Transnational Education Review

The Development and Implementation of Joint and Double Degree Programmes: Comparative Insights from the UK and Türkiye

2026-08-10T10:50:31+00:00

This article reviews research on joint and double degree programmes (JDDPs), a form of transnational education (TNE), with particular attention to their development in the UK and Türkiye. Drawing on academic and policy-oriented sources in both English and Turkish, this scoping review first maps how JDDPs are conceptualised, structured, and implemented across different higher education contexts globally. The findings highlight persistent terminological ambiguities, diverse programme models, and uneven regulatory frameworks that shape the design and delivery of JDDPs. Next, focusing on the UK (a well-established, globally oriented TNE system) and Türkiye, (a more centralised and regulation-driven model), the findings reveal that variations across contexts are shaped by distinct national systems and policy environments. The UK context is characterised by quality assurance frameworks and institutional autonomy, whereas Türkiye demonstrates a TNE approach shaped by centralised regulation and national higher education policies. The study concludes by identifying key gaps in the literature, including the need for greater conceptual clarity, more comparative and context-sensitive research, and deeper engagement with issues of equity and student experience.

Graduate Entry Nursing: An Underutilised Solution to Workforce Shortages in the UK and Globally

2026-03-12T12:35:33+00:00

The global nursing workforce is experiencing unprecedented shortages, with an estimated deficit of 5.9 million nurses worldwide. Graduate Entry Nursing (GEN) programmes, designed for individuals with prior degrees, offer a rapid and flexible pathway to expand the nursing workforce across diverse healthcare systems. This article examines GEN programmes in Australia, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom, comparing their structures, benefits, and challenges. GEN pathways attract mature, motivated students, often career changers, who bring a wide range of skills and perspectives to the profession. Despite their potential, barriers such as limited clinical placements, restrictive visa policies, and funding constraints impede the growth of GEN programmes, particularly in the UK. The findings support the need for strategic investment and policy reform to fully harness GEN’s capacity to strengthen national and global nursing workforces and address context-specific shortages.

Keywords: Graduate Entry, Nursing, Shortage, Workforce Development

Professional Values in Action: Graduate Entry Nursing Students’ Experiences of Clinical Placements

2026-01-29T12:25:27+00:00

Graduate Entry Nursing (GEN) programmes have expanded nationally and internationally as accelerated pathways to address global nursing workforce shortages and diversify the professional workforce. While the existing literature documents GEN students’ motivations and academic outcomes, limited attention has been given to how professional values are developed, enacted, and sustained during clinical placements, particularly in accelerated, high-pressure educational contexts. This qualitative study explores how UK-based GEN students construct and negotiate professional values during their final clinical placements, using a social constructivist lens. Data were generated through focus groups and in-depth interviews and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings reveal that professional values are not static competencies but are dynamically shaped through mentorship, organisational culture, emotional labour, and ethical tension. Students demonstrated heightened emotional awareness and resilience, drawing on prior life experiences to navigate value conflict and sustain person-centred care. Although situated within the UK, the findings offer transferable insights for transnational nursing education by highlighting the importance of structured mentorship, emotionally informed pedagogy, and value-based learning within accelerated programmes. This study contributes to international debates on professional identity formation and values-in-practice within healthcare education.

Stories of ESOL in Suffolk, England

2025-10-27T10:56:19+00:00

This study explores the stories and learning journeys of learners of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) experiencing forced displacement. Suffolk is a region often overlooked in migration research but resettled over 4,000 refugees in 2022 (Suffolk Refugee Support, 2023). Refugee ESOL learners encounter significant challenges due to limited ESOL provision and the absence of a national ESOL strategy. Employing narrative inquiry, the research foregrounds personal accounts from learners of ESOL. Participants span a wide educational spectrum yet share a desire for integration and improved life opportunities. This study alerts us to Suffolk’s rural geography as a barrier to effective ESOL access, limiting opportunities for language practice and social connection. These intermediary findings, drawn from the first phase of a two-year data collection process, underscore the urgent need for responsive ESOL strategies and inclusive support systems tailored to the realities of rural resettlement. The findings signify how individual characteristics of those experiencing displacement influence the different barriers they encounter.

Factors impacting Registered Nurse attrition in Acute Care using Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a conceptual framework

2025-08-19T14:25:13+00:00

The global shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs) has deteriorated since COVID-19, with the WHO reporting a 5.9 million shortfall. In the UK 26,755 nurses left in 2023, many under 45 and earlier than planned. Acute care settings are severely affected, as understaffing increases patient morbidity and mortality. Factors contributing to RN attrition are many, varied and inter-related, reflecting the complexity of this issue. A review of three data bases was undertaken to retrieve literature pertaining to post registration RN retention in acute care from 2000- 2024. Findings were narratively synthesised and mapped to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, used as a framework to explore issues relating to RN attrition. Unmet needs at all levels contribute to attrition. Breaks, safety, and fair pay are neglected, while a lack of team culture, recognition, and career growth hinders belonging and self-actualisation. A holistic, needs-based approach is vital to improve nurse retention and workforce sustainability in acute care.

Global Aspirations, National Barriers: Indian Student’s Migration in the Age of Policy Flux

2026-02-17T16:38:16+00:00

Motivated by the pursuit of high-quality education, improved career prospects, and upward social mobility, the outflow of Indian students has become a major aspect of global student migration trend. As per India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the number of Indian students studying abroad surged to over 1.8 million in 2025, a significant increase from 1.3 million in 2024. These students are dispersed across 241 global destinations, spanning nearly every country worldwide. Both the scale and geographic reach of this migration exceed China’s, which has around 1 million students studying overseas. However, the patterns and experiences of this migration are increasingly shaped by shifting global policy regimes-ranging from changing visa regulations and post-study work policies to broader geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties. This paper based on secondary data from various national and UN data sources and content analysis from newspapers tries to explore how evolving policy environments in host countries are influencing Indian student migration, examining the intersection of national interests, global competition and the aspirations of a highly mobile and ambitious youth population.