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Session Submission Summary

Impacts of study abroad in developing countries based on study abroad experiences of academic professionals of ASEAN major universities

Wed, February 15, 7:45 to 9:15am EST (7:45 to 9:15am EST), On-Line Component, Zoom Room 114

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

Since the 1950s, higher education development in developing countries has greatly expanded. Following the Second World War, the state of higher education in the newly independent Southeast Asian nations was extremely fragile, yet through qualitative and quantitative improvements, the higher education systems in these countries have reached the “mass” stage of development. Faculty have a profound impact on university development. They are not only responsible for all three of the basic functions of the university; education, research and contribution to society; they are also central to university administration. Until recently, however, graduate-level education in developing countries has met neither the scale nor quality necessary for faculty development, and many from top universities have sought degrees from universities abroad. While abroad, they gain fundamental training for becoming academic professionals as well the experience of being an international student. After returning to their home country, they leverage this experience to make contributions to the development of their home university. As top universities in developing countries established themselves based on the Western model and flourished through a process of indigenization, a crucial element of this process has been the contribution of top-class faculty and the study abroad experience they bring to their profession.
There have been various developmental paths of modern higher education systems in Southeast Asian countries. In the case of Vietnam, early French influence gave way to Soviet influence, with US influence gaining traction from 1975. Immediately following independence, Indonesia maintained the existing Dutch higher education system but early efforts were made to reform and “Indonesia-ize” the system. In Cambodia, post-independence higher education was based on the French system, which was eventually replaced by the Soviet model. In recent years, however, there have been shifts toward the US model. Finally, Malaysia has a hybrid model based on the English and American systems. While these countries have all followed different developmental paths in establishing their higher education systems, the current trend under globalization is toward Americanization. Therefore, the study abroad destination countries of university faculty members have also varied and changed and have been influencing diversified impacts.
This research investigates and analyzes the concrete impacts of diverse faculty study abroad experiences and how broader trends in higher education have affected these experiences and impacts. Based on the above discussion, two research questions have been established:
1. What is the trajectory of the study abroad of academic professionals from top universities in Southeast Asian countries from the 1980s to 2020? What factors influence these trajectories?
2. What are the impacts of study abroad by academic professionals on individuals, universities, and societies? What actors influence these impacts?
Many faculty and faculty candidates at top universities in Southeast Asia have earned world-class degrees from universities in developed countries, funded mainly by international aid or government support from their own countries. The common understanding that top universities are essential for the national growth and development, and that talented faculty play a crucial role in university development, can explain the sustained public funding for large-scale and long-term faculty and faculty candidate abroad programs. Put another way, faculty and faculty candidate study abroad benefit not only the individual but also the development of the university, which then returns large benefits to society.
The following are examples of the possible impacts of faculty members' study abroad experiences on the process of university development;

-Introduction of new academic knowledge, advanced technology, and the latest teaching and research methodologies
-Improvement of teaching and research skills of faculty members
-Development of new educational programs and revision of curricula using foreign models
-Increased research publication
-Obtaining research funding and equipment from the host universities/countries where faculty members studied
-Introduction of laboratory safety concepts and practices

-Networking with foreign higher education institutions, especially with universities where faculty studied abroad
-Increased international mobility of students and lecturers
-Implementation of various international educational programs and international joint research programs
-Increase in the number of co-authored articles with foreign researchers in international journals

-Increased collaboration with industry and participation in community service activities
-Transformation of university culture, including lecturer-student relationships, transparency of academic records, and faculty accountability

-Brain drain
-Difficulty in fitting in with the local academic community after returning from study abroad, sometimes resulting in conflict and friction
- Difficulty in continuing research after returning home due to the gaps in research infrastructure between the host and home country universities

-Many foreign degree holders in the highest ranks of universities, and a culture of favoring those with study abroad experience
Thus, the impact of faculty study abroad is incredibly diverse. The elements of faculty study experiences such as home and destination countries, academic field, timing, degree level and maintenance of personal network, etc. are also various. What types of study abroad experiences have led to these diverse impacts? Moving beyond simply examining the positive impacts of faculty study abroad experience, this research aims to analyze what types of faculty study abroad influence what kinds of impacts and why. Further, with Southeast Asian universities in the midst of fundamental changes driven by the internationalization of higher education, expansion of graduate school programs and higher education massification, these shifts in the higher education landscape are undoubtedly influencing the expression of the impact of faculty study abroad.
The JICA Ogata Research Institute has been working on the Empirical Research Project on Impacts of Study Abroad in Developing Countries since 2018. An international research team consisting of higher education researchers from Japan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam conducted extensive questionnaire surveys and interviews at 10 top universities in four ASEAN countries. In this presentation, case studies of Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam and comparisons among the countries will be presented.

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