99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Paper
Unveiling Educational Needs: A Narrative Inquiry into Kazakh Adult Returnees from China.
Nurgul Terlikbayeva
Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan
Presenting Author: Terlikbayeva, Nurgul
Title: Unveiling Educational Needs: A Narrative Inquiry into Kazakh Adult Returnees from China.
The role of adult education as a means of adaptation of citizens to changing society is crucial. One of the communities which tend to be in demand of adaptation and smooth integration into broader society in Kazakhstan are ethnic Kazakh returnees. Returnees from the regions beyond the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) charachtarized by distinctive political regimes and socio-cultural features and writing systems that differ from Central Asian countries have drawn significant scholarly interest which stemmed from various factors which include returnees experience related to adaptation and integration issues in Kazakhstan. This research focuses particularly on adult returnees who come from China and who constitute the second biggest share of returnees among Kazakh diasporas in the world. Various disciplines have sliced the returnee experiences and issues from their perspectives. In particular, the scholarly discourse on China Kazakh returnees in Kazakhstan revolve around historical, legal, economic and political, socio-cultural aspects of the repatriation and adaptation and integration issues. There has been a limited scholarly investigation into the role of education as both a contributing factor to addressing issues among adult returnees and a mitigating factor in the context of integration. While the legal and regulatory framework for migration has been established and continues to evolve in the country, it is important to highlight returnees’ ongoing integrative challenges. Literature states that lifelong policy predominantly caters for local residents, which raises the concern about its inclusivity. Recognizing the broader challenges related to adaptation and integration, this exploratory study aims to explore educational needs of Kazakhstani adult returnees from China from returnee perspectives. The overarching question of this study is what educational needs do adult returnees have to aid in their successful adjustment and assimilation? This study explores educational needs of adult returnees through Bourdieu's concepts of ‘habitus’ ‘field’, ‘doxa’, and the Third Space Theory by (Bhabha, 1994) and Intersectionality Theory by (Crenshaw, 1991). The study used an eclectic theoretical framework as individually the mentioned theories provide fragmented picture and cannot individually help me in understanding educational needs of returnees therfore I cinsider them within the Third Space theory by Bhabha (1994); it is a suitable lens through which I can tap into the complex process of in-betweenness that is cultural hybridity and identity formation experienced by the returnees. As this theory is defined as ‘third space’ where the fusion and convergence of the individual’s prior socio-cultural experiences and new socio-cultural context occur (Bhabha, 1994). I will witness how the returnees’ hybrid identities are constructed, how they negotiate their dual or multiple cultural affiliations and how the negotiation and hybrid identity impact returnees’ educational needs and what educational resources they seek . Through this theory I acknowledges that their needs are not just shaped by straightforward factors like language proficiency or job skills but are intricately linked to their personal histories, societal structures, cultural norms, and evolving identities. In essence, Third Space theory offers a comprehensive lens through which the multi-layered experiences of returnees can be understood and addressed in terms of education. This research can contribute to knowledge by bridging the current gap in the existing body of knowledge on the subject matter, thereby facilitating understanding of the Kazakhstani context bound educational experience of adult returnees and their educational needs in the context of local and global migrant education.
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedThis research is guided by the postmodernist belief that knowledge is subjective, relative shaped by cultural, social, and historical contexts rather than being universal (Dolphijn & Tuin, 2012). In this vein, it serves as a means for a comprehensive exploration of the educational landscape, viewing each returnee's experience as a unique junction of cultural, social, and individual factors that challenge simplistic categorization. This qualitatively-led research employs narrative research design. The rationale includes first of all experience happens narratively; therefore adult returnees experience should be studied narratively (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). My intention is to hear the stories of adult returnees in relation to their education needs and not obtain fragmented data;only through hearing their stories I can learn about their educational needs (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). Their stories not only helps me in this account but also of how the discourse of the social contexts shape the adult returnees’ educational needs. In addition their narrative stories assists me to discover and explore individual needs in relation to education through attending their personal inwards, feelings assumptions which can be reached only through dimensions of narrative inquiry.
