Mobility from the students’ perspective
Report on the research thesis for the XLI. Scientific Students' Conference 2015Faculty of Business and Management of Óbuda University
Péter Holicza President
ESN Óbuda University [email protected]
1. Introduction and Aims
The aim of the present study I try to determine the extent of the Erasmus Programme accomplished its purpose and what is left to be improved to maximize student satisfaction, well-being, and educational benefits.
I consider the best basis to evaluate objectively the significance of the Erasmus Programme is to compare the satisfaction of Hungarian exchange students with foreign students studying in Hungary as part of the Erasmus Programme (and in some cases also other nationalities from across the world). My interests were to compare several domains of the program between Hungarian students abroad and foreign students in Hungary. These involves: educational benefits, overall satisfaction, economic well-being, cultural aspects (impressions, adapting), after-effects of the programme (i.e. in terms of career benefits, reintegration to home country. I was also interested in a domain that first rather appears irrelevant: a so-called experience, flow. A state of mind that is characterised under specific conditions linked to optimal performance, creativity and individuality in the sense of self-support.
To sum up, the significance of the study is to contribute for the sake of the European cohesion and therefore to achieve a variegated community is primary. In the present paper, - in line with our research findings – I try to recommend solutions for the weaknesses and emphasize strengths to improve the processes of mobility within the bounds of Erasmus to help students participating in the Programme in the near future.
2. Origin of the mobility programs
EU Cohesion Policy
Europe is the world’s most fragmented continent, especially considering the linguistic or cultural, economic or the geographical perspectives. Today we distinguish – on various level of independence- about three hundred subunits, mentioned most of the time as regions. The natural and cultural regionalization have a rich history in Europe, however the supra-national integration organizations have an important role in the development and strengthening of the European regionalism. To this comprehensive indirect process the EU institutions contribute enormous financial support on regional level.
The EU’s main investment policy, the Cohesion Policy, targets all regions and cities in the Union in order to support business competitiveness, sustainable development, job creation, economic growth underpins solidarity and improve citizens’ quality of life. It has also strong impact on several other sectors like the EU objectives education, energy, the environment, R&D and innovation.
The EU's Lisbon Treaty gave a new orientation, referring to economic, social and territorial cohesion. By 2020 the EU’s most recent Cohesion Policy will be providing the necessary investment framework and strategy to meet 5 concrete objectives – employment, innovation, education, social inclusion, and climate/energy. The new Cohesion Policy’s most important target is to strengthen research, technological development and innovation.
In case of the higher education and the present research, we should point out the European Commission's key departments and services:
● Education and Culture (DG EAC)
● Research and Innovation (R&I)
DG EAC
First of all we want to consider the DG EAC. The abbreviation stands for The Directorate General for Education and Culture. It is the executive body of the EU and is responsible for guidelines on education, culture, youth, languages and sport. The contentious points through a variety of projects and programmes, namely Creative Europe and Erasmus+ are supported and supervised by them. One of these parts, the Strategic framework – Education & Training 2020 policy is conceived to support national action and common challenges. Some examples are ageing societies, skills deficits in the workforce, and global competition.
DG (R&I)
The long term for DG R&I is Directorate General of European Research and Innovation (R&I). Its principles have the purpose to reach the goals of the Europe 2020 strategy. Their key flagship initiative is the Innovation Union. This leading project is believed to make Europe a better place of living and working. By developing and implementing R&I policy for and in every European country Europe's competitiveness advance. This boost affects the growth, create jobs, and tackle the main current and future social challenges.
“Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the private investment that this money will attract. It promises more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from the lab to the market.
Horizon 2020 is the financial instrument implementing the Innovation Union, a Europe 2020 flagship initiative aimed at securing Europe's global competitiveness.” (EC, 2013)
The figure below makes clearly visible the structure of European Commission's investments into social and economic cohesion, helping countries work together and learn from each other by providing opportunities for lifelong learning for all. The European Commission's Education and Culture DG manages the Erasmus + programme, which aims to improve education and training in across European countries. It has greatest results among students and young people.
