ISM networks. While unbalanced patterns of student mobility between a pair of countries by economic prosperity are apparent, the mobility patterns of the expanded international student population are more strongly associated with institutional reputation and access to higher education in the home country. The second empirical chapter is focused on the individual-level qualitative differences in the mobile student population across destination regions. I expect that mobile students are sorted into international education programs based on social origins and academic backgrounds. Specifically, I focus on stratification of degree programs abroad choice within the country, which achieved near-universal access to higher education and the highest college attainment. The empirical setting of the study is South Korea in 2012 after the large-scale expansion of college education. For the case study of Korea, I use a quantitative analytic design that includes various academic and non-academic dimensions from a nationally representative panel data set. I introduced three different measures of dependent variables, binary indicator, and two categorical variables of preferred destination and pursued academic levels. Combining analytic results of using each of the measures, this chapter suggests what multilayered patterns of degree-seeking students' choice reflect. Results provide a snapshot of the complexity of individual choice. The patterns of choosing a destination over others uncover a more nuanced story of educational choice. There is tension between academic and non-academic factors across types of degree programs abroad. The evidence from the chapter suggests that the variation of mobility choice matters for one’s status on multiple dimensions and the concept of unequal access is not enough to depict the importance and the role of ISM in stratification processes. By bridging findings from empirical analyses at both macro- and micro-levels, I discuss outcomes of the global expansion of education for international mobility and educational stratification processes within a specific country, South Korea. Two empirical chapters of this thesis illustrate that the central countries of ISM receive not only more international students but also those incoming mobile students who may be from the qualitatively different social origin. International education development results in international mobility that has been more concentrated on a few countries such as the USA. Moreover, not only the quantity of mobility but also the qualitative differences in the composition of mobile students may vary in some cases. From these findings, my thesis provides evidence for the emergence of degree programs abroad and persistent stratification of educational opportunities. By synthesizing findings from macro-micro analyses, I highlight the importance of structural contexts of ISM. Findings suggest a need for diversification of international education and research to understand the regional dynamics and local contexts.

The dynamics of international student mobility: structural contexts of opportunities

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