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Leveraging National Prestige : A Mixed Methods Case Study Investigation of China’s Position on the Global Field of Higher Education

Mellergård John, Jonathan (2015) ACET35
Centre for East and South-East Asian Studies, Lund University
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis was to investigate China’s role in global higher education. It did so through focusing the investigative lens on global student mobility. The thesis followed a mixedmethods case study design, using interviews with Nordic students about their motivations to illuminate some of the features of Chinese higher education in a global context. A framework drawing concepts from the oeuvre of sociologist Pierre Bourdieu was used to analyze figures on global student flows and interviews with Nordic students. The study found that China is becoming an increasingly popular destination for international students and that Nordic students are motivated to study in China by the attractiveness of Chinese culture and a belief in the... (More)
The purpose of this thesis was to investigate China’s role in global higher education. It did so through focusing the investigative lens on global student mobility. The thesis followed a mixedmethods case study design, using interviews with Nordic students about their motivations to illuminate some of the features of Chinese higher education in a global context. A framework drawing concepts from the oeuvre of sociologist Pierre Bourdieu was used to analyze figures on global student flows and interviews with Nordic students. The study found that China is becoming an increasingly popular destination for international students and that Nordic students are motivated to study in China by the attractiveness of Chinese culture and a belief in the country’s increased importance in the world. Taken together, these results were used to suggest a dipolar structure of the global field of higher education, where nations are able to improve their position in the global hierarchy by relying either on an autonomous principle of academic quality or a non-autonomous principle of national prestige. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Mellergård John, Jonathan
supervisor
organization
course
ACET35
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
global higher education, field, Bourdieu, cultural capital, international student mobility, China
language
English
id
8909724
date added to LUP
2017-05-31 10:12:18
date last changed
2017-05-31 10:12:18
@misc{8909724,
  abstract     = {{The purpose of this thesis was to investigate China’s role in global higher education. It did so through focusing the investigative lens on global student mobility. The thesis followed a mixedmethods case study design, using interviews with Nordic students about their motivations to illuminate some of the features of Chinese higher education in a global context. A framework drawing concepts from the oeuvre of sociologist Pierre Bourdieu was used to analyze figures on global student flows and interviews with Nordic students. The study found that China is becoming an increasingly popular destination for international students and that Nordic students are motivated to study in China by the attractiveness of Chinese culture and a belief in the country’s increased importance in the world. Taken together, these results were used to suggest a dipolar structure of the global field of higher education, where nations are able to improve their position in the global hierarchy by relying either on an autonomous principle of academic quality or a non-autonomous principle of national prestige.}},
  author       = {{Mellergård John, Jonathan}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Leveraging National Prestige : A Mixed Methods Case Study Investigation of China’s Position on the Global Field of Higher Education}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}