Erasmus Mundus Graduate Impact Survey 2007/08. Research Report

Transcription

1 Erasmus Mundus Graduate Impact Survey 2007/08 Research Report

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION RESEARCH DESIGN QUESTIONNAIRES AND PROCEDURE PARTICIPANTS ERASMUS MUNDUS IMPACT ON GRADUATES RESULTS FROM THE GRADUATE IMPACT SURVEY GRADUATES EVALUATION OF IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS PROGRAMME IN VARIOUS FIELDS DOMICILE OF ERASMUS MUNDUS GRADUATES ERASMUS MUNDUS AND STUDENTS CAREER ERASMUS MUNDUS STUDENTS AND THE EU THE IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS ON SKILLS DEVELOPMENT THE IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS ON SOCIAL LIFE EXTRA-CURRICULAR ENGAGEMENT IN DIFFERENT ASSOCIATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS ON PERSONAL QUALITIES SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION: INTERPRETATION OF THE RESULTS AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH LIMITATIONS

3 TABLE OF FIGURES FIGURE 1: STUDENTS AND GRADUATES REGION OF ORIGIN... 9 FIGURE 2: DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONDENTS ACCORDING TO EMMC FIELD OF STUDY FIGURE 3: DEGREE PRIOR TO EMMC FIGURE 4: WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO DO A MASTER DEGREE IN GENERAL? FIGURE 5: WHAT CONVINCED YOU TO CHOOSE ERASMUS MUNDUS AS A MASTER COURSE? FIGURE 6: WHERE DO YOU PERSONALLY SEE THE GREATEST IMPACT OF EMMC? FIGURE 7: RESIDENCE REGION OF GRADUATES FROM NON-EU COUNTRIES FIGURE 8: RESIDENCE REGION OF GRADUATES FROM NON-EU COUNTRIES, DEPENDING ON THEIR HOME REGION FIGURE 9: WHAT ASPECTS OF THE EM PROGRAMME HAVE PRESUMABLY HAD THE MOST STRIKING FIGURE 10: INFLUENCE ON YOUR EMPLOYER S HIRING DECISION? WHAT OTHER SKILLS ACQUIRED IN YOUR EMMC ARE IMPORTANT FOR YOUR CURRENT POSITION? FIGURE 11: GRADUATES OCCUPATION AT TIME OF INQUIRY IN % FIGURE 12: WHAT IS/ WAS YOUR ANNUAL GROSS SALARY? FIGURE 13: HOW SATISFIED ARE/ WERE YOU WITH YOUR SALARY? FIGURE 14: WHAT POSITION DO/DID YOU HOLD? FIGURE 15: HOW DO YOU RATE THE PROMOTION PROSPECTS OF YOUR JOB? FIGURE 16: FIGURE 17: FIGURE 18: HOW INTERNATIONALLY OPERATING IS/ WAS THE COMPANY/ ORGANISATION YOU ARE/ WERE WORKING FOR? HOW FREQUENTLY ARE/ WERE YOU COOPERATING WITH INTERNATIONAL COLLEAGUES OR CLIENTS? COMPARED TO YOUR JOB PRIOR TO EMMC HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH YOUR CURRENT OCCUPATION? FIGURE 19: HOW SATISFIED ARE/ WERE YOU WITH YOUR OCCUPATION? FIGURE 20: DO YOU THINK THE EU IS A GOOD OR A BAD THING? FIGURE 21: EU AS A GOOD OR BAD THING FOR STUDENTS AND GRADUATES OF DIFFERENT ORIGIN FIGURE 22: WHAT DOES THE EU STAND FOR IN YOUR OPINION? FIGURE 23: MEANING OF THE EU FOR FIRST YEAR STUDENTS AND GRADUATES OF DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES FIGURE 24: HOW MUCH DO YOU PERSONALLY BENEFIT FROM EUROPE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION? FIGURE 25: FIGURE 26: BENEFITS FROM EUROPE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION FOR STUDENTS AND GRADUATES OF DIFFERENT ORIGIN HOW HAS YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARDS EUROPE AND THE EUROPEAN UNION CHANGED DUE TO YOUR ERASMUS MUNDUS EXPERIENCE? FIGURE 27: HOW DO YOU RATE THE INCREASE IN YOUR LANGUAGE SKILLS DUE TO YOUR EMMC? FIGURE 28: HOW DO YOU RATE THE INCREASE OF SUBJECT RELATED SKILLS DUE TO YOUR EMMC? FIGURE 29: WORKING PREFERENCES OF ERASMUS MUNDUS STUDENTS AND ALUMNI FIGURE 30: I HAVE MADE A LOT OF FRIENDS DURING EMMC WHO I WILL PROBABLY STAY IN TOUCH WITH. 42 FIGURE 31: HOW MANY OF YOUR FRIENDS ARE FROM ANY COUNTRY OTHER THAN YOUR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN? FIGURE 32: HOW DO YOU GENERALLY RATE THE QUALITY OF YOUR SOCIAL CONTACTS? FIGURE 33: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE SPARE TIME ACTIVITIES? FIGURE 34: FAVOURITE SPARE TIME ACTIVITIES DEPENDING ON COUNTRY OF ORIGIN FIGURE 35: HOW OFTEN DO YOU TRAVEL TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES FOR PRIVATE REASONS? FIGURE 36: KIND OF ORGANISATIONS STUDENTS AND GRADUATES ARE ENGAGED IN? FIGURE 37: HOW ACTIVELY ARE YOU ENGAGED IN THIS ORGANISATION? FIGURE 38: FIGURE 39: FIGURE 40: HOW DO YOU ESTIMATE THE INFLUENCE OF YOUR ERASMUS MUNDUS EXPERIENCE ON YOUR PERSONALITY? IN WHAT AREAS DO YOU SEE THE INFLUENCE OF THE EM PROGRAMME ON YOUR PERSONALITY? DEVELOPMENT OF INTERCULTURAL PERSONALITY TRAITS OF ERASMUS MUNDUS STUDENTS AND ALUMNI

4 1 INTRODUCTION International education has lately become one of the key factors in global workforce development. Moreover, it is seen by many international experts, as a tool for promoting social, cultural, economical and political understanding and cooperation. The European Union has recognized the importance of the internationalization of education and brought to life in 2004, the so called Erasmus Mundus programme, which is a co-operation and mobility programme in the field of higher education and promotes the European Union as a centre of excellence in learning around the world. It supports European top-quality Masters Courses and enhances the visibility and attractiveness of European higher education in third countries. It also provides EU-funded scholarships for third country nationals, as well as scholarships for EU-nationals studying at partner universities throughout the world. After a few years of existence, the European Commission is very much interested in evaluating the quality of the programme as well as its impact on student s academic, professional and personal life. The present survey report represents a concise evaluation of the impact the EM programme has on its graduates. 4

