| 摘要: | 近年來，隨著全球化趨勢加速與人材競爭白熱化，國際移動力已成為當前時代下青年必備的關鍵競爭力。同時，國際移動力也被視為個人在全球勞動市場中獲取高回報的重要途徑，而語言能力則是能降低跨國移動成本，累積人力資本的核心要素。本文結合「台灣教育長期追蹤資料庫後續調查」(Taiwan Education Panel Survey and Beyond, TEPS-B)，透過問卷中的國際移動相關變項，包含影響移動意願的個人特質、國際經驗、家庭背景及環境等資料，進行重新分類與編碼後，採用普通最小平方法(Ordinary Least Squares, OLS)進行實證分析，系統性探討各變項對台灣青年跨國移動意願的影響，並進一步分析社會人口特徵影響下之差異。
根據實證分析結果，語言能力與青年赴海外工作意願呈現正向且在統計上顯著之關聯。惟不同語言類別之影響效果存在異質性。具體而言，在控制個人背景與相關因子後，綜合語言能力與跨國移動意願的關聯最為明顯。在各語言能力的檢驗中，英語能力與日語能力皆呈現正向關聯，顯示英語以外之第二外語亦具有不可忽略的角色。進一步地，當模型同時納入多種語言變項時，各語言係數相較於單一語言模型有所下降，意味著不同語言能力之間存在部分重疊。但英語與日語仍保有各自的獨立解釋力，顯示語言資本並非僅能以單一語言完全代表。因此，相較於僅具備單一外語能力，採取多元語言資本方式衡量，更能捕捉影響國際移動意願的關鍵資訊。基於上述結果，政策上除持續強化英語能力外，亦應鼓勵第二外語學習，以避免獨尊英語而低估多語能力對跨國流動可能帶來的助益。
另外，國際經驗的累積與國際移動意願之間呈現密切關聯，顯示跨國文化接觸可能有助於降低青年對跨境移動的心理成本與資訊門檻。實證結果指出，國外旅遊、國外居住、以及與外國人互動等國際經驗，與青年之語言能力及赴海外工作意願皆呈現顯著正向關聯。此意謂著，透過學生時期的跨文化接觸，不僅能提升青年在異文化環境下的適應信心，更與語言能力形成相輔相成的加乘效果，具備語言能力者更易獲取國際經驗，而豐富的國際經驗又進一步強化了移動意願。
最後，值得進一步關注的是社會人口特徵所反映的家庭社會資本差異。以父母教育程度作為家庭資本指標的比較顯示，在家庭資本較高者(父或母學歷任一方達專科以上)，語言能力與跨國流動意願之間雖仍呈現顯著關聯，但其邊際作用相對較小，可能反映其在資源取得、資訊與支持網絡上存在其他替代性途徑；相對地，在家庭資本較低者(父母學歷皆為專科以下)，語言能力與國際經驗與跨國流動意願的關聯更為明顯，顯示人力資本與國際經驗可能在一定程度上扮演「補足家庭資本不足」的角色。
綜上所述，若政策目標在於提升整體國際移動力並減少階層差異，資源投入應更聚焦於弱勢家庭青年之語言能力培養，與可負擔之國際經驗累積，例如補助短期交換、海外實習、跨文化交流計畫，將能擴大其取得跨國機會的可能性。;In recent years, with the acceleration of globalization and intensification of talent competition, international mobility has become a key competitive advantage essential for youth in the contemporary era. Simultaneously, international mobility is viewed as an important pathway for individuals to obtain high returns in the global labor market, while language ability serves as a core element that can reduce cross-national mobility costs and accumulate human capital. This paper utilizes the "Taiwan Education Panel Survey and Beyond" (TEPS-B), analyzing international mobility-related variables from the questionnaire, including personal characteristics affecting mobility willingness, international experiences, family background, and environmental data. After reclassification and coding, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression is employed for empirical analysis to systematically explore how various factors influence Taiwanese youth′s willingness for cross-national mobility, and further analyzes differences under socio-demographic characteristics.
According to empirical analysis results, language ability shows a positive and statistically significant association with youth′s willingness to work overseas. However, the effects vary depending on language type. Specifically, after controlling for personal background and relevant factors, comprehensive language ability demonstrates the strongest association with cross-national mobility willingness. In the examination of individual language abilities, both English and Japanese proficiency show positive associations, indicating that second foreign languages beyond English play a non-negligible role. Furthermore, when multiple language variables are simultaneously incorporated into the model, the coefficients for each language decrease compared to single-language models, suggesting partial overlap between different language abilities. Nevertheless, both English and Japanese maintain their independent explanatory power, demonstrating that language capital cannot be fully represented by a single language alone. Therefore, compared to possessing proficiency in only one foreign language, measuring multiple language capital better captures key information affecting international mobility willingness. Based on these results, policy should not only continue strengthening English abilities but also encourage second foreign language learning, avoiding the exclusive privileging of English while underestimating the benefits multilingual abilities may bring to cross-border mobility.
Additionally, the accumulation of international experience shows a close association with international mobility willingness, suggesting that cross-cultural contact may help reduce psychological costs and information thresholds related to cross-border movement. Empirical results indicate that international experiences such as foreign travel, living abroad, and interaction with foreigners all demonstrate significant positive associations with youth language ability and willingness to work overseas. This implies that cross-cultural contact during student periods not only enhances young people′s confidence in adapting to different cultural environments but also creates a mutually reinforcing effect with language ability – those with language skills more easily gain international experience, while rich international experience further strengthens mobility willingness.
Finally, family social capital differences reflected in socio-demographic characteristics warrant further attention. Comparing family capital using parental education level as an indicator shows that for those with higher family capital (either parent with college education or above), although there remains a significant association between language ability and cross-national mobility willingness, the marginal effect is relatively small. This may reflect alternative pathways in resource acquisition, information, and support networks. Conversely, for those with lower family capital (both parents below college education), language ability and international experience show more pronounced associations with cross-national mobility willingness, suggesting that human capital and international experience may to some extent play a role in "compensating for insufficient family capital."
In conclusion, if policy goals include enhancing overall international mobility and reducing class differences, resource investment should focus more on cultivating language abilities of youth from disadvantaged families and accumulating affordable international experiences, such as student subsidizing short-term exchanges, overseas internships, and cross-cultural exchange programs, which could expand their possibilities for obtaining transnational opportunities. |
