The Spatial Mobility of Doctoral Talent: A Comparative Study of Taiwan and Japan

• Main Authors: Wang, Shih-Ken, 王士肯
• Other Authors: Hsung, RaY-May
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2018
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/746457

博士 === 國立政治大學 === 社會學系 === 106 === Given the macro context of globalization and higher educational expansion, we try to investigate the spatial mobility and its related demographic, social, and economic factors of doctoral talents in Taiwan and Japan. In this exploratory study, both quantitative and qualitative methods are employed. We first collect data related to spatial mobility of doctoral students in Taiwan and Japan with questionnaire, review the historical documents and research reports, and then interview doctors who had mobility experiences in Taiwan and Japan. According to our analyses, we find that there is no difference by gender for migration intention or migration behavior for doctoral talents in both Taiwan and Japan. The personal financial condition has no effect on doctoral talents’ mobility intention. Doctoral talents of natural science in Taiwan are more likely to move to other countries. The career motivation of being a researcher or a professor will improve the possibility of mobility in both Japan and Taiwan. The moving experience of peers has positive effects on the likelihood of mobility. Also, the open academic atmosphere will increase doctoral talents’ mobility intention. In Taiwan, doctoral talents’ mobility possibility changes depending on the career stage, and those who are married and/or have children are less likely to mobilize spatially. We further find that, if the doctoral talents want to contribute for their own country, they are less likely to move to other countries. For both Taiwan and Japan, the percentages of doctors who work in other countries are quite small. Japanese doctoral talents prefer to go to the United States and Western Europe for continuing their own research, but to go to other Asian countries for a position. In contrast, Taiwanese doctoral talents have stronger motivation to have a formal position, and this motivation will lead them to different regions. In the future, Taiwan may face the crucial challenge of doctoral talents’ mobility because of her smaller market size and the world economic and academic stratification.