Internationalization of higher education as a subject of research by Ukrainian comparativists

Размещено на http://www.Allbest.Ru/

Danylo Halytsky Lviv national medical university

Internationalization of higher education as a subject of research by Ukrainian comparativists

O. Snitovska, C. Philol. Sci., Ass. Prof.

Lviv, Ukraine

Abstract

Against the backdrop of increasing globalization in the early 21st century, national education systems and individual universities have encountered the phenomenon of internationalization. Consequently, alongside the imperative of globalization, the study of the integration processes of higher education has become an important direction, focusing on the process of its internationalization.

The aim of the article is to conduct a subject-synthesized analysis of how the issue of internationalization of higher education is reflected in the research of Ukrainian comparativists from the second half of the 1990s to the first decade of the 21st century.

It is identified that within Ukrainian pedagogical comparativism and other fields of knowledge, a crucial interpretation of internationalization of higher education has solidified as one of the most important features/characteristics/trends/factors of modern development and modernization of national higher education systems and individual universities. When attempting to study this phenomenon, we navigate through the intertwining narratives of foreign and Ukrainian researchers. To fulfil this task, a structured analysis of a collection of scientific sources on the specified problem is proposed, categorized into three blocks: scientific-theoretical (analysis of the concept of internationalization of higher education by Ukrainian authors and scientific approaches to its study); content-thematic (analysis of the main thematic and area-specific aspects of studying internationalization of higher education by Ukrainian authors); comparative-analytical (analysis of the Ukrainian discourse regarding the relationship between processes of globalization of higher education and internationalization of higher education).

The conclusions indicate that the issue of internationalization of higher education has become the subject of active domestic scientific discourse. Its theoretical foundation consists of studies by Western scientists, primarily appearing in the years 1998-2003. Under their influence, Ukrainian science has established an understanding of this phenomenon as a complex, multifaceted, dynamic, and contradictory process that transforms under the rapidly changing socio-cultural conditions but retains a key characteristic - an international dimension.

Keywords: internationalization of higher education, globalization of higher education, Ukrainian pedagogical comparativism, scientific discourse, Western studies.

Анотація

Інтернаціоналізація вищої освіти як об'єкт дослідження українскими компаративістами

О. Снітовська, к. філол. н., доцент кафедри латинської та іноземних мов, Львівський національний медичний університет імені Данила Галицького (м. Львів, Україна)

На тлі посилення глобалізації на початку ХХІ ст. національні системи освіти та окремі виші зіштовхнулися з явищем інтернаціоналізації. Тому закономірно, що поряд з імперативом глобалізації важливим напрямом вивчення процесів інтеграції вищої освіти став процес її інтернаціоналізації.

Мета статті - здійснити предметний синтезований аналіз відображення проблеми інтернаціоналізації вищої освіти в дослідженнях українських компаративістів другої половини 90-х рр. ХХ - першого десятиліття ХХІ ст.

Виявлено, що в українській педагогічній компаративістиці та інших галузях знань утвердилося ключове трактування інтернаціоналізації вищої освіти як однієї з найважливіших рис, характеристик, тенденцій, чинників сучасного розвитку та модернізації національних систем вищої освіти та окремих університетів. При спробі вивчення цього феномену потрапляємо в мереживо переплетення наративів зарубіжних та українських дослідників. Як нитку Аріадни реалізації цього завдання запропоновано структурований аналіз масиву наукових джерел з означеної проблеми за трьома блоками: науково-теоретичним (аналіз поняття інтернаціоналізації вищої освіти українськими авторами та наукових підходів до його вивчення); змістовно-тематичним (аналіз основних тематичних і країнознавчих аспектів вивчення інтернаціоналізації вищої освіти українськими авторами); порівняльно-аналітичним (аналіз українського дискурсу щодо співвідношення процесів глобалізації вищої освіти та інтернаціоналізації вищої освіти).

У висновках зазначено, що проблема інтернаціоналізації вищої освіти стала предметом активного вітчизняного наукового дискурсу. Його теоретичну основу становлять студії західних науковців, що переважно з'явилися в 1998-2003 рр. Під їхнім впливом в українській науці утвердилося розуміння цього феномену як складного, багатоаспектного, динамічного, суперечливого процесу, який трансформується під впливом стрімко змінюваних соціокультурних умов, але зберігає ключову ознаку - міжнародний вимір.

Ключові слова:інтернаціоналізація вищої освіти, глобалізація вищої освіти, українська педагогічна компаративістика, науковий дискурс, західні студії.

