Edu-tourism in Finland: Analytical perspectives and consequences on the commodification of education

• In Event: Roundtable Session 3
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Diverse challenges facing education: case studies on climate change, edu-tourism, inclusive education and Kyrgyzstan

Proposal

Relevance:
The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore comparative studies for the perspectives of both Finnish people and international visitors about the policies adopted in Finland for the Edu-business in the educational system. This study aims to analyze the multiple interpretations and consequences that the commodification of Finnish education brought to international visitors, especially international researchers. Through this studies, the author aims to participate in the “Globalization and Education” roundtable presentation or present a poster during this conference. The research question that the author aims to answer is “How do the local Finnish stake holders and International visitors perceive the policies for educational tourism in Finland?”.

Theory/ Context:
The theoretical framework uses two main elements: Soft Power and Educational marketization theory.
First, the concept of Soft Power focusing on International Relations. Overall, soft power provides a nuanced understanding of how countries wield influence in a complex and interconnected world, highlighting the importance of culture, values, and diplomacy in international relations. In this sense, the educational sector became a source of producing and projecting their own Soft Power in International level.
Second, the Educational marketization theory will be used by the researcher with the goal of analyzing how education systems are transformed into market-like structures, characterized by competition, consumer choice, and the commodification of education services. Educational marketization theory emphasizes the role of government policies, market ideologies, and globalization in shaping education systems. It analyzes how market forces influence educational provision, access, quality, and equity, and how education becomes subject to market dynamics such as supply and demand, price mechanisms, and consumer preferences.

Inquiry:
The researcher will conduct a qualitative interview which allows the researcher to collect the interviewee’s point of view because interviewing can maximize the reliability and validity of measurement of key concepts. The data collection includes conducting a document review for the policies adopted by the Finnish government regarding educational tourism; interview with two different groups (International visitors and Finnish people).

Findings (Hypothesized):
My hypothesis is that Finland can only construct and maintain this policy due to the country's strong reputation in the field of international comparatives studies in education. Through this, a new business model could be established to cater to international visitors and allocate resources, such as professionals to assist individuals visiting the country to study its education system. However, the major debate here is whether this is indeed coherent and fair for international visitors. Despite Finland's strong commitment to equity in access to education within its population, the question arises whether it would be fair for people around the world who want to better understand to also have equal access.

Contribution:
Through the multiple narratives I aim to collect using my methodology, I intend to contribute to a qualitative study on the new educational policies involving a potential "marketization" of education in Finland. By doing so, I aim to provide new material that addresses the intriguing combination of education as tourism, which is part of the broader scope of commodification of education.

Author

• Felipe Ken Iti Iwahashi da Silva, Soka University of America