5 2 RESEARCH DESIGN In order to find out the impact of the EM programme on academic, professional and personal life of students, we conducted both qualitative and quantitative research. The qualitative research was carried out by making use of individual in-depth telephone interviews with first year students and graduates. In total, we conducted 25 semi-structured interviews, namely with 17 students and 8 graduates from 18 different countries and 21 different Erasmus Mundus Master Courses. The interviews were conducted in minutes telephone sessions, digitally recorded and analysed afterwards. Participants were assured of confidentiality and anonymity. The data analysis of the interview data meets a state-of-the-art qualitative approach. After the interview we probed and explored the responses of students to identify and define their perceptions, opinions and feelings about the impact the EM programme has on their academic, professional and personal life and determined the degree of agreement that exists in the group. For the quantitative research we used structured questions where the response options have been predetermined and a large number of respondent students were involved (online survey). In order to measure the influence of Erasmus Mundus programme in different fields of students lives surveys are planned to be conducted at four points of time, namely in the beginning of Erasmus Mundus course, right after graduation, one year after finishing the programme and two years after their final exams. This design allows for measuring Erasmus Mundus influence on students lives on the basis of longitudinal analyses on the one hand and cross-sectional comparison on the other hand. As the study was conducted in autumn 2007 for the first time, and therefore, we do not have longitudinal data available, only cross-sectional analyses were processed at that point of time. With the samples of first-year students and graduates presumably only differing in terms of their Erasmus Mundus Experience, we are able to draw conclusions about the impact of Erasmus Mundus on people by comparing the two groups. Besides comparing these two samples, we have asked graduates for their self-assessment of Erasmus Mundus impact on different aspects of their life in the online survey. 5

6 2.1 QUESTIONNAIRES AND PROCEDURE On the basis of the telephone interviews results, two questionnaires were designed, one for first year students and one for graduates. As a result of the interview study, we gained insights into possible answers to the multiple choice questions of the online study. For instance, we used our interview partner s answers to the question what motivated them to choose Erasmus Mundus as a Master programme (e.g. academic level of EM universities, scholarship, and multiple degrees) as a basis for the provided response options for this question in the online questionnaire, therefore ensuring that all response options make sense to students and alumni. Questionnaires aiming at both sample groups cover the following categories in order to gain comparable data. General characteristics of participants Demographic characteristics (year of birth, nationality etc.) EM study (EMMC, countries of study and date of graduation) Previous study (degree obtained before and field of study) International experience before EMMC Motivation Subject knowledge and skills Career facts (For first-year students only relevant if they have already been employed before EMMC) Social life Motivation to do a Master degree Reasons for choosing Erasmus Mundus Personal evaluation of foreign language competence Personal evaluation of course-relevant competence General job characteristics (field, company size, position, international orientation, security of employment) Salary (amount and satisfaction) Job satisfaction (commitment to the company, self fulfillment etc.) Friendship (international friends, quality of social contacts) Spare time activities (travel behaviour, hobbies, association membership and work) EM students and EU Personality issues Attitude towards Europe Attitude towards the European Union (estimated current and future significance of the European Union, personal benefits from the European Union) Characteristics related to intercultural and social competence Culture-specific patterns of thinking and working 6

7 Besides items covering the above topics, every survey version contains questions of two intercultural self-assessment tools by ICUnet, the Test of Intercultural Sensitivity (TIS) and the Intercultural Preference Tool (IPT). The TIS measures competencies and abilities, which have proven to influence a person s success in international cooperation and business, while the IPT determines one s personal working style. In order to identify survey participants anonymously at different points and therefore allowing us to analyse individual changes over time, participants are asked for a personal code. The online survey has been conducted online via ICUnet s internet platform IAS (Intercultural Awareness System), with the surface being adapted to EMA s corporate design. Several test runs by ICUnet employees and representatives of the European Commission were to ensure functionality, practicability, and completeness of the survey. Before inviting all Erasmus Mundus students and alumni whose addresses were available, invitations were sent out to only 100 students in order to once more check for smooth usability. Invitations to all students and alumni were sent out via between November 19th and December 5th. The design of the invitation was again in line with the EMA website and newsletter layout. Reminders to fill in the online questionnaire were sent out two weeks after the first invitation. As the response rate of Erasmus Mundus graduates who finished more than one year ago was not satisfying at that point of time, a second reminder was sent to this group. As an incentive, every participant got a free profile evaluating their personal working style compiled on the basis of the Intercultural Preferences Tool (IPT) enclosed in the online questionnaire. This profile, together with relevant information, has been sent out automatically after completing the questionnaire and entering one s address. The address which participants enter in order to receive their cultural profile is only used to send out the profile and is not saved afterwards. 2.2 PARTICIPANTS The response rate depends on the time of students graduation. The most satisfying response rate was achieved in the group of first year students (29%). From graduates of the year % filled in the questionnaires completely or partly; 11% of the contacted graduates of the years 2005 and 2006 took part in the survey. Previously a comparison between these three groups was planned. However, as the number of graduates of the year 2005 and 2006 was very small (only 23), graduates of 2007 and 2005/06 were put together in one sample group for the cross-sectional comparison, therefore resulting in a response rate of 19% among graduates. 7

8 Demographic characteristics of the survey participants when compared with the demographic data available from the EACEA prove the sample to be representative for the Erasmus Mundus population. Thus, the demographic characteristics allow for drawing further conclusions regarding the Erasmus Mundus programme as the survey sample nearly completely matches the EACEA data. GENDER Out of 817 participants who have answered the question of gender, 500 (61%) are male and 317 (39%) are female. That matches the EACEA data on gender distribution of Erasmus Mundus scholarship holders from third countries (see table 1). Gender Executive agency data of all EM students and graduates from 2004 to 2007 (N) Survey participants(n) Executive agency Survey data of all EM participants in % students and graduates from 2004 to 2007 in % Male % 61% Female % 39% Table 1: Gender frequencies of Survey participants and the EACEA data REGION OF ORIGIN Survey participants come from 92 countries, out of which China and India are the countries of origin of the largest percentage of Erasmus Mundus students (18.5% and 11% accordingly). In terms of geographic regions 1, the majority of participants come from South and East Asia (25.4% 1 The division of countries into different regions and respective numbers of students are as follows: Africa (Ethiopia (31), Ghana (15), Nigeria (8), Uganda (6), Kenya (5), Malawi (3), Zimbabwe (3), Burkina Faso (2), Cameroon (2), Tanzania (2), Benin (1), Congo (Zaire) (1), Madagascar (1), Niger (1), Seychelles (1), Senegal (1), South Africa (1), Zambia (1); Australia and Oceania (Australia (6), New Zealand (2)); Central Asia (Uzbekistan (3), Kyrgyzstan (2), Armenia (1), Georgia (1), Kazakhstan (1)); East Asia (China (90), Taiwan (11), Hong Kong (1), South Korea (1); EU countries (Germany (21), Italy (15), France (10), Belgium (7), Portugal (7), Spain (6), Austria (3), Ireland (3), Lithuania (2), Netherlands (2), Poland (2), Great Britain (2), Denmark (1), Estonia (1), Greece (1), Hungary (1), Sweden (1)); Latin America and Caribbean (Brazil (29), Colombia (16), Mexico (16), Argentina (9), Chile (6), Venezuela (4), Costa Rica (2), Ecuador (2), Peru (2). Paraguay (2). Trinidad and Tobago (2), Cuba (1), Grenada (1), Guatemala (1), Jamaica (1), El Salvador (1)); Middle East and North Africa (Iran (19), Egypt (8), Turkey (4), Israel (2), Jordan (2), Iraq (1), Morocco (1), Tunesia (1)); North America (United States (19), Canada (13)); European non-eu countries (Albania (13), Serbia and Montenegro (11), Russia (8), Ukraine (8), Moldova (3), Macedonia (3), Bosnia and Herzogovina (1), Belarus (1)) ; South Asia (India (152), Pakistan (22), Bangladesh (16), Nepal (5),); South East Asia (Thailand (19), Indonesia (13), Vietnam (12), Malaysia (11), Philippines (10), Singapore (4), Cambodia (2)) 8

