The Impact of the Transnational Mobility Experience in Japan on the Academic Performance of Chinese Scientists

抄録

Internationalization of higher education has dramatically expanded, and transnational academic mobility is one of the key mechanisms through which internationalization occurs. A number of studies have explored the experience of transnational mobility on scientists’ academic output and international collaboration. However, in the case of China, few studies have paid attention to how scientists’ mobility experience in Japan relates to their academic performance and collaboration with colleagues in Japan, although, as a non-English- speaking country, Japan is one of the foremost partners of China in the field of scientific research. This study attempts to explore these relationships by creating an original dataset of Chinese scientists affiliated to Peking University. The results show that the scientists’ experience of a temporary stay in Japan as visiting scholars significantly enhances their publication productivity, h-index, international collaboration, and collaboration with colleagues in Japan. Furthermore, the experience of doctoral study and postdoctoral research also increases the likelihood of collaboration with Japan. The study sheds new light on Chinese scientists’ mobility at different career stages in foreign countries and provides implications for enhancing individual scientists’ academic performance and international collaboration.