Studying overseas : the international student motivation for pursuing postgraduate study in Hong Kong and Taiwan

Abstract

As the economies of rising powers such as China continue to grow, this will also provide a strong 'pull' for students wishing to gain international experience. Traditionally, this has involved a flow of international students from 'East' to 'West' and from 'North' to 'South', but as markets such as Hong Kong have developed their higher education sectors; these regions have become more and more attractive for students. This paper has explored the factors which influence the decision-making process of, and ultimately motivate, international students to seek higher learning within the sphere of Greater China, but outside Mainland China (i.e. the Hong Kong Special Administrative Regions and the Republic of China (Taiwan)). The existing literature on student motivation was examined, paying particular attention to those factors which have been determined to be relevant to the two key markets, and a qualitative study was conducted to verify and expand on the existing knowledge in this area. The results were reviewed and analysed and it was discovered that there was a significant degree of overlap between the two jurisdictions. Differences were also apparent, however, in the focus of the participants and the sources of information they sought when evaluating alternatives. Environmental factors were roughly equally significant, and those factors which were deemed important were fairly consistent, across the two jurisdictions, however, Taiwan-based students appeared to place more emphasis on elements such as the political climate and the opinion of family, friends and peers. This is in contrast with the emphasis on academic quality and the perception of authority figures which featured more prominently in Hong Kong-based respondents. This information was compounded and used to formulate an updated reckoning of the working model used to implement this research which could be expanded with further research.