9 and 13.4% accordingly). Relatively considerable is also the number of students coming from European (EU as well as non-eu) countries. The distribution of students according to region of origin also matches the EACEA data on geographic frequency of Erasmus Mundus scholarship holders from third countries (see table 2). Between students and graduates there is a significant difference in the distribution of participants region of origin (r = 0.18, p < 0.01). Significantly more first year students come from South Asian and African countries (27.7% and 13% in comparison to 18.8% and 6,1% of graduates accordingly) whereas significantly more graduates come from Latin America, European EU countries and South East Asia (15.2%, 15.7% and 11.7% of graduates in comparison with 11.4%, 9.5% and 8.4% accordingly). This distribution show that the number of EM students from EU countries has decreased since the Erasmus Mundus programme has been launched. EACEA data (N) Survey participants (N) EACEA data in % Survey in % North America % 5.0% South America % 14.0% Africa % 13.0% Europe (non-eu countries) % 7.0% Asia % 60.0% Australia % 1.0% Table 2: Frequencies of region of origin of non-eu Survey participants and the EACEA data Figure 1: Students and graduates region of origin 9

10 FIELD OF STUDY Survey participants represent all 80 Erasmus Mundus Master Courses. The majority of respondents study engineering and natural sciences (33.5%); a large number is also involved with social sciences (19%) (see figure 2). Compared with the EACEA data students number of engineering, technology and natural sciences is slightly overrepresented and the number of environmental sciences students slightly underrepresented (see table 3). Nevertheless, the distribution of students according to their field of study is quite similar to the distribution of all students and alumni in the EACEA data. Figure 2: Distribution of respondents according to EMMC field of study Fields of study EACEA data (N) Survey (N) EACEA data (%) Survey (%) Engineering, Technology and Natural Sciences % 30.8% Environmental Sciences % 14.6% Humanities, Social and Cultural Sciences % 22.15% Mathematics, Informatics % 8.9% Business Studies, Law and Economy % 10.5% Health Sciences % 9.4% Education, Teacher Training % 3.4% Table 3: Frequencies of fields of study of Survey participants and the EACEA data 10

11 AGE AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE When considering the age of only first year students, the majority (81%) is younger than 30 years old. Among first year students older than 30 (19%) 6.3% are older than 35. Graduates are as expected older than first year students at an average. The comparison between the age of first year students and the age of graduates in their first year of their Erasmus Mundus study did not show however significant differences. This demonstrates that the age structure of the Erasmus Mundus students has not changed since the Erasmus Mundus programme has been launched. Answers to questions about prior professional experience suggest that one of the reasons for a lot of EMMC students being older than 30 years old might be that they have been employed before starting a Master programme. 56% of respondents had worked before having started EMMC, with a majority of them (94%) having been engaged in a full-time job. Prior employment of EMMC students is significantly connected with participants age (r = 0.43, p < 0.001). More participants among students older than 25 years have had professional experience, if compared to respondents younger than 25 years old (70.4% in comparison to 29.6%). In the case of the latter, region of origin also plays an important role whether a student had previous working experience or not, with a significantly larger number of previously employed students coming from non-eu countries (33% in comparison to 14%, r = 0.15, p < 0.05). FAMILY STATUS 80% of all Survey participants are not married, 19% are married and 1% is divorced. Family status of respondents differs significantly depending on the sample (r = 0.11, p < 0.01), with logically more married and divorced individuals (26.7%) among graduates, than among first year students (17.5%). PREVIOUS STUDIES AND INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE The majority of students have obtained a Bachelor degree (66%) before starting an EMMC. However, there is also a relatively high number of respondents (30%), who have already obtained a Master or a comparable degree, which hints at the fact that the Erasmus Mundus programme is perceived as valuable additional education. Especially among participants from European non-eu countries there is a great number of comparable degree holders (51%) (see figure 3). As to the international experience of participants, the percentage of those who had lived abroad more than three months before commencing EMMC is quite low: 33%. Prior international experience is considerably connected with the region of origin of respondents. More EMMC students coming from Europe, Latin America, North America or Australia had obtained prior 11

12 international experience (60%, 52%, 63% and 50% accordingly), when compared to those originating from other countries (from 20 to 40%) (r = 0.31, p < 0.001). Figure 3: Degree prior to EMMC MOTIVATION OF ERASMUS MUNDUS STUDENTS AND GRADUATES TO OBTAIN A MASTER DEGREE AND TO STUDY ON ERASMUS MUNDUS PROGRAMME Regarding to the interview results students reasons for joining a Master programme differ. Among those whose primary interest lies in gaining more expertise, answers reach from a rather general motivation of broaden one s area of expertise ( I worked for one year before I did the master's degree. And I felt, that I needed to study a little bit more to get more competent, so I started the master's degree. ) to very clear stated plans to become an expert in one s field ( I have a degree in International Relations, but I found it a little bit too broad, so I wanted to have a more concrete field of knowledge so I chose the European Union to be that suit. ). This more subject-oriented motivation can clearly be distinguished from a very pragmatic and goal-oriented approach, namely to gain a Master degree in order to foster one s academic or industrial career, where in depth-subject related knowledge is more a means to the end. This attitude seems to come along with a very clear future career plan ( In order to join a doctor programme I have to take a mater's programme before it, I wanted to do a career in teaching and research, but you can not do this career without a PHD, I already have an admission now, but I do not have a scholarship. So the intention to do a career as a academic was the primary 12

13 motivation to do a master's degree., Because non of my bachelor degrees enabled me to work in the area of my interest. [ ] In order to work in the area of prehistoric arts you need a bachelor or master in archaeology. ). This very goal- focused motivation with a clear aim in mind is once again to be distinguished of a rather general approach to foster one s own career in terms of a better/good job like the following quotations shows: First of all because of career, because if you want to get a good job you should try for a higher education level., Because of work mainly, first of all because I thought, I can find a better job with the master degree ). Besides mostly subject- and career aspects students indeed mention personality related and private reasons for doing the Master degree: if you do master's studies you want to be more competent, to be more in the technical things, more competent in the business and within your personality., There was professional and personal motivation. [ ] I was just not ready to settle down and to start a real job so I was looking for some adventures, which Erasmus Mundus is. As for the results of the online survey gaining deeper knowledge and better skills is also the most chosen category by Erasmus Mundus students and graduates (70%) for obtaining a Master degree, followed by better career prospects (53%) (see figure 4). Almost one third of survey participants intend to carry forward their academic career with the help of a Master degree. However, choosing this motivation category does not necessarily imply a desire to pursue doctoral studies in the future, since a Master degree might already have a meaning of academic career fostering. This can also be confirmed by the fact that more participants among Bachelor degree holders (37% in comparison to 27% of Master or Diploma degree holders) chose continuing the academic career as their motivation. Improving of knowledge and skills has at the same time more importance in terms of motivation for those who hold a Master or similar level of degree before starting an EMMC (75% in comparison to 67%). Although mentioned in the interview by some, personal motives seem to be the least essential motive for students only 6.5% choose this category. 13

14 Other 80% 70% Percent 60% 40% 53% 34% 20% 0% 7% 2% Subject-Oriented Motivation Better Career Prospects Continuing one's Academic Career Personal Reasons Figure 4: What motivated you to do a Master degree in general? When it comes to what motivated students to choose Erasmus Mundus in particular, it turned out from the interview study that some students motives are well thought-out (.everything was in my mind, when I applied for this master's. ), while some others are more coincidental and based on intuition ( Because it was the opportunity, that showed up in the right time, It was more a stomach feeling., It was accidentally, because I applied for the Master in Kaiserslautern and they proposed me this scholarship. ). Even though in many ways students mixed up their reasons for a Master study in general and studying in Europe in particular, specific motives of Erasmus Mundus as such could be identified. First of all, the scholarship makes EMMC attractive for non-european students ( I am from a poor country and this programme provides you with the scholarship and includes all expenses, To be honest, the scholarship was the mean criteria, it gave me the opportunity to come. ), but is obviously not the only reason. Another attractive aspect of Erasmus Mundus is the idea of multiple degrees, as can be seen from the following statement: The diploma that you get from 4 universities has more value then if it is given to you only from one university, this makes the Erasmus Mundus programme very, very attractive. Students also mention selection and quality of courses as well as universities reputation as reasons to go for Erasmus Mundus ( I very liked courses they offer., And also the rating of the universities and the programme itself, I like the contents and subject. ) 14

