Whilst the presence of international students from so-called ‘developing’ or ‘newly industrialised’ countries has become a ubiquitous phenomenon in European higher education, few scholars have explored the underlying postcolonial trajectories that facilitate student migration to many European countries today. In this article, we seek to narrow this gap by critically engaging with the postcolonial heritage of European higher education and the ways in which it informs much student migration in today’s era of neoliberal globalisation. We propose a three-fold approach to reading this postcolonial heritage of higher education which comprises its historical, epistemic, and experiential (or ‘lived’) dimensions. Whilst such an approach requires a close examination of existing postcolonial theory in higher education studies, we also draw on qualitative research with student migrants in Portugal and the UK to show how the postcolonial heritage of European higher education is negotiated in everyday contexts and may become constitutive of students’ identity formations.

Despite the increase of research on international students, the complexity of their learning experiences is yet to be fully understood. This study seeks to provide an expanded vision of their learning by considering students’ experiences beyond formal educational spaces, focusing especially on their out-of-classroom experiences. To achieve this, the narratives of 12 international students in Portugal were analysed in light of the theory of transformative learning. The results indicate that all students experienced particular forms of learning as an outcome of their international experience and were engaged in transformative learning processes. Moreover, the theory of transformative learning proved to be an appropriate analytical tool for understanding the learning narratives of international higher education students. Through the analysis of the transformative effects of engaging with a foreign cultural context, this paper makes a contribution to the ongoing debate on transformative learning and the experience of international students in the European context.

Compared to other major players in the global market of international education, internationalisation of higher education has only recently become a relevant topic in Portugal. In line with the worldwide increase of international students, Portuguese universities are also experiencing a growing in-flow of students willing to obtain a foreign tertiary degree. Anchored in international students’ perceptions, this paper aims to understand how Portuguese universities deal with the increased diversity of their student bodies. The data result from an in-depth qualitative approach guided by the methodological assumptions of narrative inquiry and are analysed in the light of theories of multiculturalism. The findings give an account of numerous weaknesses in the way Portuguese universities tackle diversity, suggesting that institutional structures may reinforce assimilationist and deficit views of international students. Finally, considering that universities from other ‘catch-up’ countries may be confronted with similar issues, some empirically based recommendations are offered.

Over the past two decades, debates surrounding the marketization of higher education worldwide have intensified. The impact it is having specifically on academics and their careers is less well documented, but enough literature has emerged to certainly warrant a review. To investigate the topic, a systematic literature review was conducted to examine the implications of the increased marketization of higher education on academic careers. This secondary research reviewed 54 documents that included both theoretical contributions and empirical findings from 21 different national contexts. Our findings indicate that academic careers are affected on at least two levels: first, on a material level, career structures have undergone a progressive precarization, marked by an increase in temporary contracts and part-time jobs; and second, on an ideological level, in which fatalistic narratives such as “there is no other way out of the neoliberal game” appear to be prevalent. Our findings suggest that key collective and political aspects of academics’ careers may have become depoliticized through the individualistic “careerist strategies” they are encouraged to embrace to survive in an academic career.

In the last 20 years, Early School Leaving (ESL) in Portugal has registered a significant decrease. In order to understand the reasons for this trend towards improvement, this paper conducts an analysis of anti-ESL measures implemented in diverse educational institutions. The main objective is to understand how mainstream and alternative education can learn from each other in terms of increasing school engagement and reducing ESL. The analysis is guided by the intention to go beyond individual-oriented views of ESL and focus on wider institutional and structural issues. To achieve an in-depth understanding of these measures, interviews took place with several educational stakeholders (principals, teachers and students), and focus group discussions were conducted with students and teachers. The findings suggest that, in both mainstream and alternative educational institutions, measures to combat ESL tend to be designed and implemented in a top-down way, rather than built on the basis of young people’s lived experiences and needs. However, differences were also identified, suggesting that alternative models of education seem to be rooted in a more comprehensive view of ESL, and to better adapt to the challenges that young people experience in their daily lives. Consequently, mainstream education could follow the example of alternative institutions, and develop more comprehensive anti-ESL measures, which do not focus solely on students’ presumed “deficits”, but seek to tackle wider systemic inadequacies. In terms of policy recommendations, the findings suggest that both mainstream and alternative education could benefit from greater exchange between institutions of inspirational policies and practices.

Non-English-speaking countries are attracting burgeoning numbers of foreign students, yet research regarding these students' experiences remains rather scarce. In line with global tendencies, Portuguese universities are seeing substantial growth in foreign student enrolment. This paper addresses the lived experiences of foreign students in the period following their arrival in a new cultural context, discussing the role that language and social support play in their adaptation. Rooted in a narrative approach, this paper is based on 41 indepth biographic interviews. The findings indicate that the ways in which students deal with the challenges of living and studying in a foreign country are highly diverse. Nevertheless, a universal aspect of their narratives is the central role assumed by social support. Although social support has beneficial outcomes for foreign students' adaptation, if provided inadequately it can lead to less positive outcomes and even to marginalization.