In this research I 16 male/ female adult returnees in workforce living in Astana city are recruted for intervie. Snowball sampling is used for recruitment which is reported as a method for recruiting future subjects from among their acquaintances, creating a chain of referrals that grows like a snowball. Literature highlights effectiveness of this type of sampling for accessing understandin complex, and nuanced population.
The primary instruments for data collection of the study are individual interviews, document analysis. Data collection consist of three phases first document analysis is conducted. The rational of using Document analysis is that “they exist independent of a research agenda, they are nonreactive, that is, unaffected by the research process”; and they are reported as “objective and unobtrusive” source of data which “are product of the context in which they were produced and therefore grounded in the real world ( Merriam and Tisdell, 2015, p. 250).
In the second phase the unstructured interview is conducted. The unstructured (open- ended) informal conversational interviews have aided to encourage participants to come up stories to emerge (Charmaz, 2006). Upon analysis of the unstructed interview I have design questions for semistructured interview that have served as a follow up questions based on the findings of the document analyis and unstructured interview.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsIn this ongoing research exploring the educational needs of adult returnees, several anticipated outcomes are expected to emerge, enriching both academic understanding and practical approaches in this field. A significant portion of the research is projected to uncover the array of challenges these returnees encounter. This encompasses cultural reintegration difficulties, discrepancies in educational and professional methodologies between their host and home countries, and potential skill gaps that may impede their assimilation into the local workforce and thus form educational needs. Furthermore, the research anticipates revealing how these challenges and needs vary across different demographics, influenced by factors such as the duration of stay abroad, age, and professional backgrounds of the returnees.
Another crucial outcome will likely be an evaluation of the current support systems and educational programs available to these individuals. As such a primary expected finding is the delineation of specific educational requirements unique to adult returnees in Kazakhstan. This includes identifying key areas such as language proficiency, vocational skills, and the validation of overseas qualifications, tailored to their experiences and the context of their return.
ReferencesBhabha, H. (1994). 17 Frontlines/Borderposts. In Displacements: Cultural Identities in Question (p. 269).
Bhabha, H. (1994). The Location of Culture. Routledge.
Bourdieu, P. (1977). Outline of a Theory of Practice. Cambridge University Press.
Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: a social critique of the judgement of taste. Routledge.
Bourdieu, P. (1993). The Field of Cultural Production. Polity Press.
Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory. Sage Publications.
Clandinin, D. J., & Connelly, F. M. (2000). Narrative Inquiry: Experience and Story in Qualitative Research. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Merriam, S. B., & Tisdell, E. J. (2015). Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. John Wiley & Sons.
Tuin, I. V. D., & Dolphijn, R. (2012). New materialism: Interviews & cartographies. Open humanities press.
99. Emerging Researchers' Group (for presentation at Emerging Researchers' Conference)
Paper
Transition from Vocational Education to Higher Education: Predictors of Entry and Results in the Labor Market
Elizaveta Korotkikh
Higher School of Economics, Russian Federation
Presenting Author: Korotkikh, Elizaveta
This research is aimed at studying the transit trajectory of students’ progress to higher education after achieving vocational qualification. In the Russian educational context, vocational education means graduating from a community college. Community college graduates may be motivated by a variety of reasons when choosing a transit pathway.
Firstly, the educational path of «community college – university» can be considered as a widespread channel of social mobility. From the point of view of rational action theory, the researchers agree that the most socially and economically disadvantaged social groups choose vocational education (Alexandrov, Tenisheva, & Savelyev, 2015; Konstantinovskiy & Popova, 2018). At the same time, due to the transit trajectory, the path to higher education and social mobility upon graduation is not blocked for such students. Since Russian community college graduates can enter higher education without passing the Unified State Examination (USE), this path is called "bypass maneuver" (Adamovich, 2022).
Second, according to the theory of human capital, higher education contributes to the accumulation of the general human capital (Becker, 1962). This can be a significant incentive to increase the potential return on education. Various studies in Russia repeatedly showcase the positive impact of higher education and work experience on the success of entering the labour market (Dudyrev, Romanova, & Travkin, 2020; Roshchin & Rudakov, 2017).