15 When asked to select two out of six motives to study particularly on Erasmus Mundus programme in the frame of the online survey, EM Scholarship is chosen by 74.2% of students and graduates from non-eu countries followed by academic level of EMMC universities (see figure 5). For participants from the EU such categories as joint or multiple degree and availability of the subject are the most important motivation criteria. 100% 80% 74,2% 60%. 40% 20% 0% 7% 29,3% 47% 32,4% 16% 16,1% 47% 12,4% 9% 4,5% 19% Scholarship Availability of the Subject Joint/ Multiple Degree Academic Level of EM Universities Reputation of EM Other Participants from non EU Countries Participants from EU Countries Figure 5: What convinced you to choose Erasmus Mundus as a Master course? Reputation of Erasmus Mundus programme is the least selected motivation category for the participants, chosen only by 12.4% of respondents from non-eu countries and 9.3% of participants from the EU, which could be explained by the fact that the reputation of Erasmus Mundus is not yet very high. Motivation to study on an EMMC is connected with the region of origin of students and graduates. Certainly, the scholarship factor is not yet relevant for EU citizens, hence for them multiple or joint degree plays a more important role in comparison with participants from other regions (r = 0.26, p < 0.001). One of the reasons for that could be that EU citizens suppose that multiple or a joint degree from European universities is important for enhancing career chances when working and living in Europe, while for students from other regions the very fact of studying in Europe is already attractive for a future employer in their home countries. 15

16 3 ERASMUS MUNDUS IMPACT ON GRADUATES RESULTS FROM THE GRADUATE IMPACT SURVEY 3.1 GRADUATES EVALUATION OF IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS PROGRAMME IN VARIOUS FIELDS When given the choice to decide on two categories in which the impact of Erasmus Mundus programme was the greatest, graduates select career and attitude towards the EU (43% and 40% accordingly), (see figure 6). Such categories as subject related expertise and personality were more rarely selected in terms of impact of EMMC (38% and 28%) with private life being the category where the influence of Erasmus Mundus is perceived to be the least (13%). 100% 80% Percent 60% 40% 43% 40% 38% 28% 20% 0% 13% 3% Career Attitudes towards Europe and EU Subject related expertise Personality Private life Other Figure 6: Where do you personally see the greatest impact of EMMC? There is a significant correlation between the initial motivation of respondents to study on EMMC and their perception of the final impact. Those who wanted to obtain a Master degree in order to have better career chances tend to select the category career more when assessing the impact area than those who did not chose this motive (52% in comparison to 33%, r = 0.18, p < 0.01). Accordingly, participants who wished to gain additional knowledge and skills tend to opt more for subject related expertise as the impact category in comparison with those who did not pursue 16

17 this goal (46% to 23%, r = 0.22, p < 0.01). Respondents for whom private motives were a leading motivation factor select impact on their private life to be the most essential (43% in comparison to 11%, r = 0.23, p < 0.01). The correlation described above signifies that there is significant relationship between the initial motivations of the graduates and the perceived impact of the EM Programme. 3.2 DOMICILE OF ERASMUS MUNDUS GRADUATES Whether or not non-eu graduates reside in the EU upon finishing an EMMC obviously depends on the date of graduation (r = 0.25, p < 0.01), (see Figure 7). The longer the time period after graduation, the more graduates leave the EU. For instance none of the non-eu graduates of the years 2005 and 2006 lives in the EU at the moment. Nevertheless, among those non-eu graduates who graduated 3-6 months ago, almost 60% are still in the EU. Internship, exams follow up or travelling could be reasons for staying in the EU right after the end of the programme. Figure 7: Residence region of graduates from non-eu countries at time of inquiry 17

18 Figure 8 shows a detailed evaluation of graduates residence region after they have finished the programme depending on where they are from. However, no objective final conclusions could be drawn yet due to the fact that the number of participants from several regions is not large enough to conduct complex statistical analysis. Moreover, the sample sizes differ a lot, also not allowing for reasonable conclusions. In the future research we expect to raise the response rate, thus having wider sample groups from every respective region Count Africa Australia and Oceania Central Asia East Asia Latin America and the Caribbean Middle East and North Africa Europe/ non-eu countries South Asia South East Asia Graduates' region of residence Other regions North America Europe/ EU countries Home region Graduates' region of origin Figure 8: Residence region of graduates from non-eu countries at time of inquiry, depending on their home region 3.3 ERASMUS MUNDUS AND STUDENTS CAREER ESTIMATED IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS ON CAREER DEVELOPMENT Regarding to the online survey most graduates attribute a very high value to the impact of Erasmus Mundus programme on their career development. 83% of the respondents believe that Erasmus Mundus will have a very significant or a rather significant influence on their future career chances. Within the interview study we asked students in what way they expected Erasmus Mundus to influence their future career. 18

19 Logically, subject relevant qualification is seen as to positively influence students career future ( Erasmus Mundus helps me to make my growth in careers because of acquiring new professional skills ), and also English skills seem to play a role for some ( for the PhD at the university of England they ask for [proof of English and now I do not need any additional proof]. ). Especially non-european students highlight the wider frame of their goals and their idealism in terms of making a difference in their work field once back home: it gives me an opportunity to turn my country to an economic status quo in the agricultural sector by grafting different high tech technologies. Interestingly enough, most students point at further aspects that might foster their career. Among social skills that will presumably foster their career, students emphasize the global competence they gained during Erasmus Mundus: The Erasmus Mundus programme is qualifying us for the world. But obviously also other soft skills, like problem solving or adjustability, are highlighted as mostly relevant in a globalized work environment ( it is not a very standard, the students who got the master's degree from two universities, that characterises a student as a better problem solver, because moving every half of the year your have to solve a lot of problems, so I think it would be just a plus., Moving during this programme [ ] shows that Erasmus Mundus students are able to adjust to different cultural environments ). As for those who are aiming at an academic career, namely applying for a PhD, the positive impact becomes even clearer. On the one hand the very fact of being a scholarship holder ( they look on your CV, a series of scholarships including Erasmus Mundus, it gives a great advantage. ) resp. a graduate from an European university is a value in itself ( We still have the thinking, that things made in Europe are better, so for getting the job within the university or in a company the diploma from Europe counts more than a diploma from Brazil. ). On the other hand the obvious research and scientific character of the course is seen as a benefit for an academic career ( this programme is a research masters, and as I want to do researching in the field of my interest, it will help me to do PhD or other research activities. ). Besides a positive aspect due to knowledge and skills gained during the course, an indirect influence of Erasmus Mundus is being explored in interviews: Erasmus Mundus courses enable students to establish useful networks ( contacts in the universities, where I studied, the professors know me and they can recommend me in the industry, for a job or for a PhD position, so I think this degree is very good for my career. ) or do internships at key institutions or relevant industry ( I worked in many institutions because of Erasmus Mundus, I know how they function, how they work so it was quite important. ). 19