3. Erasmus, the most successful mobility program
The Erasmus Programme (European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) is the student exchange programme of the EU established in 1987 to increase the intercultural competencies and the better understanding of various nations.
With the means of short and long term mobility programs it is one of the best-known Community actions which addresses the teaching and learning needs of the higher and vocational education and training in order to be able to socialise more with each other, with peers from different nations. To reflect its results, until now, over three million European students have benefited from Erasmus grants, not to mention about new transnational corporations among higher education institutions and other relevant stakeholders through multilateral projects.
Adoption and growth
In 1987-1988 (the first academic year of Erasmus), 3,244 students could participate in the funded mobility program. In 2006 (under the Socrates programme), over 150,000 students, or almost 1% of the European students, took part, while the teacher mobility was 1.9% of the European teacher population.
The Erasmus Programme, together with several other independent actions, was incorporated into the Socrates programme established by the Commission in 1994. Socrates ended in 1999 and was replaced with the Socrates II Programme in 2000 for the following 6 years period.
Lifelong Learning Programme 2007–2013
The Lifelong Learning Programme 2007-13 brought together all the European programmes in the field of lifelong learning from the previous period. The indicative budget of the programme was set at EUR 6.97 billion for its duration. The share between sectoral programmes: 13 % to Comenius, 40 % to Erasmus, 25 % to Leonardo da Vinci and 4 % to Grundtvig. A single community support programme in the range of education and training is more rational, connected and effective than many different. As a consequence it should lead to more and higher interaction between the different areas. This includes better visibility, particularly with focus on the ability to respond to developments in this sector, and better cooperation. In this way it also helps to achieve the targets of the Lisbon Strategy, including the environmental dimension. Furthermore, the European Area of Higher Education (the Bologna process), or more specifically, the objective to make education and training a global quality benchmark by 2010, and the learning of foreign languages together with the results of the Barcelona European Council of 2002.
It also falls within the scope of the specific future goals for education systems in the Education and Training 2010 work programme. This is the task schedule for skills and mobility and the route chart for promoting language learning and linguistic diversity. Closely to the end the programme, the academic year 2012-13 was marked by a key milestone: the 3 millionth student went abroad with Erasmus this year.
In the particular year nearly 270 000 students and 52 000 staff from 33 participating countries went abroad with Erasmus grant. The most popular destinations were: Spain (40 202 incoming students), Germany, France, the UK and Italy. 4318 Erasmus student decided to come to Hungary, while the number of the outgoing mobility was 4387.
Insider statistics are available about the Typical Erasmus student of the academic year 2012-13 published by the European Council.
Figure 2. Characteristics of typical Erasmus student (EC, 2014)
Erasmus+ (2014–2020)
The Erasmus+ regulation was signed at the end of 2013. The new programme combines and supports (budget of €14.7 billion) all the EU's current schemes for education, training, youth and sport, including the Lifelong Learning, Youth in Action, moreover the 5 from the international co-operation sphere (Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Alfa, Edulink).
Erasmus+ provides opportunities for over 4 million Europeans for mobility (study, internship, volunteering abroad) and, for the first time, also for Sport and easier accessibility than its ancestors, with simplified funding rules. Transnational partnerships are also highlighted among Education, Training, and Youth organisations to connect the world of Education and Work in practice.
Over 125.000 institutions and organisations are provided by this programme to work with equals and fellows in other countries and to reinvent teaching practice and youth work. This all together ensures that young people and adults acquire the skills for succeeding in today's world.
The "Erasmus experience" cultural phenomenon
How can a student extend his knowledge? One way is to learn from other people, universities and countries; but what to do, if the home-university has only one partner in one other country? The Erasmus Programme gives students the possibility to live and study in other European countries, - for some students probably for the first time, - including a wide variety of countries, cities and study programmes. Because of these capabilities, Erasmus became a cultural phenomenon. It even goes so far that it became the focal point of movies like the French film L'Auberge espagnole or the documentary Erasmus 24 7. The Programme provides several areas of togetherness. It is about studying the university subjects, learning and understanding the hosting people, their culture and habits. Hence it builds up a special community among students from
different nations and countries. The Erasmus experience gives the students the chance for both, time for learning and socialising.
