Transnational student engagement : the invisible students?

Abstract

Transnational education initiatives are on the rise across the globe as universities seek to further their internationalisation strategies. In Scotland, student engagement is at the heart of the higher education system, be that in the classroom or through quality enhancement practices at the institutional level. The focus of this research is in the area of student engagement and transnational education. In essence, this thesis sets out with the aim to find out how student engage at transnational initiatives of Scottish higher education institutions (HEIs). A conceptual framework is introduced with the most common student ‘identities’: consumers, citizens, co-creators and partners. The research approach adopted in this thesis includes in-depth interviews with eighteen transnational students through phenomenological lenses. The findings from this research provide evidence that transnational student engagement mostly occurs at course-level, and that the majority of the respondents define student engagement as staff-led, as opposed to student-led. The main conclusion drawn from this research is that transnational student engagement is low. Finally, recommendations are offered in the form of an action plan to help improve transnational student engagement.