20 Both, multiple and joint degrees seen to generally be seen as a benefit, even though there still exists some scepticism towards this type of degree ( Maybe if other people see that you studied in different universities they think you know many things, but may be not specialised knowledge. ) resp. its recognition in the home country ( I do not know, if this joint degree will be recognised in Brazil ). When dealing with career related issuers in the frame of the online survey we asked those who have had found a job already some more detailed questions about the impact Erasmus Mundus might have had on their employers hiring decision, about which aspects presumably influenced this decision, and what skills they estimate to be important for their current occupation. 71% of employed graduates assume that the degree of impact of Erasmus Mundus on the decision of employers to hire them was very strong or rather strong. Such categories as European/ international Master degree, Acquired knowledge and skills and Area of the study are the most chosen by EMMC graduates when answering the question about which aspects of Erasmus Mundus programme had the most striking influence on employers decision, thus confirming the impression we got from the interviews. Nevertheless, the reputation of the programme and establishing of networks are rarely chosen (see figure 9). 60% 50% 40% 30% 47% 41% 39% 20% 10% 0% 14% 7% 6% 3% 2% European/ international degree Academic quality of universities Acquired knowledge and skills Other Area of the study Established network Reputation of EM Joint degree Figure 9: What aspects of the EM programme have presumably had the most striking influence on your employer s hiring decision? 20

21 None When asked to which extent knowledge acquired during Erasmus Mundus studies is relevant for the present job, 78% of respondents state that it was very or rather relevant. Upon choosing which skills gained during an EMMC are the most relevant for their present occupation, graduates name intercultural competence, communication abilities and language skills (Figure 10). 100,0% 80,0% Percent 60,0% 40,0% 20,0% 0,0% 48,9% 40,9% 30,7% 20,5% 20,5% 14,8% 13,6% 2,3% Communication skills Intercultural Competence Presentation skills Leadership qualities Language skills Teamwork ability Other Figure 10: What other skills acquired in your EMMC are important for your current position? HARD FACTS ON ERASMUS MUNDUS GRADUATES CAREER DEVELOPMENT Due to the fact that more graduates who have finished Erasmus Mundus four or fewer months ago have taken part in the survey, and the number of earlier graduates among the participants is lower, it is yet difficult to come to definite conclusions regarding the dynamics of employment. In general the employment rate tendency of EMMC graduates is rather satisfying: 59% of graduates of September-December 2007 have found a job or a PhD position, even though the survey was conducted shortly after their graduation or even before the official end of the programme; 62% of the graduates who have finished an EMMC 3-4 months before the survey took place are also employed and 79% of earlier graduates have a job or a PhD position (see Figure 11). 21

22 Figure 11: Graduates occupation at time of inquiry in % The majority (61%) of those who already are employed stated that it took them less than 4 months to find a job. Obviously, the motivation that had led students to start an EM Master programme has an influence on the type of their present occupation. Fewer graduates who indicate Pursue of an academic career as their initial motivation for a Master degree are employed, search for a job or make an internship, when compared with those who do not chose that motivation criteria. Consequently, notably more graduates who initially wanted to be engaged in academic career field are in the process of application for a PhD or already are enrolled in a doctoral level program, than those for who this was not a relevant motivation basis (r = 0.19, p < 0.01). At the same time, even among those who initially wanted to continue their academic career, the majority does work or search for a job, which might be explained by the fact that for many a Master degree is considered to already be a step in academic career. 22

23 IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS PROGRAMME ON WAGE AND INCOME SATISFACTION Erasmus Mundus graduates earn considerably more than first-year students who have already been employed before their EMMC earned before starting with an EMMC (r = 0.31, p < 0.001), which signifies that Erasmus Mundus programme has a significant impact on participants income. Some 64% of graduates earn an annual wage of more than , while only 28% of first year students had such an income prior to Erasmus Mundus (see figure 12). Accordingly, graduates are more satisfied with their income than first year students were with their income prior to Erasmus Mundus (see figure 13). Income of Erasmus Mundus graduates is also influenced by the field of work. In such work area as law, wages are much higher than in other spheres. The smallest incomes are observed in administrative work field, as well as in training/education spheres. Figure 12: What is/ was your annual gross salary? 23

24 Figure 13: How satisfied are/ were you with your salary? IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS PROGRAMME ON JOB POSITION AND PROMOTION PROSPECTS When comparing prior job positions of first year students and current positions of graduates, it turns out that a large number of respondents has held or is currently holding a management position. A large number of first year students (53%) had a management position before beginning Erasmus Mundus. Out of those graduates who are employed in management sector, the majority is engaged in middle-management level (see figure 14). 24

25 Figure 14: What position do/did you hold? Because of a minor difference between first year students and graduates in terms of holding management position, it seems as if there is no short-term impact of Erasmus Mundus on position level of graduates, however, short time period after graduation and the prior management experience of students should be taken into consideration. When it comes to longterm impact of Erasmus Mundus on level of positions of graduates, it is yet too early to draw conclusions at the present point of time. In regard to staff supervision, it turns out that Erasmus Mundus graduates have significantly less personnel responsibility in comparison with first year students, who have been working before starting Erasmus Mundus (r = 0.15, p < 0.01). However, again, that cannot be an absolute indicator in terms of Erasmus Mundus programme, but rather is a consequence of the fact that a lot of Erasmus Mundus students had held a position involving staff supervision before beginning an EMMC. Almost 44% of Erasmus Mundus graduates have personnel responsibility, which is already relatively high, considering that they have only recently graduated. Staff supervision is significantly connected with job position: those who hold a management position are the ones having personnel responsibility the most (r = 0.49, p < 0.001). 25

26 The promotion perspectives in the past and present job have been assessed to be high by both, first year students and Erasmus Mundus graduates. Despite the fact that graduates tend more to choose the answers very high or fairly high, there is no significant difference among sample groups (see Figure 15), which speaks of high attractiveness of Erasmus Mundus programme, since even individuals who had high job promotion perspectives in their former job opted for commencing an EMMC. Figure 15: How do you rate the promotion prospects of your current/ previous job? IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS PROGRAMME ON INTERNATIONALITY OF EMPLOYMENT According to analysis of survey results, significantly more Erasmus Mundus graduates are employed in international companies and have contact with international colleagues or clients as in comparison with first year students employment experience prior to EMMC (r = 0.1, p < 0.05). 60% of the participating Erasmus Mundus graduates state that they are employed by an international or partly international organisation or company, while only 46% of the first year students admit that the company they had worked for prior to EMMC was of a very or partly international character (see figure 16). 52% of graduates mention international type of tasks and cooperation with international colleagues or clients in the framework of their current occupation, while just 38% of first year students had that sort of experience in their previous jobs (see figure 17). 26

27 Figure 16: How internationally operating is/ was the company/ organisation you are/ were working for? Figure 17: How frequently are/ were you cooperating with international colleagues or clients? 27

28 IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS PROGRAMME ON JOB SATISFACTION The majority of Erasmus Mundus graduates (59%) from those who are employed and who have had work experience prior to EMMC state that they are more satisfied with their current job than with the previous one (see Figure 18). Figure 18: Compared to your job prior to EMMC how satisfied are you with your current occupation? Comparison between former job satisfaction among first year students and current job satisfaction of Erasmus Mundus graduates shows that graduates are significantly more satisfied with their jobs (r = 0.16, p < 0.01). 75% of Erasmus Mundus graduates indicate that they are very or rather satisfied with their job, while in case of the first year students only 56 % of them could say that about their previous jobs (see Figure 19). 28

