The Importance of Different Elements of English as a Foreign Language for Participation in International Student Mobility Programs: Students’ Perspectives
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to determine how students from the University of Novi Sad, Serbia, and the University of East Sarajevo, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina, perceive the importance of certain language skills and aspects of English as foreign language knowledge for participation in international student mobility programs, and whether there are any significant differences between the responses of students from the two universities. To this end, a structured questionnaire was designed and administered among senior-year students from 10 faculties of the University of Novi Sad (N = 727) and 11 faculties of the University of East Sarajevo (N = 264) who participated in mobility programs during the winter semester of the academic year 2024/25. The data were processed using descriptive statistics, a t-test, and the Mann–Whitney U test. The results show that students highly value general communication skills, particularly speaking and listening comprehension, and that students from East Sarajevo—unlike their Novi Sad peers—assign almost equal importance to all areas of knowledge and language skills. The differing perceptions between the students of the two universities reveal several significant differences. Of the 11 survey items, nine show statistically significant differences, including conventions of academic style, everyday communication, extensive vocabulary, specialized vocabulary, grammatical accuracy, excellent pronunciation, oral and written expression on specialized topics, and comprehension of lectures and spoken communication. These findings open avenues for further research and call for similar studies in the Western Balkans to better understand students’ attitudes and create an environment that will encourage more students to take part in mobility programs, given their importance for the internationalization of higher education and greater cooperation among higher education institutions in the region.
References
Akinbode, A. I., Al Shuhumi, S. R. A., & Muhammed-Lawal, A. A. (2017). Internationalization of higher education: The pros and cons. In: N. A. Kadir, A. R. A. Latiff, A. M. Tayeb, I. Nooraini Haji Zainol, M. M. Shaed, C. H. Law, P. S. Jamir Singh, R. B. Radin Firdaus, & S. R. Rahmat (Eds.), Social Sciences Postgraduate International Seminar (SSPIS) (pp. 30–34). Bukit Jambul, Penang, Malaysia: School of Social Sciences, USM.
Albien, A. J., & Mashatola, N. J. (2021). A systematic review and conceptual model of international student mobility decision-making. Social Inclusion, 9(1), 288–298. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v9i1.3769
Barragán Codina, J. N., & Leal López, R. H. (2013). The importance of student mobility, academic exchange and internationalization of higher education for college students in a globalized world: The Mexican and Latin American case. International Journal of Good Conscience, 8(2), 48–63.
Beharić, S. (2022). Unlocking the Potential of ERASMUS+ in the Western Balkans: A Students’ Perspective. https://thebalkanforum.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Erasmus_with_ISBN.pdf
Bešić, M. (2009). Student Mobility in Western Balkan Countries: Research Report. Brussels: The King Baudouin Foundation.
Bošnjović, J., & Trivun, V. (2013). Academic mobility in the Western Balkans. Business Systems Research Journal, 4(1), 76–86. https://doi.org/10.2478/bsrj-2013-0007
Brooks, H. H. (2023). International education from theory to practice: A literature review. In: A. W. Wiseman (Ed.), Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2022 46A (pp. 127–145). Leeds: Emerald Publishing Limited.
Cojocaru, F.-C. (2018). Developing (new) language skills through student mobility—The impact of an ERASMUS+ experience. Journal of Educational Sciences, 1(37), 53–65. https://doi.org/10.35923/JES.2018.1.05
Curaj, A., Matei, L., Pricopie, R., Salmi, J., & Scott, P. (2015). The European Higher Education Area: Between Critical Reflections and Future Policies. Cham: Springer Open.
de Wit, H. (2019). Internationalization in higher education, a critical review. SFU Educational Review, 12(3), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.21810/sfuer.v12i3.1036
Doda, S., Hysa, A., & Liça, D. (2024). International student mobility: Pushing-pulling factors for international students. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 14(6), 402–423. https://doi.org/10.36941/jesr-2024-0182
Elkhayma, R. (2022). English as a medium of instruction: Exploring benefits and challenges in the 21st century. Journal Arbitrer, 9(2), 158–163. https://doi.org/10.25077/ar.9.2.158-163.2022
Erdei, L. A., & Káplár-Kodácsy, K. (2020). International Student Mobility at a Glance: Promising Potential and Limiting Barriers of Non-Traditional Mobility. Budapest: ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Erasmus+ and International Programmes. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10722151
European Commission. (2020). Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on Achieving the European Education Area by 2025. European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_20_1743
Field, A. (2018). Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics (5th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Gutema, D. M., Pant, S., & Nikou, S. (2023). Exploring key themes and trends in international student mobility research: A systematic literature review. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 16(3), 843–861. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-05-2023-0195
Hadfield, A., & Lynch, L. (2025). Making a Sustained Case for International Student Mobility. https://www.hepi.ac.uk/2025/03/25/making-a-sustained-case-for-international-student-mobility/
Higuchi, Y., Nakamuro, M., Roever, C., Sasaki, M., & Yashima, T. (2023). Impact of studying abroad on language skill development: Regression discontinuity evidence from Japanese university students. Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, 70, Article 101284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjie.2023.101284
Jackson, J., Howard, M., & Schwieter, J. W. (2020). Language proficiency: Developmental perspectives and linguistic outcomes of education abroad. In: A. Ogden, B. Streitwieser, & C. Van Mol (Eds.), Education Abroad: Bridging Scholarship and Practice (pp. 92–105). New York: Routledge.
