INTERNATIONALIZATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN KAZAKHSTAN: STATE POLICIES AND INSTITUTIONAL PRACTICES

Abstract

This thesis deals with the interpretation and implementation of internationalization of higher education in Kazakhstan at national and institutional levels. The goal of the study is to find out how internationalization of higher education is defined in the national policy documentation and in universities’ development strategies on education, and how that interpretation is similar/different to those appearing in academic literature, and how it is reflected in the universities’ practices of internationalization. For the purposes of the research, the exploratory mixed methods design was implemented, including conduction of (1) a framework analysis of the national policy documentation, (2) a framework analysis of some Kazakhstani national and state universities’ development strategies, (3) a series of in-depth interviews with representatives of national and state higher education institutions, and (4) an anonymous onlinesurvey among all national and state universities of Kazakhstan.