And thirdly, in terms of the signal theory, by obtaining a higher level of education such as a bachelor’s degree after a vocational qualification, the candidates signal to the employer that they are productive and deserve a higher salary (Spence, 1973). Thus, community college graduates can enroll in higher education in order to provide a signal to the employer of their productivity and, as a result, grounds for potential wage increases.
Education and career trajectories are a common subject of both sociological and economic research. Sociological research is aimed at identifying the reasons for the choice of a particular educational path, and economic studies — its results. Sociologists, for example, often study educational routes based on the theory of rational action (Breen & Goldthorpe, 1997) and relative risk aversion (Breen & van de Werfhorst, 2014).
Economic studies, in turn, examine the results of an educational route. According to the theory of the human capital (Becker, 1962), students who have progressed from community college to university acquire human capital and become more promising candidates in the labor market. It can be assumed that investment in transit educational trajectory, in the long term, will bring higher income and protection from precarious employment (Maltseva & Rosenfeld, 2022).
The progression of college graduates to higher education is actively discussed by researchers in Russia (Yastrebov, Kosyakova & Kurakin, D., 2018). However, studying predictors associated with the Russian young people entering the transit trajectory remains scarce. In addition, the career trajectories of such students have not yet been covered by empirical research.
The purpose of this study is to identify factors related to the choice of transit education trajectory (socio-economic status (SES), academic achievement, personal characteristics). In addition, this study examines the relationship between the «transit» educational trajectory and the salaries of its graduates. In this research, a transit educational route is classified into two types — completed transit (entering university immediately after community college graduation) and postponed transit (entering university some time after community college graduation).
This research study answers the following questions:
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What is the likelihood of obtaining higher education by the age of 25 (entering the transitory trajectory) among those who have received vocational qualification, depending on their SES and academic abilities?
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Does this educational trajectory result in higher wages for its graduates?
Methodology, Methods, Research Instruments or Sources UsedData for the study were obtained during the national panel of the research project «Trajectories in education and occupation» (TrEC). TrEC is conducted annually by the Institute of Education of Higher School of Economics (HSE) and is based on a representative sample of TIMSS-2011 (Trends in Mathematics and Science Study). This study uses data from nine TrEC waves (2011 to 2020) and data from the Russian Federal Service of State Statistics on the Gross Regional Product (GRP) of various regions of Russia. In the Russian educational context, vocational education means graduating from a community college with Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) qualification. For this study, a sub-sample of TVET diploma holders was formed from those who attended a community college on the basis of 9 grades. This sample includes the respondents who: 1) graduated from community college and had no further studies, 2) graduated from TVET and were studying at university in 2020, 3) graduated from both community college and university.
In the data analysis phase, the categorical variable "Educational attainment by 2020" (only TVET, TVET and completed higher education, TVET and continuing education at a university) was selected as a dependent variable in the logistic regression model to answer the first research question. Multinomial logistic regression was chosen for analysis of the presented data, since the dependent variable in this study is categorical. The two main independent variables are the student’s socioeconomic status and their academic performance in school. The level of parents' education is chosen as an indicator of individual socio-economic status. The 8th grade TIMSS math score is used as a measure of academic achievement.
Minzer Standard Least Squares Equation is used to answer the second research question on the impact of the transit educational trajectory on the earnings of graduates. For all college graduates a variable has been created, expressing the monthly income for the primary and secondary jobs in 2020. The main independent variables are the respondent’s level of education and work experience. Work experience is represented by the number of TrEC waves when the respondent had a temporary and/or permanent job, including combining it with college or university studies. However, the non-observed characteristics that affect entering in a particular educational path are not monitored in the regression model. It may lead to some bias in the estimate and limit the methodology.
Conclusions, Expected Outcomes or FindingsCommunity college graduate’s socio-economic status and academic performance are predictors of entry into the transit educational trajectory. However, entry into this route depends to a greater extent on the respondent's SES, since when this variable is added to the model, academic performance ceases to be significant. Thus, when entering university after graduating from community college, there are primary effects of inequality in education. Moreover, the educational route "9 grades – community college – university" is not a channel of social mobility, but rather a tool of reproduction of higher status positions (compared to holders of only a TVET diploma).