Kaya, F. (2021). Language proficiency development and study abroad experience: A study on EFL learners. GiST—Education and Learning Research Journal, 23, 33–58. https://doi.org/10.26817/16925777.943
Kline, R. B. (2016). Principles and Practice of Structural Equation Modeling (4th ed.). New York: The Guilford Press.
Köylü, Z., Erılmaz, N., & Pérez-Vidal, C. (2023). A dynamic usage-based analysis of L2 written complexity development of sojourners. Journal of Second Language Writing, 60, Article 101002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2023.101002
Kurusu, K., Oda, C., Go, M. A. C., Wu, D., Sauer, K. B., & Narang, S. (2024). English in the internationalization of higher education and international student mobility. AILA Review, 37(1), 120–136. https://doi.org/10.1075/aila.24002.kur
López-Duarte, C., Maley, J. F., & Vidal-Suárez, M. M. (2021). Main challenges to international student mobility in the European arena. Scientometrics, 126(11), 8957–8980. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-021-04155-y
Lula, L., & Bino, B. (2023). Advancing Inclusive Regional Mobility in the Western Balkans. https://wb-csf.eu/op-eds-csf/advancing-inclusive-regional-mobility-in-the-western-balkans
Ovchinnikova, E., Van Mol, C., & Jones, E. (2022). The role of language proximity in shaping international student mobility flows. Globalisation, Societies and Education, 21(4), 563–574. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2022.2070132
Ovchinnikova, E., Jones, E., & Van Mol, C. (2023). The role of language in student mobility. In: F. Hunter, R. Ammigan, H. de Wit, J. Gregersen-Hermans, E. Jones, & A. C. Murphy (Eds.), Internationalisation in Higher Education: Responding to New Opportunities and Challenges. Ten Years of Research by the Centre for Higher Education Internationalisation (CHEI) (pp. 201–212). Milano: EDUCatt.
Ovchinnikova, E., Van Mol, C., & Jones, E. (2024). Foreign language skills in the study abroad decision-making process and destination choices. Journal of Studies in International Education, 28(5), 711–742. https://doi.org/10.1177/10283153241251925
Pérez-Vidal, C., & Barquin, E. (2014). Comparing progress in academic writing after formal instruction and study abroad. In: C. Pérez-Vidal (Ed.), Language Acquisition in Study Abroad and Formal Instruction Contexts (pp. 217–234). Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Pérez-Vidal, C., & Llanes, A. (2021). Linguistic effects of international student mobility in European perspective. In: R. Mitchell & H. Tyne (Eds.), Language, Mobility and Study Abroad in the Contemporary European Context (pp. 22–33). New York: Routledge.
Savić, M., Kresoja, M., & Živadinović, I. (2015). Social dimension of international student mobility in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia. In: N. Žarkić Joksimović & S. Benković (Eds.), Finding the Right Path: Higher Education Financing and Social Dimension in the Western Balkan Countries (pp. 165–185). Belgrade: University of Belgrade.
Smith, R. A., & Khawaja, N. G. (2011). A review of the acculturation experiences of international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35(6), 699–713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2011.08.004
Teichler, U. (2017). Internationalization trends in higher education and the changing role of international student mobility. Journal of International Mobility, 1(5), 177–216. https://doi.org/10.3917/jim.005.0179
Unger, M., Dau, J., Fage, I., Valentin, C., Haag, N., & Binder, D. (2022). WBAA Tracer Study 2021. Wien: Institut für Höhere Studien—Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS).
Varghese, N. V. (2008). Globalization of Higher Education and Cross-Border Student Mobility. Paris: UNESCO and IIEP
Xu, Y. (2019). Changes in interlanguage complexity during study abroad: A meta-analysis. System, 80, 199–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2018.11.008
Yin, X., & Zong, X. (2022). International student mobility spurs scientific research on foreign countries: Evidence from international students studying in China. Journal of Informetrics, 16(1), Article 101227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2021.101227
The details about the publication policy, including copyright and licensing, are available at: