Chapter 10: Internationalisation Policies in Europe: An Analysis

In this final chapter of part A, an answer is given to the question, expressed in Chapter 1 of this book, regarding the characteristics of internationalisation policies on national and European levels and the educational concepts to which these polices have led. In relation to this central issue, a number of aspects described in paragraph 1.3 are dealt with.

The descriptions of the different internationalisation policies show that many countries consider cooperation with other countries in the field of education as valuable. In addition, almost all countries attach importance to a focus on European and international aspects in education on a national level, an interest that ranges from primary to higher education. Since this compilation of studies deals with the European and international orientation of secondary education, this has also been the point of attention in the analysis of internationalisation policies. The descriptions of the different countries also tell us, however, that internationalisation initiatives have been taken in other sectors as well, although in some countries to a slightly larger extent than in others. In general, it can be concluded that internationalisation has advanced the most in the higher education sector. Although it may further gain momentum in this sector in the coming years, a large number of the organisations for higher education have already integrated internationalisation into their policies; many activities are organized to interpret this concept, both by students and academic staff, as well as by managements (cf. Knight, 2003). In secondary and vocational education, fewer initiatives have been taken, at least until now. To an even larger degree, this also holds true for primary education, although in this sector clear developments in the field of internationalisation can nevertheless be observed. In the curricula of some countries, the focus on knowledge about Europe has increased, but there is also a notable growing interest in foreign-language education in the higher classes of primary education.