EXPLORING THE MOTIVATIONS AND LIVED EXPERIENCES OF KAZAKHSTANI STUDENTS PURSUING A PHD ABROAD WITH FAMILY: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL INQUIRY

Abstract

Exploring the Motivations and Lived Experiences of Kazakhstani Students Pursuing a PhD Abroad with Family: A Phenomenological Inquiry An important indicator of the internationalization of higher education is the significant increase in international student mobility (ISM), which can significantly affect people's lives. Kazakhstan is not excluded from this tendency, with the number of Kazakhstani students participating in international exchange programs increased from 350 to 2,694 between 2011 and 2019 (Kuzhabekova, 2024). However, there are limited studies on Kazakhstani postgraduate students with families pursuing their advanced degree abroad. The purpose of this research is to investigate the motivations, experiences, and challenges, and strategies to cope with the challenges, of Kazakhstani PhD students with their families during their studies abroad. The study uses a descriptive qualitative methodology, findings based on 10 in-depth interviews with PhD students from Kazakhstan who traveled to the United States to complete their postgraduate degrees with their family members, and is informed by Bourdieu’s theory of social capital and Push Pull Plus theory (Bourdieu, 2011; Van Hear et al., 2018). The findings identified four types of motivation that students had to leave their home country and go abroad to pursue their PhD degree: intrinsic, extrinsic, achievement value and cost of quitting. Positive experiences included personal level and external support, while the challenges were identified as being psychological, academic and financial. The strategies that students use to cope with these challenges are also presented in this paper. The study offers contributions the existing body of knowledge regarding migration and international education in Kazakhstan and to broader higher education policy and practice.