Introduction

The problem formulation. Against the backdrop of increasing globalization in the early 21st century, national education systems and individual universities have encountered the phenomenon of internationalization. Consequently, alongside the imperative of globalization, the second priority direction of studying integration processes became the internationalization of higher education (IHE). Within Ukrainian pedagogical comparativism and other fields of knowledge, its crucial interpretation has solidified as one of the most important features/characteristics/trends/factors of modern development and modernization of higher education (HE) and universities. When attempting to study this phenomenon, we navigate through the intertwining narratives of foreign and Ukrainian researchers.

To fulfil this task, a structured analysis of this collection of scientific sources is proposed, categorized into three main blocks: scientific-theoretical, content-thematic, and comparative-analytical.

Analysis of recent research and publications. Ukrainian pedagogical comparativism has accumulated a significant collection of works revealing various aspects of the internationalization of higher education (V. Andrushchenko, I. Vasylenko, T. Voyetska, K. Korsak, V. Kremen, G. MacBurney, M. Myaskovsky, V. Ohnevyuk, N. Pohrebnyak, A. Sbruyeva, O. Slyusarenko, L. Sokhan, O. Khomenko, and others). However, except for attempts at fragmented interpretation of this work in the introductory chapters of monographs and dissertations (N. Avshenyuk, F. Andrushkevych, A. Rzhevska, and others), a specialized historiographic analysis of it has not been carried out.

This emphasizes the relevance of conducting such research.

The aim and research tasks. To conduct a subject-synthesized analysis of the reflection of the issue of internationalization of higher education in the research of Ukrainian comparativists from the second half of the 1990s to the first decade of the 21st century.

Results of the research

The identification of the three structural blocks mentioned above for the analysis of the achievements of Ukrainian comparativists on the issue of internationalization of higher education (IHE) is, on the one hand, conditional, as they are a priori interconnected, thus substantively overlapping. On the other hand, such an approach allows for optimal differentiation and structuring of the scientific discourse in aspects of its thematic orientation, internalization of the work of foreign scholars, and others.

The scientific-theoretical block involves analyzing the interpretation of the phenomenon of IHE by Ukrainian authors and scientific approaches to its study. In doing so, they rely on foreign scientific experience, serving as its internalizers and interpreters, proposing their own ideas and views.

Among foreign and Ukrainian scientists' different views exist on the genesis, determinants, dynamics, peculiarities of dissemination, and approaches to interpreting the concept of "education internationalization." Its appearance is documented in English-language publications of the 1970s-1980s ("internationalization of education"), which can be translated into Ukrainian as "міжнародна освіта." Due to terminological ambiguity for some time (and still due to lack of awareness), studies use parallel or synonymous terms like "global education," "transnational education," "cross-cultural education." Complex profile categories are built on this basis, such as "international standard classification of education," "international and regional cooperation in education," "virtual educational institutions/universities," etc. A terminological analysis of these categories can be the subject of separate studies.

Based on lexical peculiarities and analysis of scientific studies, it is assumed that the concept of "education internationalization" emerged from the concept of "міжнародна освіта" ("international education") and transformed into a separate phenomenon under the influence of geopolitical, economic, and cultural challenges. Ukrainian researchers, relying on foreign studies, showed that the term (" international education") appeared in studies of the 1950s, spread over the next four decades, and was officially recognized by UNESCO experts in 1991. This recognition defined it as educational measures aimed at increasing awareness and respect for the ideas, cultures, and traditions of different countries and peoples, fostering cooperation based on respect for international law, justice, equality, and the preservation of peace through the study of conflict causes and their peaceful resolution. However, there were different understandings of the term " international education") among scientists of different countries. For example, American scientists used it to denote activities, programs, and services in the fields of international research and educational exchange, while definitions like "global education," "multicultural education," and "international programs" were used interchangeably (Debych, 2019, p. 29, 31).

Based on an analysis of foreign studies, Ukrainian comparativists traced the evolution of the terms "education internationalization" and "international education": in the 1970s-1980s, they were used in parallel, but in the 1990s, the former displaced the latter, which is entrenched in the names of educational organizations and scientific institutions and publications (European Association for International Education, Institute of International Education, "Journal of International Education Research", etc.). According to M. Debych, this transition was a result of the increasing significance of the international dimension of higher education and the transformation of international activities into one of the key directions of its development (Debych, 2019, p. 32).

However, at the beginning of the 21st century, the term "education internationalization" became more relevant and began to be used primarily in relation to higher education. This was driven by the need to designate processes related to the development of international networks and consortia of universities and academic mobility: the increase in courses, programs, and qualifications; increased attention to the development of international, global, intercultural competencies; and the spread of various forms of scientific-academic collaboration.

Considering the nature of accumulated theoretical narratives and the state and prospects of consolidating national higher education systems, the definition of internationalization of higher education (IHE) proposed by H. de Wit and F. Hunter in the "EU Study on Internationalization of higher education", prepared at the request of the European Parliament Committee on Culture and Education, is deemed acceptable and optimal. It defines IHE as a purposeful process of integrating international, intercultural, or global dimensions into the tasks, functions, and teaching methods in higher education to enhance its quality and provide meaningful contributions to society for students and university staff (EU Study on Internationalization of higher education, 2015, p. 29).

