Factors Influencing Sociocultural and Psychological Adjustment of International Students in the Capital of Kazakhstan

Abstract

The Republic of Kazakhstan is willing to increase the share of international students in higher education up to 10% by 2025, whereas in 2020 this number constitutes 6.5%. In addition to the quality of education, the satisfactory experience plays a significant role in the attractiveness of the country for international students. The previous research shows that the interest of students in the country can be based on whether they can live and study comfortably there. This study aims to find what factors influence the sociocultural and psychological adjustment of international students of the capital of the Kazakhstan into the new environment. The interest of the study is to provide the practical recommendations of research participants to policy makers, university administration, and future students. Aiming to find answers to research question, the study interviewed 15 international students from three different universities of the Nur-Sultan, the capital city. The questions were based on the reviewed literature with the opportunity to provide practical implication. The previous studies suggested various factors affecting the adjustment of international students. Among them, the most frequent factors are personal qualities, attitude, pre-arrival preparation, university services, strategy implementation, and local community’s characteristics. Almost all of these factors were found in the Kazakhstani context. However, in addition to them, several new factors were brought to light. They were analyzed within the literature and current context. The findings formed the recommendations for implication for universities’ administration, policy makers, as well as future international students. The final section provides suggestions for future research in order to support the realization of the goals of Kazakhstan.