International Scholarship Program Returnees’ Re-entry Adaptation Process: Exploring Experiences of Bolashak Scholarship Alumni

Abstract

As the number of Bolashak scholarship recipients has increased over the past few decades the issues of their re-adapting to their home environment is an issue needing attention. Such returnees experience a degree of re-entry challenges when readjusting to their home countries. The purpose of this study is to explore the re-entry experiences of Bolashak scholarship program alumni returning to Kazakhstan, their country of origin, after having lived and studied overseas for a certain period of time. This study primarily focuses on the issues returnees have had to deal with and identifies the factors influencing their re-adaptation. It also describes the strategies they have used to better adapt to the social and professional life of their country. The phenomenological qualitative research approach was used to answer the research questions. Data collection covered the period from the beginning of March until the middle of May 2019. All of the research participants were recruited via the snowball and purposeful sampling techniques and were reached via social networks, e-mail and through phone calls. The instruments used to conduct this study were in-depth semi-structured interviews, and the participants included ten Bolashak scholarship alumni (three males and seven females), aged between 25 and 35. According to the research findings the study participants, for the most part, were able to adequately re-adjust to life back home. However, it was revealed that most of them had experienced social, and predominantly, professional challenges upon re-entry. Female participants were found to be experience more challenges in adapting to former relationships with their families and friends. The different work ethic and poorer work conditions and workplace environment back in the home country were also significant factors of the re-adjustment process. Based on the results of the interviews a recommendation that came up was to set up additional services as part of the Bolashak Scholarship Program which could provide emotional and social support for returnees for their initial time back home.