Responsibility and ethics of hosting international students from conflict zones in higher education

• In Event: Education, Culture and Learning in Response to Conflict and Protracted Crisis

Proposal

Higher education institutions that host international students sojourning from countries experiencing political conflict often act as places of refuge and opportunity. However, there is little discussion in the field regarding the responsibilities of higher education institutions when committing to act as hosts to incoming students from places experiencing conflict. To address this gap, we present empirical evidence from a social psychological qualitative study that investigated the experiences of Middle-Eastern international doctoral students abroad for study in the United Kingdom, during a time of conflict in their home countries. Semi-structured interviews with Syrian (n=15), Palestinian (n=5), and Turkish (n=5) cohorts were analysed using an Interpretative Phenomenological Approach (IPA). The findings provide insight into these issues from the students' perspectives, highlighting they seek to be supported and acknowledged above all else. This study emphasises the need for governing bodies to consider host institutions' responsibilities when committing to officially receive and take into their care, incoming students from places experiencing conflict; the ethical implications for institutions that fail to meet these responsibilities are also highlighted. Based on this empirical work and a review of previous discourse on these issues, a series of practical recommendations for various stakeholders, including institutions, educators, and policymakers, are presented.

Author

• Emily-Marie Pacheco, University of Glasgow