The work experience of a "transit" graduate gives a significant return on wages, but graduation from college by 25 years does not create such a return. Graduates of the transit educational trajectory in our sample are 24-25 years old, and the peak of salary in Russia comes in the age of 30-35 years (Gimpelson, 2019). Thus, graduates of the transit route in our sample do not have time to use their accumulated general human capital. Therefore, it is more effective to continue studying the returns from their transit educational trajectory, when respondents reach their salary peak.
It is noteworthy that in Russia the transit trajectory is very little highlighted in educational policy, even though one third of university students are "transit" students.The results of the study could be useful for informing youth education and employment policies, focusing policies on mitigating educational inequality and increasing access to higher education. In addition to that, the findings of this research may be of interest to a wide range of readers in the vocational education community. The results of this research can help students and alumni of community colleges to understand the variety of educational opportunities and potential challenges of choosing a career path.
References1. Alexandrov D., Tenisheva K., & Savelyeva S. (2015). No-Risk Mobility: Through College to University. Voprosy Obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow, (3), 66-91. https://doi.org/10.17323/1814-9545-2015-3-66-91
2. Adamovich K. A. (2022) Educational Trajectories of Russian Students after the 9th Grade in 2000—2017: Types of Regional Situations and Their Predictors. Mo ni to ring of Public Opinion: Economic and Social Changes. No. 1. P. 116–142. https://doi.org/10.14515/monitoring.2022.1.1792
3. Becker, G. S. (1962). Investment in human capital: A theoretical analysis. Journal of political economy, 70(5, Part 2), 9-49. https://doi.org/10.1086/258724
4. Breen, R., & Goldthorpe, J. H. (1997). Explaining educational differentials: Towards a formal rational action theory. Rationality and society, 9(3), 275-305. https://doi.org/10.1177/104346397009003002
5. Breen, R., Van De Werfhorst, H. G., & Jæger, M. M. (2014). Deciding under doubt: A theory of risk aversion, time discounting preferences, and educational decision-making. European Sociological Review, 30(2), 258-270. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcu039
6. Dudyrev F., Romanova O., Travkin P. (2020). Student employment and school-to-work transition: the Russian case. Education and Training, 62 (4), 441–457. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-07-2019-0158
7. Gimpelson V. (2019). Vozrast i zarabotnaya plata: stilizovannie fakti i rossiiskie osobennosti [Age and Wage: Stylized Facts and Russian Evidence]. The HSE Economic Journal, vol. 23, no 2, pp. 185–237 (in Russian). https://doi.org/10.17323/1813-8691-2019-23-2-185-237
8. Konstantinovskiy D. L., Popova E. S. (2018). Rossiyskoe srednee professionalnoe obrazovanie: vostrebovannost i spetsifika vybora [Russian Secondary Professional Education: Demand and Specificity of Choice]. Sociological Studies / Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniia, no 3, pp. 34–44. https://doi.org/10.7868/S0132162518030030
9. Maltseva V. A., Shabalin A.I. (2021). Ne-obkhodnoy manevr, ili Bum sprosa na srednee professional’noe obrazovanie v Rossii [The Non-Bypass Trajectory, or The Boom in Demand for TVET in Russia]. Voprosy obrazovaniya / Educational Studies Moscow, no 2, pp. 10–42. https://doi.org/10.17323/1814-9545-2021-2-10-42
10. Roshchin, S., & Rudakov, V. (2017). Patterns of student employment in Russia. Journal of Education and Work, 30(3), 314-338. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2015.1122182
11. Spence, M. (1978). Job market signaling. In Uncertainty in economics (pp. 281-306). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/1882010
12. Yastrebov, G., Kosyakova, Y., & Kurakin, D. (2018). Slipping past the test: Heterogeneous effects of social background in the context of inconsistent selection mechanisms in higher education. Sociology of Education, 91(3), 224-241. https://doi.org/10.1177/003804071877908
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