Webinar WG1: Presentation of Doctoral Candidate - Elena Ovchinnikova

Abstract:

In this presentation, I will discuss my thesis which aimed to expand on the role of language as both a macro and micro factor in directing international student mobility (1) by focusing on the influence of language proximity on international student flows for full degree/diploma programmes, and (2) by analyzing how individual foreign language skills impact students’ short-term study abroad aspirations and destination choices. The macro-level results demonstrate that language proximity does play an important role in driving international student flows. The micro-level findings, in turn, indicate that students who evaluate their foreign language skills as advanced and who speak a foreign language on a daily basis are more likely to aspire to study abroad in comparison to students who assess their skills at an intermediate level and use a foreign language weekly or monthly. The number of foreign languages students master does not seem to impact students’ decision-making for joining study abroad programmes. The findings also reveal that students who have decided to participate in study abroad programmes choose the countries with an official language they have knowledge of.