Barriers to Establishing Partnerships in terms of Internationalization of Higher Education: The example of Turkey - UK case

Year 2024, , 37 - 51, 30.06.2024

Armağan Erdoğan , Betül Bulut Şahin

https://doi.org/10.55993/hegp.1415319

Abstract

Internationalization is becoming an increasingly important target and process for the higher education sector worldwide. Higher education sector stakeholders follow the current internationalization developments and try to benefit more from this phenomenon. Policies and practices usually address the issue of quantity and visible tools such as mobility studies on internationalization, and this started to highlight the importance of cooperation between countries at the national level. This study examined different tools, relationships, and ties between higher education institutions in Turkey and the UK. Within the scope of the study, qualitative research methods were used to conduct semi-structured interviews with national policymakers and decision-makers in both countries, senior representatives of HEIs, and several focus groups with different groups of academics in the UK and Turkey. In this article, we aim to present the main analysis gathered from the study conducted in 2021. The study identified challenges that have slowed the development of relations between the two countries. According to the results, there are structural and attitudinal barriers between the HEIs of the two countries. Recommendations for policy reform from the extensive research conducted in this paper are shared at the end of the article.

Keywords

Internationalizaiton of higher education, Turkey, the UK, international partnership in higher education, challenges

Ethical Statement

The ethical approval of the project was taken from the University of Surrey and Beykoz University.

Supporting Institution

British Council Türkiye

Thanks

We would like to thank to Prof. Rachel Brooks and British Council Türkiye for their contribution to the project.

References

• Barbour, R. (2008). Introducing qualitative research. London: Sage Publications.
• Brandenburg, U. & De Wit (2011) The end of internationalization. International Higher Education, (62). https://doi.org/10.6017/ihe.2011.62.8533.
• Branderburg, U., de Wit, H., Jones, E., & Leask, B. (2019) Defining internationalization in HE for society. University World News, available online at: https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20190626135618704 (Accessed 16/2/21).
• Beelen J. & Jones E. (2015) Redefining internationalization at home. In: Curaj A., Matei L., Pricopie R., Salmi J., Scott P. (eds) The European Higher Education Area. Springer, Cham.
• Brooks, R. & Waters, J. (2011) Student Mobilities, Migration and the Internationalization of Higher Education Basingstoke, Palgrave.
• Bulut-Sahin, B., & Brooks, R. (2023). Nation-bounded internationalization of higher education: a comparative analysis of two periphery countries, Higher Education Research & Development, 42(5), 1071-1085, https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2023.2193723.
• Council of Higher Education (CoHE) (2024) Statistics for higher education. Available online at: https://istatistik.yok.gov.tr/ (Accessed 5/1/2024).
• Council of Higher Education (CoHE) (2019b) Higher Education System in Türkiye. Available online at: https://www.yok.gov.tr/Documents/Yayinlar/Yayinlarimiz/2019/Higher_Education_in_Türkiye_2019_en.pdf (Accessed 16/3/21).
• Council of Higher Education (CoHE) (2017) Strategic Plan for Internationalization for 2018-2022. Available online at: https://www.yok.gov.tr/Documents/AnaSayfa/Yuksekogretimde_Uluslararasilasma_Strateji_Belgesi_2018_2022.pdf (Accessed: 16/2/21).
• De Wit, H. (2020) Intelligent internationalization in higher education: Evolving concepts and trends. In Godwin, K. & De Wit, H. (Eds.), Intelligent Internationalization, Brill: Netherlands.
• De Wit, H. & Altbach, P.G. (2020) Internationalization in higher education: global trends and recommendations for its future, Policy Reviews in Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/23322969.2020.1820898.
• De Wit, H. & Altbach P.G. (2021) Internationalization in higher education: Global trends and recommendations for its future, Policy Reviews in Higher Education, 5(1), 28-46, DOI: 10.1080/23322969.2020.1820898.
• De Wit, H. & Hunter, F. (2014) Europe’s 25 years of internationalization: the EAIE in a changing world. International Higher Education, 74, pp.14-15.
• De Wit, H., Hunter, F. Howard, I. & Egron-Polak, E. (2015) Internationalization of Higher Education. European Parliament Policy Department: Brussels, Belgium.
• De Wit, H. & Jones, E. (2018) Inclusive internationalization: improving access and equity, International Higher Education, 94, 16-18.
• European Commission (2022). Erasmus statistics, Available online at: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/resources-and-tools/statistics-and-factsheets (Accessed 21/2/21).
• Erdogan, A. & Toprak, M. (2012) “Governance of higher education in Türkiye”, Leadership and governance in higher education for decision-makers and administrators, C.3, Raabe –Berlin.
• Hazelkorn, E. 2015. Rankings and the reshaping of higher education (second edition). London: Palgrave.
• Helms, R. M., Brajkovic, L., & Rumbley, L. E. (2016) National policies for higher education internationalization: What campus leaders & practitioners need to know?. Internationalization of Higher Education, Volume No. 3.
• Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) (UK) (2021) Open data and official statistics. Available online at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis (Accessed 21/2/21)
• Hudzik, J. K. (2011) Comprehensive internationalization: From concept to action. Washington, DC: NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
• Janebová, E. & Johnstone, C.J. (2020). Mapping the dimensions of inclusive internationalization. Kommers, S. ve Bista, K. (Eds.), Inequalities in study abroad and student mobility (s.115-128). Routledge studies in Global Student Mobility, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367855130.
• Jiang, X. (2008) Towards the internationalization of higher education from a critical perspective. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 32(4), pp.347-358.
• Knight, J. (2003) Updated internationalization definition. International Higher Education, 33, pp.2-3.
• Knight, J. (2004). Internationalization remodeled: definition, approaches and rationales. Journal of Studies in International Education, 8 (5), pp.5-31.
• Lawton, W. (2015) Digital learning, mobility and internationalization in European higher Education. In de Wit, H., Hunter, F., Howard, L. and Egron-Polak, E. (eds.), Internationalisation of Higher Education. Brussels: European Parliament, pp.77-83.
• Leask, B. (2015). Internationalizing the curriculum. Routledge.
• Miles,B.M. & Huberman, A.M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: an expanded sourcebook. Sage.
• OECD/UIS/Eurostat (2021). See Source section for more information and Annex 3 for notes, https://www.oecd.org/education/education-at-a-glance/EAG2021_Annex3_ChapterB.pdf.
• Patton, M.Q. (2002). Qualitative research and evaluation methods, 3rd edition. Sage Publications: California.
• Strategy and Budget Department of Turkish Presidency (SBB). (2023). 12th Development Plan, available online https://onikinciplan.sbb.gov.tr/ (Accessed 5/1/2024).
• UCAS (2021) Undergraduate Tuition Fees and Student Loans https://www.ucas.com/finance/undergraduate-tuition-fees-and-student-loans (Accessed 13/2/21).
• Universities UK (UUK) (2021a) Higher education in numbers https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/facts-and-stats/Pages/higher-education-data.aspx (Accessed 13/2/21).
• Van Damme, D. (2001) Quality issues in the internationalization of higher education. Higher Education, 41(4), pp.415-441.
• Van der Wende, M. (2001) Internationalization policies: about new trends and contrasting paradigms. Higher Education Policy, 14, pp.249-259.
• Van Mol, C. & Perez-Encinas, A. (2022) Inclusive internationalization: do different (social) groups of students need different internationalization activities?, Studies in Higher Education, 47:12, 2523-2538, DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2022.2083102.
• Yang, R. (2002). University internationalization: its meanings, rationales and implications, Intercultural Education, 13(1), 81-95.