A Review of Research on International Student Mobility: Science Mapping the Existing Knowledge Base

Abstract

Among the increasing number of academic publications in the field of higher education, studies focusing on internationalization of higher education are on the exponential phase in the last couple of decades. In these efforts, the research on international student mobility (ISM) has been a priority. This current review research uses science mapping tools to examine Web of Science (WoS)–indexed journal publications focusing on ISM. The purpose of the review is to demonstrate the development of ISM research in the last three decades. The findings, revealed from an examination of 2,064 publications, suggest that ISM research has significantly expanded since 2005. Findings also reveal crucial information regarding the authors’ country of origin as well as country collaborations and the most influential scholars in the field by demonstrating networks around the world. Topical foci analysis is also included in the study to show current patterns in ISM research. Discussions and suggestions are expected to provide a basis for countries and international organizations in their policy development efforts related to international students and a ground and direction for future research on ISM.

International student mobility: Pacific Islander experiences of higher education in Australia

“…While studying in Australia, key challenges are building connections with people within and beyond the Pacific Island diaspora, being separated from family and community, and adjusting to a new sociocultural context. This echoes the findings of similar studies that highlight the sociocultural, academic and emotional adjustments of international students (Gümüş et al ., 2019). Importantly, many of these challenges have been amplified by the COVID‐19 pandemic due to the transition to online learning, fewer opportunities for social interactions, and international border closures and travel restrictions, which prevented AAS students (and many other international students) from returning home.…”

Global engagement in the post‐pandemic world: Challenges and responses. Perspective from the UK

“…The review of the relevant literature suggests that although the number of globally mobile students continues to grow, there are significant changes in the direction of travel of international student demand. More specifically, ISM becomes multi‐directional (Cheng, 2021) with a shift away from traditional destination countries, such as the UK (Gümüş et al., 2020) and an increasing preference towards regional mobility (Hou & Du, 2022). Such changes in student mobility flows were observed before the pandemic.…”

Moving from North to North: how are the students’ university flows?

“…In literature, there are two strands on student mobility: the first focuses on international migration (Beech, 2018;Brooks & Waters, 2009;Gümüş, Gök, & Esen, 2020;Javed, Zainab, Zakai, & Malik, 2019), and the second concerns "domestic (degree)" migration, which usually occurs in a context of regional inequality, where mobile university students have important implications for future social mobility. Focusing on domestic mobility, Barrioluengo and Flisi (2017) noticed a strong heterogeneity in European countries: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, and Lithuania are the countries where the highest differences across universities exist, for example, where only a few universities receive a significant number of mobile students.…”