Issue
English in the internationalization of higher education and international student mobility

Kenichiro Kurusu, Chisato Oda, Mikhail Alic C. Go, Di Wu, Kevin Brandon Saure & Sakshi Narang
University of the Philippines Diliman | De La Salle University | Tokyo University of Foreign Studies | University of Electro-Communications | Tamagawa University | St. Marianna University School of Medicine
Abstract

In this article, we discuss the significance of English in the internationalization of higher education and international student mobility, using Kachru’s (1985) Three Circles Model of World English. As education is one of the major forms of migration (Liu-Farrer, 2022; Borlongan, 2023) in the so-called ‘age of migration’ (cf. de Haas, Castles, & Miller, 2020), more and more students are motivated to study abroad to complete their tertiary education. First, we discuss motivating factors both for the internationalization of higher education and international student mobility. Second, we point out how English has been playing a very central role in the internationalization of higher education institutions and international student mobility (Philipson, 2010; Jenkins, 2017) among these factors. Then, we present the dynamics of international student mobility by looking at their global flow, English-medium programs, and English language proficiency requirements. While Inner Circle countries are still the most attractive destinations for most international students, Expanding Circle countries, where English is not an institutionalized medium of instruction in higher education, also value English by expanding English-medium degree programs and requiring English proficiency test scores to admission. Finally, we end the article by reiterating the dominance and utility of English in the internationalization of higher education and international student mobility and its stable position as the language of educational migration.

Keywords:
Publication history

Date received: 8 January 2024

Date accepted: 15 May 2024

Published online: 4 June 2024

Table of contents

In the so-called ‘age of migration’ (cf. de Haas, Castles, & Miller, 2020), various variables are at play when people migrate internationally. Among these is language. It is a key variable and has a crucial role to play in the whole migration process, as Borlongan (2023) emphasized in his synoptic work on migration linguistics. Language is not only a means to migrate but also a motivation to do so. People with foreign language skills migrate to the countries of their target language to refine their skills in the said language and make use of their linguistic ability because it is considered that good language proficiency helps to better assimilate in the host country and provides better job opportunities (Adserà & Pytliková, 2016). However, language immersion is also one of the principal factors of migration, and it is reflected by the success of language schools in the host countries as Dadabaev et al. (2021) describe such language schools as “side doors” to a host country.

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