摘要：In this paper we investigated how internationally mobile students diverge from domestic students regarding social origin, grades obtained at upper secondary school and motivation to study. Data from two comparable surveys were used, one relating to students abroad and one relating to domestic students. Results showed that on average, mobile students were of higher social origin than domestic students, but this did not apply across all fields. In some subject fields, mobile students had higher grades than domestic students, while they were lower in other. Mobile students clearly demonstrated higher motivation than domestic students, even when controlling for subject field and background variables. In sum, we found that mobile students constitute a select group in several ways, most prominently regarding study motivation. This suggests that mobile students potentially represent a positive contribution to the learning environment in more ways than just bringing diversity in cultural background.
关键词：international students; motivation; student characteristics; student mobility; study abroad