29 Figure 19: How satisfied are/ were you with your current/ previous occupation? Both, students and graduates assessed highly the meaningfulness of their former and current occupations and expressed a high level of pride of working for their former or current employers (70-85% of all respondents). There is no significant discrepancy between the sample groups. The above mentioned categories also strongly correlate with job satisfaction (r 0.5, p < 0.001). 3.4 ERASMUS MUNDUS STUDENTS AND THE EU ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE EU Regarding to the interview study students appreciate the EU welcoming third-country people, therefore leading to a very positive attitude towards it. The European Union is doing good integrating the countries of Europe and in respect of letting other countries to get into the light of its prosperities., The EU is doing great in terms of helping people from developmental countries to become more exposed to fields of study that they can not access in their countries and also to latest technologies. On the other hand, there s also scepticism about the idea of EM, especially in terms of brain drain as the following statement shows in a very drastic way: I am very critical about the European Union, because they always speak about helping development countries, but I think the 29

30 EU is looking just for its interests, for instance, the Erasmus Mundus is a kind of brain drain. And there is of course the interest, that the students come to Europe, I know it is the aim of the programme, so I am very sceptical about the initiative. It is a very good initiative, but the people who use it, they have to be smarter as the system. Nevertheless, the majority of online survey participants perceive the EU in a positive way (95.5%). To reveal attitude of respondents towards the EU in the frame of the online survey, participants were asked whether they think the EU is a good or a bad thing and how optimistic they are about the future of the European Union. 75% of first year students and 73% of graduates think that the EU is a good thing. Only a small number of respondents (4% of first year students and 7% of graduates) consider the EU to be neither good nor bad or clearly a bad thing (see Figure 20). Analysis of the answers shows that there is no significant discrepancy among first year students and Erasmus Mundus graduates in their perception of the EU. Figure 20: Do you think the EU is a good or a bad thing? The attitude towards the EU is connected with the region of origin of the participants, as well as with gender (r = 0.16/ 0.1, p < 0.05). Erasmus Mundus students and graduates from North 30

31 America (see Figure 21), as well as female respondents, tend to see the EU in a more negative perspective. A slight gender gap in perception of the European Union confirms earlier academic research that revealed that a modest, but statistically significant gender gap exists in the EU, as women show less enthusiasm for integration, with the following factors being potential reasons: women s greater distance from foreign policy, women s values, women s interests and national traditions. 2. Also optimism about the future of the European Union is linked with the region of origin of respondents (r = 0.16, p < 0.05). Here again participants from North America are more pessimistic about the development of the EU than the others. Figure 21: EU as a good or bad thing for students and graduates of different origin 2 Guth J, Nelsen B. Exploring the Gender Gap: Women, Men and Public Attitudes toward European Integration European Union Politics, vol. 1, 2000: pp

32 As for the question what the EU stands for, the majority of Erasmus Mundus students and graduates sees the European Union as an economic union, followed by perception of the EU as important global political player and a union based on the common values (see Figure 22). Percent 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 58% 53% 40% 35% 34% 23% 21% 16% 14% 25% 12% 11% 2% 3% First Year Students Graduates Political Union Union based on common values Important player in the global arena Economic Union Common culture Possibility to travel Other Figure 22: What does the EU stand for in your opinion? (Please tick max. 2) Common culture as a characteristic of the EU was the least chosen category, which might be a sign that for most Erasmus Mundus students the European Union is more associated with cultural diversity. There is a significant discrepancy among first year students and the graduates when it comes to perception of the EU in terms of travelling opportunities versus the EU as a union based on common values (r = 0.12, p < 0.01). Graduates tend to regard the nature of the EU as an opportunity to travel (25% in comparison to 14% of first year students), while first year students more often associate common values with the European Union (34% in comparison to 23% of graduates). That might indicate that first year students see the EU in a rather abstract perspective, while graduates base their assessment more on practical meaning of the EU out of their experience. Though not significant there is also a difference in the EU perception among first year students and graduates of various nationalities. For those coming from North America, the EU is more of a political and economic coalition rather than a community with common values and culture, while students and graduates from African countries tend more to choose the latter. Reasons for that 32

33 might be a more homogeneous perception of Europeans by Africans, and a more diversified view of Europe in North America due to extensive economic and political cooperation. Survey participants from South America attribute more importance to the EU as a global political player when compared with students from other regions (r = 0.14 to 0.18, p < 0.01), (see Figure 23). Possibility to travel 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Africa Australia and North America Central Asia East Asia Europe/ EU countries Latin America and the Caribbean Middle East and North Africa North America South Asia Europe/ non-eu countries South East Asia Important player in the global arena Economic Union Political Union Common culture Union based on common values Figure 23: Meaning of the EU for First Year students and graduates of different nationalities EVALUATION OF PERSONAL BENEFITS FROM EUROPE AND THE EU The majority of students and graduates (76%) think that they benefit from Europe or the EU to a large or rather large extent; there is no significant difference between both samples (see figure 24). 33

34 Figure 24: How much do you personally benefit from Europe and the European Union? Only 6% of all respondents consider the personal benefit from Europe and the European Union to be minor, and 2% think that they do not benefit at all. There is no significant discrepancy among students and graduates in terms of their assessment of benefits from the European Union and Europe, though it should be noted that the estimation of personal benefits is initially already high among students (around 77%). Evaluation of personal benefits from Europe or the European Union is also connected with region of origin of students and graduates (r = 0.25, p < 0.001), (see Figure 25). Respondents from North America tend to estimate the extent of personal benefits to be lower than it is for other participants. 34

35 Figure 25: Benefits from Europe and the European Union for students and graduates of different origin Evaluation of personal benefits from Europe or the European Union also correlates with view of the EU as a good or a bad thing, as well as with optimism towards the EU (r = 0.29, p < 0.001). 5 PERCEPTION OF EUROPE AS A TRAVEL DESTINATION AND A PLACE TO LIVE IN Most students and graduates see Europe as a very attractive travel destination and an attractive place to live in. Both sample groups consider Europe to be an attractive place to travel to; more graduates see Europe as an attractive place to live in, when compared to first year students. Significantly more graduates choose Europe to be very attractive for living, while students tend to opt for rather attractive, neither nor and unattractive (r = 0.16, p < 0.001). 35 5,2%

36 Attractiveness of Europe in terms of living differs for various nationalities. Unsurprisingly, to live in Europe is most attractive for respondents from the EU countries (t = 5,281, p < 0,001). ESTIMATED CHANGE OF ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE EU AMONG ERASMUS MUNDUS GRADUATES First of all, students state an impact on their level of knowledge and information about Europe and the European Union ( I did not have information how the things worked, and how people lived. I did not come with any good or bad expectations, I was just ignorant, and I got informed, how it works. ). Moreover, living in Europe does of course not only lead to a more precise, but also a more realistic view on the continent as the following quotation shows: It has made me realize that Europe is not that perfect place where all problems are solved, as it is often seen to be in0 the third world countries. Living here in Europe makes you see, ok, it has many good things, but it also has many problems. Nevertheless, some students now see the EU as a model for other continents, they point out their personal preference for the political EU-model instead of the US-System: In the case of Latin America we should try to follow this model, to try to reach agreements between the countries in Latin America, but it is very difficult., Maybe I prefer the model of EU more than of US and maybe this change of my mind was because I am staying here.. Erasmus Mundus obviously might have a positive impact on students from India or other colonial countries, as they revise their negative picture of Europe in some respects. The following statement serves as an example: Because of British, Europe was seen as a kind of imperialistic power, but after coming here my opinion changed, probably it was so in the history may be some years ago but now, they want to be constructive, they want peace and happiness. I got this kind of experience while I am studying here. This positive impact of Erasmus Mundus reported in the interview is quantitatively confirmed by the fact that 80% of all graduated online survey participants are of an opinion that their attitude towards the EU has positively changed (see Figure 26). Subjective evaluation of attitude transformation is connected with graduates region of origin. Graduates coming from the EU, and North America think that their attitude towards the EU has stayed unchanged, while graduates from other regions believe that the attitude has changed in positive direction (r = 0.36, p < 0.001). 36

