The Attractiveness of Curriculum-Embedded Mobility in Higher Education: Students’ Perspective
The Attractiveness of Curriculum-Embedded Mobility in Higher Education: Students’ Perspective

Summary/Abstract: Curriculum-embedded mobility places an international learning experience within the formal structure of a study programme and may make participation compulsory for programmecompletion. This study examined students’ perceptions of a model involving mandatory physicalmobility, which could be short-term or extend to one or two semesters, with particular attention toperceived benefits, barriers, programme attractiveness, and institutional support. A convergentmixed-methods online survey was completed by 134 higher education students originating from 20countries and studying in 17 countries. Most respondents were aged 18-28 (89.5%), 64.9% werewomen, 52.2% were bachelor’s students, and 42.5% had previous physical mobility experience.Quantitative analyses combined descriptive statistics, non-parametric group comparisons,reliability and exploratory dimensionality checks, and Spearman correlations. Open-endedresponses were analysed thematically and integrated with the quantitative results. Students withprevious mobility experience reported strong academic, intercultural, linguistic, and transversal-skill benefits. Across the full sample, 92.5% indicated that embedded mobility would increaseprogramme attractiveness, although responses also displayed limited variability and possible ceilingeffects. Costs and living expenses were the most widely endorsed barrier, followed by complexprocedures, curricular compatibility, and insufficient guidance. Students with and without previousmobility did not differ in their general attitudes towards embedded mobility, but previously mobilestudents perceived fewer barriers and expressed greater interest in a concrete master’s programmerequiring a semester abroad. Among mobile students, perceived institutional support, mobilityvaluation, perceived impact, and embedded-mobility attitudes were positively associated.Qualitative responses clarified that favourable evaluations were conditional on predictablerecognition, adequate funding, curricular fit, and flexibility for students unable to travel. Embeddedmobility therefore appears attractive to many students, but its legitimacy as a curricularrequirement depends on whether institutions make participation academically coherent, financiallyfeasible, and administratively dependable.

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