Developing Meaningful Internationalisation that Impacts Students’ Outcomes in Higher Education: A Scoping Review of the Literature 2011–2022

Abstract

Research about the internationalisation of higher education has expanded rapidly in recent decades with few attempts to map available evidence. This scoping review provides a synthesis of articles about how internationalisation practices specifically impact students’ outcomes and experiences. We identified 967 articles in 21 thematic categories, spread across 493 journals and 27 disciplines. Of these, only 233 (22.8%) were categorized as ‘designed to highlight impacts on students’. We characterise research as scattered and primarily descriptive, with limited efforts to build on previous research. However, we have synthesised five key principles that underpin practice with the most demonstrable impact on students: (1) embedding internationalisation holistically across the institution; (2) centering inclusion and connection; (3) developing active and creative learning approaches; (4) providing opportunities for reflection and personal connection; and (5) explicitly scaffolding intercultural skills. We call for researchers to design more research that builds on this maturing subfield, centring evidence to inform critical practice.