Exploring academic perspectives on facilitating study abroad uptake for widening participation students: A pre- and post-1992 university comparative analysis

Abstract

Under-representation in study abroad has become a key concern for universities over recent years, but while efforts to widen participation at an institutional level through targeted funding and awareness raising campaigns have been widely documented, less is known about what happens to increase uptake at departmental level. Academics can make a positive difference by encouraging students to consider study abroad as an achievable option and by offering guidance on the application process, yet their perspective on the issue of unequal access remains underexplored. This thesis aims to fill the gap by drawing on Bourdieu’s Capital Theory (1986) to explain academic understandings of the barriers to study abroad and Danjean’s modified version of the Faculty Engagement Model (2017) to examine what strategies they use to overcome these. To do this, 17 academics from a variety of disciplines were interviewed at two universities located in the same English city – a pre-1992 research-intensive institution and a post-1992 teaching-focused provider – to compare their outreach interventions and identify the challenges of making study abroad more accessible. Findings revealed that cost and confidence were cited as the main deterrents to study abroad, with academics at both universities displaying a good understanding of how these factors might inhibit widening participation students from accessing international opportunities. While methods used for promoting study abroad through departmental talks and closing the information gap to redress common misconceptions around funding and eligibility were largely similar, methods for encouraging placement uptake were very different. Emphasis at the pre-1992 university was placed more on the affordability of study abroad by increasing the number of low-cost partner links, whereas preference at the post-1992 university was for communicating the accessibility of study abroad through short-term stays to better accommodate student financial situations and personal circumstances. Competing priorities such as research, teaching and administration made championing study abroad more difficult for some academics than others, with those operating alone being more likely to feel overwhelmed by their workload than those with greater levels of colleague support, despite being equally passionate about expanding uptake. This thesis argues that study abroad participation is most effectively facilitated by offering a range of options for mobility to suit all student needs like summer schools or overseas field trips, as opposed to only providing the traditional year or semester abroad model, which is less flexible and more disruptive for those with work or caring commitments. Word of mouth marketing is crucial, not just for generating interest in study abroad, but also for tackling the kind of practical concerns and emotional anxieties that typically cause students to self-exclude, such as finding funding or being separated from support networks. Finally, more support for academics would enable their continued engagement with international opportunities by giving them the time and resources necessary to inform, advise and guide their students through the study abroad process.