37 Figure 26: How has your attitude towards Europe and the European Union changed due to your Erasmus Mundus experience? IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS PROGRAMME ON IDENTITY OF GRADUATES For both, first year students and graduates, the feeling of national and global identity prevails over the regional belonging. Respondents were asked to choose which identity they associate themselves with foremost and what their second choice would be. The first choice of the largest number of students and graduates is citizens of own country (47%) with the identity category citizen of the world (34%) being the most preferred second choice. A smaller amount of participants from both sample groups consider themselves foremost to be citizen of the world (39%) and opt for citizen of own country as their second choice (22 %). Only a small number of respondents feel most of all to be citizen of the continent, however many choose that category as their second preference (22%). There is no significant discrepancy among sample groups in terms of self-identification. Nevertheless, there is a significant difference between male and female respondents. Men tend to 37

38 select citizen of the world identity as their first choice more than women, who choose citizen of the continent more (r = 0.13, p < 0.05). Among students and graduates from different geographic regions there is some discrepancy in indicating the identity category. Respondents from EU countries tend more than participants from other regions to indicate their identity as a citizen of the continent (25.3% in comparison to 4.1% of respondents from non-eu countries). 3.5 THE IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS ON SKILLS DEVELOPMENT LANGUAGE SKILLS Referring to students estimation, the Erasmus Mundus programme has a very positive influence on the development of English skills as well as languages of the countries of study. In order to estimate their progress in English upon finishing the Erasmus Mundus programme, both, students and graduates rated their language knowledge by choosing elementary, intermediate, upper-intermediate or advanced categories. Comparison of this assessment among students on the one side and graduates on the other shows that graduates consider their English language skills to be better than first-year students (r = 0.13, p < 0.01). 68% of graduates rate their English skills as advanced, while this category is chosen only by 55% of first-year students. Students tend to view their English language competence to be elementary, intermediate or upper-intermediate. However, also first year students estimate their English knowledge to be very good only a few respondents state that they assess their skills to be elementary or intermediate, which is logical, since language competence is one of the requirements when applying for Erasmus Mundus programme. The estimated level of English knowledge among those graduates who have already found a job is significantly connected (correlated) with the international nature of their responsibilities (r = 0.15, p < 0.05). 46.7% and 34.2% of those graduates who view their English skills to be advanced or upper-intermediate correspondingly, cooperate with international clients and colleagues. Among those who assess their English competence as intermediate or elementary only 24% are in contact with international colleagues and clients. In order to evaluate the progress of Erasmus Mundus students in knowledge of other languages, an average students assessment of language skills in three countries of study is compared. The analysis shows that graduates reveal a higher evaluation of their language competences than firstyear students (t = 5.3, p < 0.001). On a scale from 0 to 4, with 0 meaning no knowledge, 1 - elementary, 2 - intermediate, 3 - upper-intermediate and 4 - advanced, the average rate of graduates self-assessed language skills is 1.9, while for students this index is

39 Moreover, answers to the question how survey participants assess the progress of their language skills due to Erasmus Mundus, addressed only to graduates, show a considerable increase of language competence among graduates in their own perception. Hence, 53% of graduates state that improvement of their language skills due to Erasmus Mundus is high or very high (see figure 27). Figure 27: How do you rate the increase in your language skills due to your EMMC? SUBJECT RELATED SKILLS Improvement of subject related competence is also seen to be high by 65% of all Erasmus Mundus graduates. Only 6% of all participating graduates state that progress is low. The influence of having a job on higher assessment of increase of subject related skills is not confirmed by the survey. 39

40 Figure 28: How do you rate the increase of subject related skills due to your EMMC? IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS ON STUDENTS WAY OF WORKING The Intercultural Preference Tool (IPT) helps reveal the participants preferred way of working. The results show that the Erasmus Mundus graduates are more intuitive when it comes to workplace related decisions and that they differ significantly from students in terms of single- vs. multi-focused time-management (see figure 29). 40

41 Figure 29: Working preferences of Erasmus Mundus students and alumni Substantial difference between graduates and students is observed in the dimension Rationality vs. Intuition (U = 36121, p < 0.05) which signifies a continuum between two types of decision making: decisions based on numbers and facts vs. decisions based on emotions and intuition with graduates revealing a stronger preference for intuitive behaviour. Even though both, students and graduates tend to rather rationally justify their decisions, Erasmus Mundus graduates think and act more in an intuitive way. That could be linked with quicker and more spontaneous search for decisions which is being fostered by the Erasmus Mundus programme, resulting in relying on self intuition. The dimension Single vs. Multi-focused Time-Management describes a continuum between two ways of tasks realization and time perception. People who have high scores on this continuum are able to carry out several projects and tasks at the same time. Planning does not play such a significant role and they prefer to improvise and be spontaneous while coordinating several assignments at the same time. Due to the fact that Erasmus Mundus students change their place of studies almost every semester, it is not always possible to plan everything in advance. Students often have to deal with various formalities in a short period of time and react to unexpected situations. Thus, inclination of Erasmus Mundus graduates towards preference of parallel rather than linear time-management when compared with students (U = 35043, p < 0.01) can be explained. 41

42 3.6 THE IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS ON SOCIAL LIFE FRIENDSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP Students of Erasmus Mundus not only find friends during their studies, but many also find a partner. According to the online survey results some 83% of all graduates agree with the statement that they have found many friends during Erasmus Mundus programme who they probably would stay in contact with (see figure 30). More than a quarter of graduates (26%) indicate that they also have found a partner while conducting their studies on Erasmus Mundus programme. Figure 30: I have made a lot of friends during EMMC who I will probably stay in touch with. Besides, comparison of students and graduates in terms of the number of friends who come from countries other than their country of origin also shows an impact of Erasmus Mundus programme on private life of students. More graduates (83% in comparison to 70% of students, r = 0.12, p < 0.001) claim that almost all or the majority of their friends are of a different nationality than their own (see figure 31). However, the number of students who have many international friends is also large. That possibly has to do with the fact that at the time of the survey students already have spent 2 to 4 months on the programme and hence got acquainted with many international peers. Another explanation would be that Erasmus Mundus students have an 42

43 international orientation or have studied and/or worked in an international environment even before EMMC. In respect to the quality of their social contacts, more than the half of students and graduates (57.6%) assess that quality of these contacts is high. Even though more graduates than students consider the quality of their social contacts to be high (62.4% in comparison with 56.1%), this discrepancy is not significant (see figure 32). It seems that both cohorts represented by graduates and first year students share a set of personality traits, which lead to a rich multicultural social life. Figure 31: How many of your friends are from any country other than your country of origin? 43

44 Figure 32: How do you generally rate the quality of your social contacts? SPARE TIME ACTIVITIES AND TRAVELLING TO OTHER COUNTRIES Answers to questions about spare time activities where students and graduates could choose two categories show that computer/ Internet, travelling and reading belong to the most favourite spare time activities of Erasmus Mundus participants chosen by 40%, 34% and 30% of both, students and graduates accordingly. Watching television, arts and shopping are the least chosen ways to spend free time (see figure 32). There is no considerable difference between students and graduates in terms of spare time activities. 44

