How has the top-down process of Europeanization influenced Czech higher education, with the focus on the Erasmus Programme from 2004-2019?
Author
Kudlicková, Halina
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Pages
54
Abstract
This thesis examines how the top-down process of Europeanization has influenced Czech higher education through the Erasmus Programme between 2004 and 2019. Because the EU has no binding higher education policy, its impact operates through cooperation, shared goals, and EU-funded programmes. Using a top-down Europeanization framework, the study adopts a single-country case study and qualitative content analysis of EU and Czech documents, organizing data into categories derived from the research question; an interview complements the analysis. The findings indicate that Czech institutions were required to obtain the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, implement ECTS, offer courses taught in English, meet administrative and legal obligations, and establish a national agency to manage the programme in order to participate. Since 2014, Erasmus has also expanded to include mobility for academic/non-academic staff and traineeships, further reinforcing its role as a tool for internationalization. Overall, the analysis suggests that EU programme requirements created adaptational pressures that led to changes in policies, structures, and practices at both national and institutional levels, contributing to a more internationalized and Europeanized Czech higher education sector.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan den top-down europæiseringsproces har påvirket tjekkisk videregående uddannelse gennem Erasmus-programmet i perioden 2004–2019. Da EU ikke har en bindende fælles politik for videregående uddannelse, sker påvirkningen via samarbejde, fælles mål og uddannelsesprogrammer. Med udgangspunkt i teorien om top-down europæisering anvendes et enkeltlands casestudie og kvalitativ indholdsanalyses af EU- og tjekkiske dokumenter, struktureret i kategorier udledt af forskningsspørgsmålet; analysen suppleres af et interview. Resultaterne viser, at tjekkiske institutioner måtte opnå Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, indføre ECTS, udbyde engelsksprogede kurser, opfylde administrative og juridiske krav samt etablere et nationalt agentur til programforvaltning for at deltage i Erasmus. Programmet, som siden 2014 også omfatter mobilitet for akademisk/ikke-akademisk personale og praktikophold, har dermed fungeret som et redskab til internationalisering og europæisering af tjekkisk videregående uddannelse. Overordnet peger analysen på, at EU’s programkrav har skabt tilpasningspres, der har udløst ændringer i politikker, strukturer og praksisser på nationalt og institutionsniveau.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]