Tutors are often looking for students with the subjects Politics or International Relations to take part in Erasmus Programme. Students and Tutors see it as a great occasion to study abroad and not having the expenditure of studying outside the European Union. The grants are available only to Erasmus students and not to those choosing the studies out of the continent.
Some university graduates already assume that former Erasmus students will prove a sway and strength in creating a pan-European identity. As an example, the political scientist Stefan Wolff argued about the so-called ‘Erasmus-Generation’: "Give it 15, 20 or 25 years, and Europe will be run by leaders with a completely different socialisation from those of today".
ESN- Erasmus Student Network
Erasmus Student Network with its 13.500 active members is the biggest European student association. It was legally registered in 1990 for supporting and developing international student exchange mobility. Since 2005, the organization established an official seat in Brussels for the International Board and the Secretariat and interns who working there full time.
ESN is on the spot in more than 430 Higher Education Institutions (since 10.2014 in the Óbuda University too) from 37 countries. The network is continuously improving and expanding itself, the average annual growth rate is 12% since 2005.
By the active members many sections are supported by “buddies” who mainly taking care of international students. Thus, the ESN involves around 29 000 young people offering its services and support to around 180 000 international students every year.
ESN is operating on three levels: local, national, and international and working on the creation of a more mobile and flexible education environment by supporting the student mobility. It helps to gain intercultural experience also to those students who are inexperienced or cannot access to any programs ("internationalisation at home"). “ESNers” are helping two kinds of students: exchange and homecomings students.
Homecoming students
To simplify the reintegration process for the homecoming students, they will be supported to keep contact with an international environment by the programme and the ‘ESNers’.
Based on good experiences by their exchange period, a lot of local sections are well-stuffed by former exchange students. They know about problems and difficulties in a foreign environment and give better help than without exchange knowledge.
Exchange students
practical integration processes. These offerings content activities in the local sections like cultural and social events, trips to interesting various places in the city or the countryside, film nights, language projects, different kind of festivals (food, wine, music) and last, but not least, parties and getting together in the nightlife. Additionally to all these measures and proposals, many sections introduced so called mentor systems. These systems should help the exchanging foreign students primarily in academic and practical integration.
ESN Óbuda University
In January 2015, the National Platform (general meeting) of ESN Hungary approved the request of founder Peter Holicza to move up from “candidate section” to full membership status for ESN Óbuda University within the Network.
The enthusiastic and motivated section board works together with “buddies”. ‘Buddies’ are future or former Erasmus students according to the ESN principles. The new organization also facilitate a part of the workload from the university’s Centre for International Mobility by taking care of the guest students, preparing the future outgoing mobility participants, organising international events, trips, providing discounts, etc. (ESN Óbuda University, 2015)
The leaders of the local section make it to their own business to improve the quality of the host services. Therefore they are involved in international projects and researches like Mov’in Europe Programme.
Having a clear image about the whole local system and feedbacks confirmed by data is the key to development. The way through this process starts with research and analysation, followed by fact-finding, pointing out weaknesses and finally drawing up solutions which can be put into practice.
The following chapters report the research results and effects of the Hungarian mobility.
4. Material and method
Questionnaire and Measures
The study has a snowball-sampled data-collection method; participants were recruited via internet: across Erasmus OE 2014/15 spring semester Facebook group and through friends. Participants’ data was collected anonymously. We were interested to collect information about Hungarian students who finished their Erasmus Programme and returned home and about Erasmus students currently in Hungary (OU).
The questionnaire included open-ended questions that should be analysed with a qualitative approach and close format questions producing quantifiable data. The questionnaire approximately took 20 minutes to complete. Beside demographic variables, the questionnaire collected information about cultural differences, career and work related issues, educational benefits, flow and creativity, program satisfaction and future possibilities.
