Distinctive and comparative places: Alternative narratives of distinction within international student mobility

Abstract

Moving beyond the 'world-class' institutional model of international student mobility, this paper examines alternative narratives of distinction relating to place of study. Drawing on semistructured interviews with international students at universities in the UK, Austria and Latvia, we illustrate how students inside and outside mainstream reputable higher education institutions narrate and reconfigure markers of distinction to validate their international mobility and location of study, in part to compete with peers at other (more prestigious) institutions. We demonstrate the importance of lifestyle and experiential places within a global differentiated higher education landscape and argue that many students engage in comparative narratives of place of study to authorise the symbolic capital associated with international education. The findings also consider how experiential places and mobility capital are used for distinction not only during educational mobility but within post-study aspirations.

Examining the Correlation between American Students’ Cultural Intelligence, Political Affiliations, and Their Social Distances from Their International Peers

“…International student mobility is a complex phenomenon that can be tied to sociocultural, political, and economic factors (Choudaha, 2017;Macrander, 2017;Prazeres et al, 2017). For Prazeres et al (2017), the individual's desire and motivation for accumulating future economic and cultural capital is one of the primary pulling factors for student mobility. Prazeres et al (2017) also posited that internationally mobile students are motivated by the competition for symbolic capital, which is associated with the place and the ranking of the college they attend.…”

“…For Prazeres et al (2017), the individual's desire and motivation for accumulating future economic and cultural capital is one of the primary pulling factors for student mobility. Prazeres et al (2017) also posited that internationally mobile students are motivated by the competition for symbolic capital, which is associated with the place and the ranking of the college they attend. Employment, social benefits, and the political stability of both the student's country of origin and country of destination are also predictor factors for international student mobility (C. Lee et al, 2017;Okeja, 2017).…”

Unpacking distinction within mobility: Social prestige and international students

“…One way of competing for greater symbolic capital is through the location of study (Prazeres et al, ; Tindal et al, ). Because places are “marked by individuality and distinction” (Raghuram, , p. 143), the choice of “particular study destinations are not accidental” (Sidhu & Dall'Alba, , p. 10).…”

Signalling the ‘Multi-Local’ University? The Place of the City in the Growth of London-Based Satellite Campuses, and the Implications for Social Stratification

“…They are motivated to study at an elite institution with globally recognised, transferable and portable institutionalised cultural capital. There is also, scholars have noted, a significant effect associated with social capital (or networks of students) that facilitate international study to particular destination countries and institutions (Brooks and Waters 2010;Prazeres et al 2017). Just like the 'chain-migration' of old, international students tend to follow other international students, who provide valuable information and support, either directly or through an increasing number of social media channels.…”