Academic Members’ Shared Experiences of Virtual Internationalization in Digital Governance Contexts
A Qualitative Exploration Through Actor-Network Theory
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22048840 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Zhengwen Qi (0000-0001-6576-9409, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, corresponding author), Chang Zhu (0000-0002-0057-275X, Vrije Universiteit Brussel) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 1252 |
| Publication date | 2025-09-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/educsci15091252 |
| OpenAlex | W4414358988 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 40 |
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of virtual internationalization (VI) in higher education institutions (HEIs). Yet, how it becomes normalized and how digital governance factors collectively address the challenges arising from its implementation remain underexplored, particularly in non-Anglophone contexts. This qualitative study draws on eight focus group discussions involving 46 participants from Austria, Belgium, China, Portugal, Poland, and Türkiye. Guided by Actor-Network Theory (ANT), the study reveals that VI has been widely normalized through pandemic-driven adaptations. While its conceptual boundaries remain contested and continually negotiated amid rapid technological advancement, the findings illuminate VI’s expansive international outreach and potential for building institutional global visibility and national soft power. Despite the normalization of VI, its implementation is constrained by pedagogical, technological, and cross-cultural factors, alongside governance and management complexities. An interdependent system of digital governance factors has also been identified across strategic, operational, human, and collaborative dimensions. This study concludes that effective VI implementation does not arise from static policies but from the continuous negotiation and coordinated alignment of these digital governance factors
Conceptual framework · Corporate governance · Focus group · Interdependence · Internationalization · Negotiation · Outreach · Qualitative research · Information Systems Theories and Implementation · Innovation and Knowledge Management · University-Industry-Government Innovation Models
Internationalisation of higher education beyond the West
Internationalization Remodeled
Internationalization in higher education
Thematic analysis.
Digital Learning and Digital Institution in Higher Education
Future Potentials for International Virtual Exchange in Higher Education Post Covid-19
Internationalization of Higher Education in China with Spain
Virtual Internationalization to Support Comprehensive Internationalization in Higher Education
Why the Digitalization of International Education Matters
Conceptualizing Internationalization at a Distance
Internationalization at Home and Virtual
Internationalisation in the digital transformation
Embracing the possibilities of disruption
The post‐Covid‐19 future of digital learning in higher education
The Sociology of an Actor-Network
Saturation in qualitative research
Notes on the theory of the actor-network
Reassembling the Social
Digital Learning Platforms
Assembling the actors
Introduction
Reading Educational Reform with Actor Network Theory
On Recalling Ant
Coding In-depth Semistructured Interviews
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |