Exploring Motivations for Studying Abroad: A Case Study of Taiwan

This study examined the factors that motivate international students from the decision to study to the choice of a country in which to study abroad. A survey was conducted with 555 international students undertaking university-level education in Taiwan. A principal component factor analysis was used to identify the underlying dimensions of push and pull forces: two push and six pull motivation factors. Among these, desire to international travel and experience and tourism attractions were regarded as the most important push and pull motivation factors, respectively. Although educationrelated motivation at both individual and host country levels remains the fundamental reason to study abroad, tourism-related motivation seems to play an even more important role in the study abroad decision-making process. Motivations for studying abroad vary across nationalities and levels of study, indicating that international students are not a homogeneous market. Major implications are four fold: exploring the potential cooperation between the higher education and tourism sectors; posting its unique and specific tourism attributes on the official websites of both governments and higher education institutions; customizing the positioning strategies on the basis of international student market segment by nationality and level of study; and forming strategic alliances between local and foreign universities.