45 100% 80% Percent 60%. 40% 20% 0% 40% 34% 30% 26% 23% 23% 6% 6% 3% 1% Computer/ Internet Reading Travelling Sport Music Arts Socialising Watching TV Shopping Handcrafts Figure 33: What are your favourite spare time activities? Count Africa Australia and Oceania Central Asia East Asia Latin America and the Caribbean Middle East and North Africa North America Europe/ non-eu countries South Asia South East Asia Sport Reading Computer/ Internt Travelling Figure 34: Favourite spare time activities depending on country of origin 45

46 A more detailed evaluation of the data shows that there is a difference between students and graduates from different regions in their preferred spare time activities. Considerably more students and graduates from Middle East, North Africa, the EU and Australia go in for sports (accordingly 43%, 42% and 38% when compared to 0% to 28% of students and graduates from other regions). Computer and Internet are the most favourite spare time activities of survey participants from Asian and African countries (48% and 61% correspondingly in comparison with 13% to 34% of students and graduates from other regions). Travelling is most rarely indicated as a hobby by African students and graduates (10% in comparison with 30% to 50% of students and graduates from other regions of origin) (see figure 34). Preference towards certain types of free time activities, such as sports (r = 0.16, p < 0.01), reading (r = 0.13, p < 0.05), computer/internet (r = 0.17, p < 0.01) and socializing (r = 0.14, p < 0.05) significantly depends on the study field. Sports is chosen the most by those who study medicine (34.2%), engineering/technology and natural sciences (32.5%) and the least by students and graduates of educational science (7%). Reading is preferred by those studying social sciences and culture (38.4%) and is the least chosen category by students and graduates of medical sphere (21.1%). Computer/ Internet is indicated as favourite spare time activity the most by students and graduates studying engineering and natural sciences (50%) as well as math and informatics (45.1%), while this category is the least chosen by students and graduates of educational science (27.6%), economics and law (28.6%). Socialising as a spare time activity is chosen the least by engineering and natural sciences students and graduates (15.4% in comparison with 23% to 33% of students and graduates of other study fields). The comparison between Erasmus Mundus students and graduates shows that graduates go abroad for private purposes more often than students (r = 0.2, p < 0.001): 50% of graduates go abroad two or more times per year, while this number among students is 28% (see figure 35). This could be an indicator that Erasmus Mundus arouses interest for other countries and cultures among students. The correlation of the frequency of visits abroad of Erasmus Mundus graduates with the region where they live (r = 0.44, p < 0,001) signifies connection of regularity of private trips outside the country with better opportunities that offers life in Europe. 72% of non-eu graduates who live in the European Union travel abroad twice or more times per year, while this number among those graduates who live outside of the EU is 22%. Moreover, it also depends on the time of graduation whether non-eu graduates travel abroad a lot or not. Among those who finished their studies 8 or less months ago 52% visit other countries two or more times a year, while this number is only 26% among those who graduated 9 or more months ago. The explanation of that could be the fact that non-eu Erasmus Mundus graduates use the opportunity to travel right after finishing their studies while they still are in Europe before they return to their home countries and start working. 46

47 Besides, frequency of visiting other countries by students and graduates is linked to travelling listed as a hobby (r = 0.24, p < 0.001): 50% of those students and graduates whose hobby is travelling, go abroad twice or more times per year in comparison with 25% of students and graduates who have not indicated travelling to be one of their hobbies. Figure 35: How often do you travel to foreign countries for private reasons? 3.7 EXTRA-CURRICULAR ENGAGEMENT IN DIFFERENT ASSOCIATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS Even though Erasmus Mundus students have a very demanding academic schedule, still they invest some of their time in extra curricular activities, related to social engagement. These activities are represented by being engaged in different types of organizations such as: academic and political associations, as well as in cultural and sport groups (see figure 36). According to the descriptive analysis 47% of students and graduates are members of various organizations and 60% of all members are active or very active (see figure 37). In our survey participants had to 47

48 choose maximum two types of organizations which they are members of, and both, students and graduates indicate that they participate in activities of academic and international organizations (46% and 30% accordingly). A large number of members of academic organizations might also mean that survey participants mean EMA under this category. The smallest number of students and graduates are actively engaged in political organizations (only 5%). 100% 80% Percent 60%. 40% 20% 46% 30% 25% 22% 15% 5% 0% International Association Academic Association Sprots Club Cultural Group Social /Religious Political Association Figure 36: Kind of organisations students and graduates are engaged in? Figure 37: How actively are you engaged in this organisation (these organisations)? 48

49 3.8 IMPACT OF ERASMUS MUNDUS ON PERSONAL QUALITIES GRADUATES ESTIMATED INFLUENCE OF ERASMUS MUNDUS ON PERSONALITY 90% of all graduates state that the impact of Erasmus Mundus programme on their personality is strong or very strong (see figure 38), thus confirming the impression we got from the interview study as described in the following. Figure 38: How do you estimate the influence of your Erasmus Mundus experience on your personality? A detailed analysis of the interview results showed that the major impact on personality is seen in the field of social skills like self-confidence ( it gave me more confidence; it made me to understand issues from different perspectives, [ ], making people understand the culture. ) as well as openness and intercultural competence ( I became also more open-minded towards other countries and other cultures. Because in my course there were many people from different countries and it is a very interesting thing for me. Because in Chile many people are Catholics, but here I also met Muslims, Turks, Japanese, Chinese and now I have for example more interest to go to China and to get to know better other countries and other cultures., Erasmus Mundus helped me to be more tolerant, patient and to be more acceptant of others because of cultural diversity. ). 49

50 None The change of work attitude has also been mentioned when asked about personality related changes, which hints at a very professional perception of students personalities: the Erasmus Mundus programme has made me more hard working. These interview insights are more or less in line with the results of our survey: Upon choosing two areas where the programme had the most striking impact on their personality most Erasmus Mundus graduates incline towards intercultural competence (66%), followed by communication competence (27%), self-confidence (24%), social competence (22%), flexibility (20%), self-management skills (19%) and problem solving abilities (13%) (see figure 39). 100% Percent 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% 66% 27% 24% 22% 20% 19% 13% 6% Communication Skills Intercultural Competence Social Skills Self-Confidence Flexibility Self-Managment Competence Problem Solving Skills Figure 39: In what areas do you see the influence of the EM programme on your personality? DEVELOPMENT OF INTERCULTURAL PERSONALITY TRAITS OF ERASMUS MUNDUS STUDENTS Analysis of the Test of Intercultural Sensitivity reveals that such relevant abilities as willingness to learn, openness for something new, empathic communication, self-reflection, flexibility and ambiguity tolerance are very much developed among Erasmus Mundus students and graduates. Those personality traits are considered to be essential for integration into foreign cultures and have a direct impact on successful goals accomplishment during a stay abroad. For Erasmus Mundus students who pursue a Master programme in at least two European countries in the 50

51 environment of international peers and supervisors those intercultural skills are especially important. Test of Intercultural Sensitivity has shown that both students and graduates have above-average values in all six intercultural dimensions. That signifies very good pre-conditions for the integration of Erasmus Mundus students in countries of study which is essential for successful completion of the Master programme, as well as for future international professional engagement of Erasmus Mundus graduates. Erasmus Mundus students and graduates reveal particularly high values in such intercultural dimensions as willingness to learn and openness (see figure 50). Nevertheless, there is no considerable difference between students and graduates in terms of characteristics of the six intercultural personality traits (see also figure 40). Figure 40: Development of intercultural personality traits of Erasmus Mundus students and Alumni 51