Internationalisation in Scottish higher education: educators’ perspectives on constructing the internationalised university

Globally, the concept of internationalization and the internationalized university is high on the agenda and in Scotland and (sic) efforts to internationalize the higher education sector continue to gain momentum. Many universities in Scotland have explicitly developed internationalization strategies as their key priorities. Some institutions in Scotland have been relatively slow to embrace internationalization, as well as movement of people within Scotland.

The websites of Scottish universities suggest that the concept of internationalization may develop quite differently according to a number of factors including region, institutional status and student population. The existing literature on the notion 'internationalization' in the higher education sector shows there is a lack of research on educators' perspectives.

It is also evident that no studies have been conducted on internationalization of higher education (HE) specifically on Scottish HE universities/Institutions, which operate under a different educational system (policy and funding) to those in other parts of the UK.

This research explores educators' perspectives on internationalization at three Scottish universities. The research will focus on the experiences of local educators currently working in these selected universities, to gain their perception of what internationalization means to them, and to their institution.

In conducting this research, the roles and impact of language, culture and identity will be explored to understand how educators understand and respond to current strategies used in constructing the internationalized university in Scotland.