Email this article 
Understanding Internationalization of Higher Education in Indonesia: Prospects and Challenges
Abstract
The internationalization of higher education plays a crucial role in expanding the global reach and competitiveness of universities. In the context of institutional internationalization, university top management is expected to engage actively in strategic planning to ensure the effective implementation of internationalization programs. This study examines the strategic efforts undertaken by three universities in achieving their internationalization goals. Data were collected through Focus Group Discussions involving top management representatives from the respective postgraduate schools. In addition, in-depth interviews were conducted with several lecturers and directors of international offices to obtain comprehensive insights into institutional practices and policies. The findings reveal that the universities employed a range of contextually distinctive yet complementary strategies to strengthen their internationalization agendas. These strategies include fostering research and publication collaborations, hosting visiting lecturers, offering double-degree programs, appointing adjunct professors, organizing international conferences, and providing research fellowships. The study highlights the importance of strategic leadership and institutional commitment in advancing higher education internationalization initiatives.
Keywords
10.15548/jt.v33i2.1170
Abstract view : 304 times
PDF : 57 times
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Almeida, J., Robson, S., Morosini, M., & Baranzeli, C. (2019). Understanding internationalization at home: Perspectives from the global North and South. European Educational Research Journal, 18(2), 200-217.
Altbach, P. G., & Knight, J. (2007). The internationalization of higher education: Motivations and realities. Journal of studies in international education, 11(3-4), 290-305.
Bedenlier, S., & Zawacki-Richter, O. (2015). Internationalization of higher education and the impacts on academic faculty members. Research in Comparative and International Education, 10(2), 185-201.
Borsetto, E., & Saccon, C. (2022). The value-added experience of International Double Degree Programme: a survey of students’ perceptions and motivations. Department of Management, Università Ca'Foscari Venezia Working Paper, (4).
Bryman, A., Bell, E., & Reck, J. (2021). Social research methods. 1st edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Buckner, E. (2019). The internationalization of higher education: National interpretations of a global model. Comparative Education Review, 63(3), 315-336.
Cary, M., & Rockwell, T. (2020). International collaboration in open access publications: How income shapes international collaboration. Publications, 8(1), 13.
Chen, K., Zhang, Y., & Fu, X. (2019). International research collaboration: An emerging domain of innovation studies?. Research Policy, 48(1), 149-168.
Creswell, J. W. & Poth, C. N. (2014). Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches. 5th edition. New York: Sage Publication.
De Wit, H., & Altbach, P. G. (2021). Internationalization in higher education: Global trends and recommendations for its future. Policy reviews in higher education, 5(1), 28-46.
De Wit, H. (2019). Internationalization in higher education, a critical review. SFU Educational Review, 12(3), 9-17.
De Wit, H., & Deca, L. (2020). Internationalization of higher education, challenges and opportunities for the next decade. European higher education area: Challenges for a new decade, 3-11.
De Wit, H., & Merkx, G. (2012). The history of internationalization of higher education. The SAGE handbook of international higher education, 43-59.
Dewey, P., & Duff, S. (2009). Reason before passion: Faculty views on internationalization in higher education. Higher education, 58, 491-504.
Freshwater, D., Sherwood, G., & Drury, V. (2006). International research collaboration: Issues, benefits and challenges of the global network. Journal of Research in Nursing, 11(4), 295-303.
Gaus, N., Tang, M., & Akil, M. (2019). Organisational culture in higher education: mapping the way to understanding cultural research. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 43(6), 848-860.
Glesne, C. (2015). Becoming qualitative researchers: an introduction. 5th edition. New York: Pearson.
Harrison, R. (2010). Unique benefits of conference attendance as a method of professional development for LIS professionals. The Serials Librarian, 59(3-4), 263-270.
Jibeen, T., & Khan, M. A. (2015). Internationalization of higher education: Potential benefits and costs. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 4(4), 196-199.
Knight, J. (2008). The Internationalization of higher education in the 21st century: new realities and complexities. In Higher education in Turmoil (pp. 1-18). Brill.
Knight, J. (2011). Five myths about internationalization. International higher education, (62).
Knight, J. (2012). Student mobility and internationalization: Trends and tribulations. Research in Comparative and International Education, 7(1), 20-33.
Knight, J., & De Wit, H. (2018). Internationalization of higher education: Past and future. International higher education, (95), 2-4.
Kreber, C. (2009). Different perspectives on internationalization in higher education. New directions for teaching and learning, 2009(118), 1-14.
Kumar, N., & Sharma, D. D. (2018). The role of organisational culture in the internationalisation of new ventures. International Marketing Review, 35(5), 806-832.
Kwiek, M. (2020). Internationalists and locals: international research collaboration in a resource-poor system. Scientometrics, 124(1), 57-105.
---. (2021). What large-scale publication and citation data tell us about international research collaboration in Europe: Changing national patterns in global contexts. Studies in Higher Education, 46(12), 2629-2649.
McCarthy, J. S. (2007). A roadmap for creating the global campus. The Chronicle Mestenhauser & B. A. Ellingboe (Eds.), Reforming the higher education.
Ota, H. (2018). Internationalization of higher education: Global trends and Japan's challenges. Educational Studies in Japan, 12, 91-105.
Özturgut, O., Cantu, M. P., Pereira, L. J., & Ramón, D. K. (2014). Effective strategies in internationalization of higher education in the United States. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 3(2)
Paige, R. M. (2005). Internationalization of higher education: Performance assessment and indicators. Nagoya Journal of Higher Education, 5(8), 99-122.
Qiang, Z. (2003). Internationalization of higher education: Towards a conceptual framework. Policy futures in education, 1(2), 248-270.
Robinson, O. C., & Smith, J. A. (2010). Investigating the form and dynamics of crisis episodes in early adulthood: The application of a composite qualitative method. Qualitative research in psychology, 7(2), 170-191.
Robson, S., Almeida, J., & Schartner, A. (2018). Internationalization at home: time for review and development?. European Journal of Higher Education, 8(1), 19-35.
Russell, A. W., Dolnicar, S., & Ayoub, M. (2008). Double degrees: double the trouble or twice the return?. Higher Education, 55, 575-591.
Sharipov, F. (2020). Internationalization of higher education: definition and description. Mental Enlightenment Scientific-Methodological Journal, 127-138.
Sok, S., & Bunry, R. (2021). Internationalization of higher education in Cambodia: toward an agenda for higher education development. International Journal of Comparative Education and Development, 23(3), 193-211.
Souto-Otero, M., Huisman, J., Beerkens, M., De Wit, H., & Vujić, S. (2013). Barriers to international student mobility: Evidence from the Erasmus program. Educational researcher, 42(2), 70-77.
Steagall, J. W., Falk, P., Gallo, A., & Porter, T. W. (2021). International double degree programs as accelerators for internationalization: Lessons from the Trans-Atlantic Business School Alliance. Journal of Teaching in International Business, 32(1), 7-35.
Wagner, C. S. (2005). Six case studies of international collaboration in science. Scientometrics, 62, 3-26.
Wagner, C. S., Whetsell, T. A., & Mukherjee, S. (2019). International research collaboration: Novelty, conventionality, and atypicality in knowledge recombination. Research Policy, 48(5), 1260-1270.
Willis, R. (2019). The use of composite narratives to present interview findings. Qualitative research, 19(4), 471-480.
Yao, B. (2021). International research collaboration: challenges and opportunities. Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, 37(2), 107-108.
Zhou, J. (2016). A Dynamic Systems Approach to Internationalization of Higher Education. Journal of International Education and Leadership, 6(1), n1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15548/jt.v33i2.1170
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Al-Ta lim Journal
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.