“MAKING A BRIDGE BETWEEN COUNTRIES”: KAZAKH STUDENTS’ SOCIALIZATION AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WITHIN AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES

Baurzhan Bokayev, Syracuse University

Abstract

The concept of "educational migration" links skilled and educational migration to the assumption that migration is an instrument for pursuing professional and intellectual goals (Czaika & Reinprecht, 2022). Although education is one of the factors influencing migration, the extent to which education affects migration decisions persistently has been drawing vigorous scholarly attention. Scholars seek to explore the relationship between education and migration, as it is a complex phenomenon from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, which is not comprehensively understood (Dustmann & Glitz, 2011). Perhaps a migrant's educational background, the degree to which acquired skills are convertible to the education and labor landscape of the host country, and the effort migrants make in obtaining new knowledge and skills upon arriving in a new setting all play a critical role in determining the migrant's overall success in the host country. This research attempts to contribute to the field by addressing the relationship between education and migration and focusing on the factors facilitating Kazakh students’ choice of American education and how they evolve during integration into the US education and social environment. Using empirical analyses based on a sample of Kazakh students enrolled in American universities, the study explores the role of institutional, social, and economic structures in the migration decision-making process. In particular, the current dissertation work assembles empirical research relevant to the educational migration dynamics among Kazakh students, covering experiences at various points in their migration process and how they have changed their stay or move decisions in response to institutional, structural, and other changes. The dissertation consists of three main chapters developed as separate research articles exploring the nature of the educational relocation of Kazakh youth to the United States. Each chapter answers the main research questions: What factors affect Kazakh students’ college and destination choice decisions? What challenges do Kazakh students face while integrating into the American education system? What does the migration decision process look like? To answer these questions, the study triangulates qualitative and quantitative methods. Specifically, it conducts an online survey with 121 Kazakh students at American universities and semi-structured interviews with 28 participants discussing their socialization and migration decision-making experiences. At the individual micro-level, the study reveals the unique socialization challenges faced by Kazakh students, and at the macro-level, it supports the consistency of previous research findings on the migration decision-making of international students. The first chapter traces the motivations and multifaceted reasons behind Kazakh students’ selection of American universities and academic degrees to demonstrate how they relate to migration frameworks. The second chapter then covers the adaptation and socialization challenges faced by Kazakh students in American education and social environments to explain the specifics of their navigation processes in the new social structure. The third chapter explores how Kazakh students decide on their post-graduation destination and what factors they see as pivotal in shaping their decision-making process. The findings demonstrate that the general characteristics and structural context of the host country influence the migration decisions of Kazakh students. Migration aspirations and capabilities play a decisive role in their destination and college choice.