Inclusion through Access to Higher Education: Exploring the Dynamics between Access to Higher Education, Immigration and Languages(45 Comparative and International Education: Diversity of Voices)

A key feature of the 21st century is undoubtedly the increased flow of goods, ideas and people across geographical, cultural and political boundaries which has led to new dynamics and ever more complex forms of interconnectedness. In this context, the inclusion of people on the move through education is a central issue which this book addresses in an original way: it combines three extensively, yet often separately studied themes – namely access to higher education, immigration and languages.

Written by both established and new researchers, the studies which make up this interdisciplinary volume shed light on the complex political, social, and cultural dynamics at play between the three dimensions in different settings. Drawing on the specific stakes related to higher education, the tensions between barriers and opportunities for (future) students such as immigration regulations, language policies and internationalization strategies are analysed and confronted with less visible yet powerful logics such as personal and professional aspirations, cultural identities or family priorities.

Decades after many national higher education systems strove to widen access internally to under-represented groups, this book offers new international comparative insights on the way higher education can meet external demands from people experiencing chosen or unchosen displacement, while taking hold of the specific challenges raised by their linguistic and cultural diversity.




Review :
"This book examines the intersection between the increasing numbers of young migrants worldwide and their access to higher education. The first part of the book explores how government policy impacts access. In particular, tightened immigration rules make it harder for higher education institutions to recruit international students. A study of refugees’ access to higher education in France, Germany and Switzerland details national policies and how higher education institutions and associations have advocated for and, in some cases, implemented admission policies, support and programmes for refugees. The second part explores specific challenges raised by migrants’ linguistic diversity. Case studies in Canada, France and a comparative European study highlight that language proficiency is not always sufficient for international students to integrate into higher education in a host country. The third part looks at the close links between access and social integration of international and migrant students, illustrated by studies of immigrant students in Japan, Chinese students in France and immigrant techworker spouses in the United States." – in: IAU Horizons (International Association of Universities) Vol. 23 N° 1, p. 36
"A thorough reading of the chapters in this study leaves readers with pertinent questions that need to be raised about inclusion of immigrants in academic and occupational fields...This is a timely study that policymakers and experts in immigration studies should be required to read carefully. [It] not only helps to generate policies and regulations that have been shown to work in other contexts, but also emphasises the importance of learning how to address the social integration necessary for living and working together in a healthy and peaceful manner." – in: International Review of Education (2019) 65:497–500