The second structural-thematic block involves clarifying the dynamics and nature of the development of the Ukrainian scientific discourse on the issue of IHE and its content, country-oriented focus, and other aspects. In defining the scientific- theoretical foundations and approaches to studying specific pedagogical issues, Ukrainian researchers continued to rely on the work of foreign scientists adapting it to the subject of their studies.

According to our analysis, a "turning point" in the Ukrainian discourse on the internationalization of higher education (IHE) occurred around 2007-2008. During this period, scientists shifted their focus from studying IHE in the context of Ukraine's entry into the Bologna Process to expanding the thematic-regional spectrum of studies. This transition was accompanied by a gradual shift from internalizing narratives of Western authors to generating original ideas in articles and, later, the emergence of comprehensive monographs and dissertations.

An example of a Euro-integrative approach to studying this issue is the section on "Internationalization of Higher Education" in the textbook "Higher Education and the Bologna Process" (Kyiv, 2007, 352 p.). The authors K. Korsak and I. Lastovchenko, defined IHE as an "extracurricular factor of global and national origin" that compels leading universities to integrate into international integration processes and compete in global education service markets. They focused on the internationalization of curricula, which manifested in the renewal of the content of disciplines according to the demands of foreign students, strengthening intercultural and interdisciplinary components, and adapting to the requirements of double degrees, among other aspects.

In the 2010s and 2020s, interconnected thematic and interdisciplinary vectors of IHE research in Ukraine became evident. Works in the philosophy of education gained significant scientific-theoretical and historiosophical importance for understanding its essence. For instance, V. Zinchenko, in the exploration "Internationalization of the Education System and Higher Education Management Reforms: The German Model" (Educational Discourse, 2016, No. 3), analyzed the German school of philosophy of education (hermeneutic historicism of H. Nohl; structural hermeneutics of E. Weniger and V. Flitner; pedagogical anthropology of H. Rota, H. Zdarsky), Rudolf Steiner's Waldorf pedagogy, and the existential- dialogical philosophy of M. Buber, among others. Zinchenko revealed the essence of the social philosophy of education as an "ideological, methodological, and interdisciplinary bridge" between sociological and educational issues in contemporary studies. According to him, the concepts of social philosophy of education hold the prospects for forming an integrated socio-humanitarian education system, social upbringing, and the development of an intellectual personality, determining the processes of internationalization and integration of higher education on a global-international scale.

The methodologically significant contribution of B. Wechter to Ukrainian science revealed that the process of internationalization of higher education (IHE) in Europe, influenced by internal and external factors, undergoes constant dynamic development at individual, academic, institutional, and national levels. A. Sbruyeva and D. Kozlov (2016) further developed this concept, conducting a structural analysis of IHE in terms of its main dimensions (global, georegional, national, institutional, individual) and recognizing corresponding goals for forming coherent spaces of higher education at these levels with appropriate strategies (introducing similar standards and normative, substantive, procedural principles) and mechanisms (coordination, monitoring, control programs, and methods).

The third comparative-analytical block we identified involves analyzing the Ukrainian discourse regarding the relationship between the concepts/processes/phenomena of globalization of higher education (GHE) and internationalization of higher education, which are considered interdependent in scientific literature. The need for a subject analysis of this issue is driven by the active attention of scientists, as evidenced by a range of representative studies (Avsheniuk, 2015; Boychenko, 2001; Klimova, 2021; Krasovska, 2011; Kurbatov, 2013; Myaskovskii, 2019; Nitenko, 2015; Sbruyeva, 2001, and others).

In this aspect, Ukrainian scientists extensively quote M. Bartell (2003), who interpreted internationalization as a comprehensive, consciously managed process that is a component of educational and research activities and the entire cultural life of the university and its subjects. They also refer to J. Mestenhauser (1998), who defined internationalization as a multidimensional educational process encompassing integrative, intercultural, interdisciplinary, comparative, technological, and global dimensions of knowledge. Thus, the international dimension of education requires not only acquiring knowledge and information but also the ability to apply them in life and the capacity for critical thinking.

It's evident that Ukrainian scientists have adopted the approach developed in foreign studies, considering the interrelation of internationalization of higher education (IHE) with the globalization process, which is seen as dominant and defining. Notably, most of these foreign studies emerged in 1998-2003. Acknowledging the objective "temporal inertia" in the dissemination of scientific knowledge, it becomes apparent that the Ukrainian scientific discourse of the 2010s-2020s is built on somewhat "outdated" concepts, given significant shifts in IHE and GHE over the past one and a half to two decades, with substantial progress in Western science on these topics.

