Research on Study Abroad, Mobility, and Student Exchange in Comparative Education Scholarship

Abstract

For many years there has been research on study abroad, student mobility and international student exchange; however in the last two decades the volume and scope of this work has increased significantly. There are now specific academic journals, a host of new books each year, expansive reports by international research organizations, and an increasing number of annual conferences that are all publishing on trends and issues related to this phenomenon. Yet surprisingly, in comparative education scholarship much of this research still appears relatively infrequently in its main journals. This article examines the seeming contradiction of, on the one hand, more student and institutional participation in worldwide international education each year and new research accompanying this trend and, on the other hand, the relative scarcity of reflection on this activity in the core comparative education journals. The article takes stock of the international education-themed research that has appeared in the past in a selection of comparative education journals, shares the editors' advice to future authors seeking to submit research on these areas, and concludes with some reflections on the future direction of scholarship in international education and comparative education.