A Quantitative Study on the Participation, Influencing Factors, and Perceived Efficacy of International Exchange among Fujian Undergraduates under the Background of the Maritime Silk Road

Abstract

International exchange is a flagship instrument of higher-education internationalization, yet participation is often socially patterned and the educational value students perceive is shaped by institutional implementation. This study investigates the participation rate, influencing factors, and perceived efficacy of international exchange among Fujian undergraduates within a Maritime Silk Road–oriented internationalization environment. Using a 2025 multi-institution survey of 1,200 undergraduates from eight Fujian higher-education institutions, the study models realized exchange participation with logistic regression including institution fixed effects and estimates perceived efficacy using covariate-adjusted linear models. To address observable selection into participation, inverse probability weighting is applied with balance diagnostics and sensitivity checks for extreme weights. Results show that realized participation is 17.5% and is most strongly associated with opportunity conditions, particularly awareness and perceived institutional support, alongside socioeconomic resources, language proficiency, and exchange-related aid. Risk/safety concerns are negatively associated with completion. Participation is positively associated with higher perceived efficacy across intercultural, academic, career, and adaptability domains; the adjusted association remains substantively meaningful and persists under selection-aware robustness. Heterogeneity analyses indicate stronger participation-linked efficacy among lower-SES students and in environments with higher institutional support. The findings highlight that equitable internationalization depends not only on expanding opportunities but also on reducing information frictions, strengthening advising and administrative coherence, and designing affordability support that addresses indirect and upfront costs so that mobility pathways translate into inclusive educational value.