Scholarlink

<p>Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) participation is a central concern in mathematics and science education because it reflects how global higher education systems distribute access to advanced knowledge, research infrastructure, and scientific recognition. Yet participation in international STEM mobility remains unevenly structured across national, regional, and economic contexts. This study examines global patterns of STEM participation within the Fulbright Foreign Student Program as a window into how scientific opportunity is organized internationally. Drawing on administrative data for 16,627 Fulbright STEM scholars from 161 countries awarded between 2015 and 2024, the study employs a structural descriptive quantitative design using inequality and concentration measures. Guided by a dual theoretical framework integrating core–periphery theory and scientific capital, the analysis examines how STEM participation is distributed across world regions and income classifications, the extent to which participation is concentrated among a small number of countries, and how these patterns evolve over time. The findings reveal pronounced concentration, with a limited set of countries accounting for a disproportionate share of STEM scholars, alongside modest evidence of diffusion across a broader range of national contexts. These patterns are interpreted as structural associations, reflecting distributional tendencies within this program during the study period. Differences across income groups further indicate distinct configurations of scientific capital, with high-income systems exhibiting more diversified participation and lower-middle-income systems relying on concentrated national hubs. The findings suggest that STEM participation in Fulbright reflects persistent global structures alongside expansion across national contexts. These findings contribute to STEM education research by advancing a macro-structural perspective on participation and by extending scientific capital beyond individual trajectories to the level of global higher education systems.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

STEM Participation in Global Higher Education: Core–Periphery Structures and Scientific Capital in Fulbright Foreign Student Program

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月3日

查看全文
  • Angga Hidayat,
  • Ismu Sukamto,
  • Johan Syahbrudin,
  • Nurmalia Nurmalia,
  • Hervin Maulina,
  • Anita Anggraini

摘要

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) participation is a central concern in mathematics and science education because it reflects how global higher education systems distribute access to advanced knowledge, research infrastructure, and scientific recognition. Yet participation in international STEM mobility remains unevenly structured across national, regional, and economic contexts. This study examines global patterns of STEM participation within the Fulbright Foreign Student Program as a window into how scientific opportunity is organized internationally. Drawing on administrative data for 16,627 Fulbright STEM scholars from 161 countries awarded between 2015 and 2024, the study employs a structural descriptive quantitative design using inequality and concentration measures. Guided by a dual theoretical framework integrating core–periphery theory and scientific capital, the analysis examines how STEM participation is distributed across world regions and income classifications, the extent to which participation is concentrated among a small number of countries, and how these patterns evolve over time. The findings reveal pronounced concentration, with a limited set of countries accounting for a disproportionate share of STEM scholars, alongside modest evidence of diffusion across a broader range of national contexts. These patterns are interpreted as structural associations, reflecting distributional tendencies within this program during the study period. Differences across income groups further indicate distinct configurations of scientific capital, with high-income systems exhibiting more diversified participation and lower-middle-income systems relying on concentrated national hubs. The findings suggest that STEM participation in Fulbright reflects persistent global structures alongside expansion across national contexts. These findings contribute to STEM education research by advancing a macro-structural perspective on participation and by extending scientific capital beyond individual trajectories to the level of global higher education systems.