Through a critical analysis of Western narratives, pedagogues-comparativists (Avsheniuk, 2015; Klimova, 2021; Nitenko, 2015; Sbruyeva, 2001, and others) have formulated several useful propositions and conclusions for the development of the Ukrainian discourse. In synthesis, these propositions suggest that IHE and GHE are distinct yet closely related phenomena. Globalization is an overarching process influencing all aspects of societal life, including education. Its alignment with neoliberal political economics leads to increased competition in the market for educational services. In the context of the neoliberal globalization trend, supranational organizations like the WTO, IMF, OECD, among others, exert heightened influence, reshaping the goals and functions of education. In contrast, the foundation of IHE lies in cultural pluralism, orienting itself toward preserving universal and European values embedded in national legislative acts that define the strategies and priorities of national higher education systems. Therefore, the Bologna Process can be aptly interpreted not only as a "striking example of globalization" but also as a manifestation and outcome of internationalization.

internationalization higher education national modernization university

Conclusions and prospects of further research

The issue of internationalization of higher education has become a focal point in the active discourse of Ukrainian science. The theoretical foundation for this discourse was shaped by studies from Western scientists, predominantly emerged in 1998-2003. Under their influence, Ukrainian science has embraced the concept of internationalization as a complex, multi-aspect, dynamic, and paradoxical process that undergoes transformation within the rapidly changing sociocultural conditions while retaining its key feature - an international dimension.

Further studies could delve into a terminological analysis of definitions such as "global education", "transnational education", and "cross-cultural education", which Ukrainian scientists often use interchangeably or synonymously with the concept of "internationalization of higher education". This situation fails to accurately reflect the essence and peculiarities of these phenomena, offering prospects for refining conceptual clarity in the field.

References

1. Avsheniuk, N.M. (2015). Tendentsii rozvytku transnatsionalnoi vyshchoi osvity u druhii polovyni ХХ - na pochatku ХХІ st. [Trends in the development of transnational higher education in the second half of the 20th - at the beginning of the 21st century]: monohrafiia. Kyiv: In-t obdarovanoi dytyny 610 s.

2. Boichenko, M. (2011). Vplyv internatsionalizatsii na rozvytok innovatsiinykh protsesiv v upravlinni yevropeiskoiu vyshchoiu osvitoiu [The impact of internationalization on the development of innovative processes in the management of European higher education]. Porivnialno-pedahohichni studii, 2.

3. Debych, M.A. (2019). Teoretychni zasady internatsionalizatsii vyshchoi osvity: mizhnarodnyi dosvid [Theoretical foundations of internationalization of higher education: international experience]: monohrafiia. Nizhyn: PP Lysenko. 408 s.

4. EU Study on Internationalisation of higher education, (2015). / H. de Wit, F. Hunter. European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education. 320 p.

5. Klimova, H.P. (2021). Internatsionalizatsiia vyshchoi osvity v umovakh hlobalnykh vyklykiv [Internationalization of higher education in conditions of global challenges]. Visn. Nats. yuryd. u-te im. Ya. Mudroho. Ser.: Filosofiia, filosofiia prava, politolohiia, sotsiolohiia. Kharkiv, 1, 185-205.

6. Krasovska, O. (2011). Yu. Internatsionalizatsiia vyshchoi osvity v umovakh hlobalizatsii svitovoho osvitnoho prostoru [Yu. Internationalization of higher education in the conditions of globalization of the world educational space]. Visnyk Akademii mytnoi sluzhby Ukrainy. Ser.: Ekonomika, 2, 102-109.

7. Kurbatov, S. (2013). Mizh natsionalnym ta hlobalnym: misiia universytetu na prostorovomu perekhresti [Between national and global: the mission of the university at the spatial crossroads]. Vyshcha osvita Ukrainy, 49(2), 46-56.

8. Miaskovskyi, M.Ye. (2019). Osnovni vyklyky vyshchoi shkoly v umovakh hlobalizatsii ta internatsionalizatsii - tendentsii ta osoblyvosti [The main challenges of higher education in the conditions of globalization and internationalization - trends and peculiarities]. Science and Education a New Dimension. Pedagogy and Psychology. VII, Is. 207, 22-25.

9. Nitenko, O.V. (2015). Internatsionalizatsiia vyshchoi osvity yak faktor rozvytku universytetu [Internationalization of higher education as a factor of university development]. Osvitolohichnyi dyskurs, 2, 205-216.

10. Sbruieva, A.A. (2001). Hlobalizatsiia - internatsionalizatsiia: spivvidnoshennia poniat v konteksti rozvytku mizhnarodnoi vyshchoi osvity Teoretychni pytannia osvity i vykhovannia: zb. nauk. pr. Kyiv, 15, 125-128

Размещено на Allbest.Ru