Intercultural Adjustment of Internationally Mobile Academics Working in Thailand

Autor/inn/en	Schartner, Alina; Young, Tony Johnstone; Snodin, Navaporn
Titel	Intercultural Adjustment of Internationally Mobile Academics Working in Thailand
Quelle	In: Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education Research, 85 (2023) 3, S.483-502 (20 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Schartner, Alina)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0018-1560
DOI	10.1007/s10734-022-00846-4
Schlagwörter	Cultural Awareness; College Faculty; Foreign Nationals; Overseas Employment; Developing Nations; Faculty Mobility; Foreign Students; Foreign Countries; Educational Policy; Student Recruitment; Faculty Recruitment; Guidelines; Acculturation; Adjustment (to Environment); Sociocultural Patterns; Policy Formation; College Administration; Thailand + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Cultural identity; Kulturelle Identität; Fakultät; Ausländer; Ausländerin; Auslandstätigkeit; Developing country; Developing countries; Entwicklungsland; Ausland; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Richtlinien; Akkulturation; Soziokulturelle Theorie; Politische Betätigung; College administrators; Hochschulverwaltung
Abstract	Non-nationals constitute up to a quarter of the academic staff workforce of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) worldwide. Their motivations to 'work abroad', and their experiences of doing so, are, however, under-researched, especially where migration is to or within the global South. We report a study conducted among internationally mobile academics from a variety of countries working in Thailand. At policy level, Thailand aspires to increase the numbers of international staff and students in its HEIs, but with mixed success in terms of recruitment levels and the reported quality of the experience among these migrants. Conceptually, our study drew on a framework of intercultural adjustment defined as a multidimensional construct comprising psychological, sociocultural and professional/work aspects of the experience. Semi-structured focus groups were conducted to explore experiences of working in Thailand. Thematic analysis of findings showed that reported experiences mainly fell under the category of professional/work aspects of intercultural adjustment, although sociocultural issues were also important. The reported quality of experiences was mixed and generally more negative than positive in the key areas of professional and work adjustment. Specific challenges highlighted by participants related to issues with the work environment, most especially lingual-cultural problems and, crucially, a lack of secure status. We detail and discuss these findings and present recommendations for policy makers and HEIs, aspirant academic migrants, and for future research into global academic migration, particular as it relates to Thailand and other destinations for academic migration. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01