The complete questionnaire consists of 67 items that had a threefold focus in general:
1. Whether Hungarian students are different by any means from foreign Erasmus students studying currently at OU - are their expectation, skills competencies and experiences different?
2. Did any of the students in the sample have support before, during or after their Erasmus experience? - Would they have needed it? Did they manage to get it? Who did provide useful support to them? What is still missing? What are the lackings of the current system to be improved?
3. Did the participants have any flow experience during their mobility period? If yes, what was the source of it? If not, what were they lacking during their stay abroad?
Participants
The study intended to represent students of Óbuda University. There were 87 participants recruited for the study involved with the Erasmus Programme during the period of academic year 2014/15. 41 of them were foreign students studying in Hungary in the 2014/15 spring semester (out of 47), 29 students from Hungary filled out the questionnaire, out of 40 Hungarian Erasmus Students of the 2014/15 autumn semester. Overall 70 students from either of the groups meeting the criteria were included in the analysis.
There are several destinations for Hungarian students in European universities across the programme. The most popular ones include Germany, Spain or The Netherlands. The choice can be different depends on the aim of the student (fun, learning, etc.).
Most of the foreign students come predominantly from Germany, Turkey, France or Portugal, but several other countries inhabitants visit Hungary to take part in the programme like Belgium, Malta or Iceland. The result can show us that people from countries who have a better relation with Hungary (this can be several, economic, political or traditional), are more likely to come here.
The students in the research gave detailed responses to the questions whether Hungarian students are different by any means from foreign Erasmus student studying currently in Hungary; whether their expectation, skills competencies and experiences are different? The survey also involved enquiry about whether students in the sample have support before, during or after their Erasmus experience? - Would they have needed it? Did they manage to get it? Who did provide useful support to them? What is still missing? What are the lackings of the current system to be improved? We also investigated whether the participants did have any flow experience during their mobility period? If yes, what was the source of it? If not, what were they lacking during their stay abroad?
For further details and results: Holicza, P., Schlosser, D. (2015): The Cultural Effects of the National Mobility. Óbuda
5. Recommendations
Student answers on the questionnaire serves as a feedback about the Erasmus Programme. Analysing the data led us to a number of conclusions that would address the issues revealed in the analysis. We recommend the organization of group meetings or activities for the next participating Erasmus students with former international students. On such sessions, they could be informed, share knowledge between themselves, create contacts and give or receive advices. These points are the main aims of the Erasmus Student Network organization and some other local student unions also. On local level the alumni groups should be organised better, to help to prepare the outgoing mobility by experienced homecoming students.
Language barrier was also the most significant aspect of culture shock. Some of the participants have not had the level of language capability to engage with their environment and adapt to the culture easily at the beginning. Even across the programme students reported that language barriers were significant. The fact is that Hungary is the last of the countries within the EU region when it comes to the relative number of English speakers. Therefore language studies should be more heavily promoted across earlier stages of education and also during university education. Better language skills could help students to maximize the benefits of the Erasmus Programme.
To further support students from abroad, Erasmus students should be introduced to a buddy and also should be offered to use the university’s social support and counselling services as well as be offered social meeting places, such as hubs and meeting rooms. This might help them seek guidance and would somewhat elevate their loneliness and encourage them to
face challenging situations. In line with this in the future, ESN Óbuda University will organize even more international events to involve students in local activities and enhance regular Erasmus experience with a scientific dimension (like the Scientific Students’ Conference). To train new volunteers (buddy) and prepare the next generation's Erasmus students, besides alumni external consultants should be invited to make the supportive process more efficient.
6. Conclusion
The Erasmus program helps many students to take the opportunity and study on other European universities outside their own country. Students can learn about cultures and about integration, make new relations and friendships without borders. Most of them encounter essential experiences, which help them in their later life, career and also in relationships with people. It is the most successful exchange program in Europe and it offers mobility for student across the region. As some final thoughts, it should be concluded that Erasmus is a great possibility that can help individuals to achieve higher individual and intercultural awareness. It is not only the aim for the European Union, but should be the purpose for all of us to know more about each other, so we can be able to endure, respect and love each other.
