A1 Journal article (refereed)
Exploring the peculiar relationship between higher education quality and internationalization : a discourse analytical and spatial reading of four European university strategies (2025)

Adriansen, H. K., Madsen, L. M., Saarinen, T., & Waters, J. (2025). Exploring the peculiar relationship between higher education quality and internationalization : a discourse analytical and spatial reading of four European university strategies. Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy, Early online. https://doi.org/10.1080/20020317.2025.2462061

JYU authors or editors

Saarinen, Taina

Publication details

All authors or editors: Adriansen, Hanne Kirstine; Madsen, Lene Møller; Saarinen, Taina; Waters, Johanna

Journal or series: Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational Policy

eISSN: 2002-0317

Publication year: 2025

Publication date: 04/02/2025

Volume: Early online

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/20020317.2025.2462061

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/100086

Abstract

Internationalization is often regarded as a tool for enhancing the quality of education and research, but the question is how are they related? This paper aims to address this by analysing the way quality and internationalization are represented in strategy documents of four universities, looking into how quality and internationalization are discussed together, what kinds of premises are present about their relationship, and how quality relates to universities’ geographical positioning. We do so by analysing strategies in four European universities; two ‘capital’ universities and two ‘town’ universities. First, we analyse what quality means in relation to internationalization within the strategies and show that the meaning is often empty; then, we unfold the implicit meanings of this ‘self-evident quality’. With a spatial perspective we analyse how the universities position themselves in the world and how this is intertwined with notions of quality. The discussion compares and contrasts the four strategies and shows more similarities between universities of town or capital origin rather than universities with the same nationality.

Keywords: tertiary education; institutions of higher education; system of higher education; higher education policy; internationalisation

Free keywords: higher education; university strategies; quality; internationalization; spatial perspectives

Fields of science: