Abstract

The New Southbound Policy is one way for Taiwan to adapt to changes in the political geography and society in today’s world. This is considered as a soft power strategy to attract more students from Thailand to study in Taiwan. The study was conducted to understand the factors influencing Thai student’s choice of studying in Taiwan and to resettle in Taiwan by using qualitative research and collecting data through in-depth interviews. There were 12 key informants which included Thai students who were studying in Taiwan, who were on the way to study, and who had already graduated and were currently working in Taiwan. Data analysis was done through content analysis. The results of this research showed that there are 3 factors influencing students’ decision to choose Taiwan for their further study and resettlement. First , regarding education, a wide variety of courses are offered in both English and Chinese. There are scholarships, public relations from the ROC (Taiwan) government agencies and Taiwan education agencies. Secondly, it is about job opportunities and a long-term stay such as job opportunities after graduation. Finally, it is related to political problems such as government administration. These factors attract students to choose Taiwan as their destination for further study and resettlement.

Keywords: Further study, Resettlement, New southbound policy, Moving abroad trend , Thai students