Document Type : Research Paper
Author
Department of Comparative Studies in Higher Education, Institute for Research & Planning in Higher Education, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract
Keywords
Main Subjects
Extended Abstract
Objectives
During the past decades, universities around the world have moved towards internationalization and the international scientific cooperation in order to benefit from its many advantages in scientific growth and national development. In this regard, one of the usual programs of higher education institutions is the exchange of academicians, both professors and students, in order to complete long-term and short-term courses of study in another country. So, one of the key programs for the internationalization of higher education is sending doctoral students to sabbatical leave abroad. According to Shimmi (2014), international visiting scholars who temporarily visit host countries and return to their home countries are considered one form of short-term brain circulation. Brain circulation has the potential benefits for both the sending and receiving countries such as knowledge transfer and exchange, the development of international scholarly networks, and the addition of human capital through return mobility. The number of students who send to sabbatical leave abroad has greatly increased in recent years, made this issue an important factor in international higher education partnerships. Therefore, examining the outcomes and challenges of using students' sabbatical leave abroad for decision-making and planning is of key importance.
On the other hand, the agricultural sector was important in the development process of different countries. This sector has a strategic role in the social and economic system of countries and is in charge of advancing national development goals. In this regard, it is very important to take advantage of research opportunities abroad for the students of this field in order to acquire international knowledge and develop and improve the skills and competence of the people of this sector. So, this research was conducted with a qualitative approach and to achieve the aim of outcomes and challenges of agricultural students' sabbatical leave abroad.
Methods
The current research done with a qualitative approach. To collect data, an in-depth interview was conducted with 23 PhD graduates of College of Agriculture & Natural Resources until the theoretical saturation point was reached. The two main questions of the study were investigating (a) the challenges of the agricultural students' sabbatical leave abroad and (b) the outcomes of the agricultural students' sabbatical leave abroad. Before the start of the interview, the required information was provided to the participant and the participants' consent was obtained regarding the assurance of the confidentiality of the information and during the interview, by asking deeper questions, enough information was collected. To answer the research questions and extract the components, the content analysis method was used and the codes were determined in the form of words and concepts, using MAXQDA software. In this regard, Clarke and Braun’s (2006) six step data analysis process was used, including: familiarization of data by reading and re-reading transcripts, Generation of codes to represent important features of the data, combining codes into themes, reviewing themes, determine significance of themes, and reporting of findings.
Results
The findings showed the outcomes of agricultural students’ sabbatical leave abroad could be divided in four categories: knowledge development and scientific and educational experiences; development and implementation of research; cultural, communication and networking; and individual. According to the participants’ views, the first rank of the outcomes of the sabbatical leave abroad is related to the outcome of development and implementation of research (40.2 %). Knowledge development and scientific and educational experiences (27.7%), cultural, communication and networking (19.2), and individual (12.9%) are placed in the next ranks, respectively.
Also, individual challenge; challenges related to the country of origin; and challenges related to the destination country were the three categories of challenges of agricultural students’ sabbatical leave abroad of. According to the participants, the first rank of the challenges of the sabbatical leave abroad is related to the challenges related to the country of origin (45.4%). Individual challenge (35.3%) and challenges related to the destination country (19.3%) are placed in the next ranks, respectively.
Discussion
The sabbatical leave abroad is very important as one of the types of international student mobility, and the experience of living and studying abroad, whether it is studying for a degree or completing a short-term opportunity, is a memorable experience that at the same time, it can be challenging. According to the findings and considering the key and valuable outcomes that the use of this opportunity brings for PhD students and considering the participants' experiences of the upcoming challenges, recommendations to reduce the challenges and to benefit from this opportunity as much as possible were offered.
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