Global Connectedness and Global Migration - Issue 2 - Academic Profession Survey Insights

Oct 15, 2026

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The Changing Academic Profession (CAP) international survey examines how globalization shapes the work context and activities of academics across 19 countries or regions. Using selected data, the study analyzes global connectedness in research and teaching and links it to patterns of global migration. Immigrant academics show higher levels of connectedness than national academics. While global migration helps internationalize higher education institutions, it does not translate into better career progress or job satisfaction for immigrant academics, suggesting limited recognition of their expertise.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Globalization and Internationalization in Higher Education

Globalization and internationalization definitions

International opportunities and mobility

Internationalization at home and abroad

Global Connectedness and Global Migration: Insights from the International Changing Academic Profession Survey Michelle K. McGinn Brock University, Canada Sne􀀏ana Ratković Brock University, Canada Charl C. Wolhuter North-West University, South Africa Abstract The Changing Academic Profession (CAP) international survey was designed in part to consider the effects of globalization on the work context and activities of academics in 19 countries or regions around the world. This paper draws from a subset of these data to explore the extent to which academics are globally connected in their research and teaching, and the ways this connectedness relates to global migration. Across multiple measures, immigrant academics (i.e., academics working in countries where they were not born and did not receive their first degree) were more globally connected than national academics (i.e., those working in the countries of their birth and first degree). Global migration by academic staff is clearly a major contributor to the internationalization of higher education institutions, yet there was no evidence these contributions led to enhanced career progress or job satisfaction for immigrant academics relative to national academics. The international expertise and experience of immigrant academics may not be sufficiently recognized and valued by their institutions. Key words: immigrant academics, internationalization, workload, Changing Academic Profession survey Michelle K. McGinn is Professor and Associate Dean, Research and International Initiatives in the Faculty of Education. Her research and teaching interests focus on higher education, researcher development, research methodologies, collaboration, and research ethics. [Email: ](Email: mcginn@brocku.ca)[mcginn@brocku.ca](Email: mcginn@brocku.ca) Sne􀀏ana Ratković is a science teacher from Yugoslavia who immigrated to Canada in 1998, after the civil war in the country. She works as research officer for the Faculty of Education. Sne􀀏ana is a doctoral candidate in educational studies and explores the experiences, transitions, and identities of refugee female teachers in Canada. Charl C. Wolhuter is Associate Professor in the School of Education at North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa. He specializes in Comparative Education and Teaching Theory, and has written several books and articles on the history of education and comparative education. Brock Education Volume 22, No. 2, Spring 2013, pp. 56-68 M. K. McGinn, S. Ratković, and C. C. Wolhuter Global Connectedness and Global Migration Globalization and internationalization are dominant themes in higher education worldwide. Higher education policies, institutional mission statements and strategic plans, and the research literature abound with references to globalization and corresponding internationalization strategies (Egron-Polak & Hudson, 2010; Kehm & Teichler, 2007) . Attempts to understand the prevalence, motivations, and consequences of global connectedness have focused predominantly upon students, with comparably less attention devoted to academic staff (Altbach, Reisberg, & Rumbley, 2009; Kim, 2009; Saltmarsh & Swirski, 2010) . The purpose of this paper is to explore the intersections between global connectedness and global migration for academics as reflected in the Changing Academic Profession (CAP) international survey. In particular, we draw attention to differences in global connectedness for academics who are working in the countries of their birth and first degree (i.e., national academics) compared to those who are working in countries where they were not born and did not receive their first degree (i.e., immigrant academics) . We are interested in the extent to which immigrant academics contribute to the internationalization agendas of their institutions and the ways these contributions relate to their work practices and career performance. Globalization and Internationalization in

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the paper?

To explore how global connectedness and global migration intersect for academics, using the Changing Academic Profession (CAP) international survey and focusing on differences between national and immigrant academics.

How does the study define immigrant versus national academics?

Immigrant academics work in countries where they were not born and did not receive their first degree, while national academics work in their birth countries and studied for their first degree there.

What are the key findings about global migration and academic outcomes?

Immigrant academics are more globally connected than national academics, and global migration contributes to internationalization of higher education, but there is no evidence it improves career progress or job satisfaction for immigrant academics compared with national academics.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Ben