The impact of international student mobility on the development of entrepreneurial attitudes

The importance attached to preparing graduates for a role on an international stage has become increasingly recognised by U.K. higher education institutions and by successive U.K. governments in recent years. At the same time, the contribution that enterprising individuals make to an economy has also gained in importance, but the answer to the question of what makes an 'enterprising individual' is still uncertain. This thesis investigates whether internationally mobile students develop or enhance certain entrepreneurial attitudes through a study or work placement period abroad and, if so, why certain attitudes may have developed or been positively enhanced by a prolonged exposure abroad. I have also considered the impact that such a sojourn has on the entrepreneurial intent and behaviour of graduates. I have followed a concurrent mixed method approach using a group of mobile students and, as a control group, students who do not undertake mobility during their degree. The results indicate that there is little difference in certain entrepreneurial attitudes between the two groups before mobility, but that the mobile students show a higher degree of (positive) change in some entrepreneurial attitudes than the non-mobile students after mobility. There are a range of factors from the international sojourn that could account for this change. The results imply that, along with other benefits of international education, an international sojourn contributes to developing potential entrepreneurial behaviour, as evidenced by the careers and activities of internationally mobile graduates. This thesis contributes to the existing body of knowledge in the fields of international education and entrepreneurship in a number of ways. Firstly it provides more insight into the entrepreneurial behaviour of graduates who have studied abroad. Secondly, my results add to the debate about what differentiates a mobile student from a non-mobile student. Thirdly, my research findings support the assertion that student mobility brings benefits (both to an individual and to the economy) by turning anecdotal indicators and suppositions about the benefits into more concrete and substantial evidence. Fourthly, and finally, through using a mixed method approach I have extended the to-date narrow focus of much of the research into the area of student mobility to provide an atypical approach to investigating international education benefits.