Abstract
The Australia Awards are prestigious international scholarships and short courses funded by the Australian Government to contribute to the achievement of development outcomes and the promotion of prosperity, resilience and stability in partner countries. The closure of Australia’s borders during COVID-19 caused a decline in international student numbers and prompted concerns about Australia’s competitiveness in the global scholarship market. This paper provides a framework and proposed methodology for systematic monitoring of Australia Awards competitiveness to provide DFAT’s Global Education and Scholarships section with data to inform ongoing policy and programming decisions. This paper uses theories of capital as a conceptual framework for examining the underlying values, perceptions and drivers that contribute to scholarship competitiveness. It considers human capital, social capital and cultural capital as constructs aligned with the Australia Awards long-term outcomes, which can be used to inform competitiveness. This research is guided by 2 research questions: What is the global competitiveness of Australia Awards? and How do Australia Awards contribute to influence, leadership and soft power?
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Australian Council for Educational Research |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-1-74286-802-8 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2023 |
Keywords
- developing countries
- Impact studies
- Skill development
- Capacity building
- International students
- International aid,
- competitiveness
- scholarships
- universities
- International relations
Disciplines
- Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
- International and Comparative Education