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I Wanted to Go to Spain But I Ended Up in Finland – Analysis of and Conclusions About Student Exchange

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Pains and Gains of International Mobility in Teacher Education
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Abstract

Finland has become more and more international over the years as the Bologna Process encourages institutes of higher education to expand their international outreach, especially with regards to the European dimension of higher education. Mobility is key, and central to the Bologna concept. Student exchange programmes give students a chance to go abroad via their home university to a foreign country in order to continue their studies at a new host university. As a result, choosing to spend at least a semester abroad has become a useful addition to students’ degrees, giving them a more well-rounded education. Moreover, the possibility to increase and improve cultural understanding and language learning while simultaneously receiving new experiences is highly valued among students. Malmberg (2000) argues that understanding of foreign cultures is a necessity for young people and an exchange is a great way to not only achieve that understanding but also to get to know oneself better.

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Meri, M. (2011). I Wanted to Go to Spain But I Ended Up in Finland – Analysis of and Conclusions About Student Exchange. In: Goetz, T., Jaritz, G., Oser, F. (eds) Pains and Gains of International Mobility in Teacher Education. SensePublishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6091-496-6_3

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