Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

International students’ motivation to pursue and complete a Ph.D. in the U.S.

  • Published:
Higher Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study explores what motivates 19 international students to pursue a Ph.D. at a public research university in the U.S. and, more importantly, what motivates them to persist despite unsatisfying socialization. Based on value-expectancy achievement motivation theory, four motivations emerged: intrinsic interest in research, intrinsic interest in teaching, high utility of a U.S.-earned Ph.D., and high emotional and social cost of quitting. As students’ educational experiences unfolded, the influence of these motivations changed over time. Findings and implications are discussed in connection with the achievement motivation theory and the literature on international student mobility. Implication for future research is also provided.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Altbach, P. G. (2004). Higher education crosses borders: Can the United States remain the top destination for foreign students? Change, 36, 18–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Astin, H. S. (1984). The meaning of work in women’s lives: A sociopsychological model of career choice and work behavior. Counseling Psychologist, 12, 117–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Austin, A. E. (2002). Preparing the next generation of faculty: Graduate school as socialization to the academic career. Journal of Higher Education, 73, 94–122.

  • Bieber, J. P., & Worley, L. K. (2006). Conceptualizing the academic life: Graduate students’ perspectives. Journal of Higher Education, 77, 1009–1035.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyatzis, R. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown, P., Lauder, H., & Ashton, D. (2012). The global auction: The broken promises of education, jobs, and incomes. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • College Board. (2010). Education pays 2010: The benefits of higher education for individuals and society. Retrieved from http://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/education-pays-2010-full-report.pdf.

  • Council of Graduate Schools. (2008). Ph.D. completion and attrition: Analysis of baseline program data from the Ph.D. completion project. Washington, DC: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • Covington, M. V. (1992). Making the grade: A self-worth perspective on motivation and school reform. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York, NY: Plenum.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Dodani, S., & Laporte, R. E. (2005). Brain drain from developing countries: How can brain drain be converted into wisdom gain? Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 98, 487–491.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 109–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finn, M. (2007). Stay rates of foreign doctorate recipients from US universities, 2005. Oak Ridge, TN: Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, S. K. (2007). “I heard it through the grapevine”: Doctoral student socialization in chemistry and history. Higher Education, 54, 723–740.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, S. K. (2009a). Conceptualizing success in doctoral education: Perspectives of faculty in seven disciplines. Review of Higher Education, 32, 383–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, S. K. (2009b). The development of doctoral students: Phases of challenge and support. ASHE Higher Education Report. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Golde, C. M. (2000). Should I stay or should I go? Student descriptions of the doctoral attrition process. Review of Higher Education, 23, 199–227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Golde, C. M. (2005). The role of the department and discipline in doctoral student attrition: Lessons from four departments. Journal of Higher Education, 76, 670–700.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gonzalez, J. C. (2006). Academic socialization experiences of Latina doctoral students: A qualitative understanding of support systems that aid and challenges that hinder the process. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education, 5, 347–365.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Griffin, K. (2006). Striving for success: A qualitative exploration of competing theories of high-achieving black college students’ academic motivation. Journal of Higher Education, 47, 384–400.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guba, E. G., & Lincoln, Y. S. (1994). Competing paradigms in qualitative research. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (pp. 105–117). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gumport, P. J. (1991). The federal role in graduate education. In J. C. Smart (Ed.), Higher education: Handbook of theory and research (Vol. 7, pp. 102–134). New York, NY: Agathon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khadria, B. (2011). India amidst a global competition for its talent: A critical perspective on policy for higher and university education. In S. Marginson et al. (eds.), Higher education in the Asia-Pacific. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-1500-4_21.

  • Kim, E. (2009). Beyond language barriers: Teaching self-efficacy among East Asian international teaching assistants. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 21, 171–180.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, D., Bankart, C. A. S., & Isdell, L. (2011). International doctorates: Trends analysis on their decision to stay in US. Higher Education, 62, 141–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, D., & Otts, C. (2010). The effect of loans on time to doctorate degree: Differences by race/ethnicity, field of study, and institutional characteristics. Journal of Higher Education, 21, 1–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Le, T., & Gardner, S. K. (2010). Understanding the doctoral experience of Asian international students in STEM fields: An exploration of one institutional context. Journal of College Student Development, 51, 252–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, M., & Bray, M. (2007). Cross-border flows of students for higher education: Push–pull factors and motivations of mainland Chinese students in Hong Kong and Macau. Higher Education, 53, 791–818.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lincoln, Y. S., & Guba, E. G. (1985). Naturalistic inquiry. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindholm, J. A. (2004). Pathways to the professoriate: The role of self, others, and environment in shaping academic career aspirations. Journal of Higher Education, 75, 603–635.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lovitts, B. E. (2001). Leaving the ivory tower: The causes and consequences of departure from doctoral study. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovitts, B. E. (2008). The transition to independent research: Who makes it, who doesn’t, and why. Journal of Higher Education, 79, 296–325.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marginson, S., & van der Wende, M. (2007). To rank or to be ranked: The impact of global rankings in higher education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11, 306–329.

  • Meyer, J. B., & Brown, M. (1999). Scientific diasporas: A new approach to the brain drain. Paris, France: UNESCO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morrone, A. S., & Pintrich, P. R. (2006). Achievement motivation. In G. G. Bear & K. M. Minke (Eds.), Children’s needs: Development, prevention, and intervention (pp. 431–442). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2012). Education at a glance 2012: OECD indicators. doi:10.1787/eag-2012-en.

  • Portes, A., & Rumbaut, R. G. (2006). Immigrant America: A portrait (3rd ed.). Berkley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55, 68–78.

  • Sato, T., & Hodge, S. R. (2009). Asian international doctoral students’ experiences at two American universities: Assimilation, accommodation, and resistance. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 2, 136–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slaughter, S., & Rhoades, G. (2004). Academic capitalism and the new economy. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spradley, J. P. (1979). The ethnographic interview. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Survey of Earned Doctorates. (2012a). Doctorate recipients, by citizenship and broad field of study: Selected years, 1981–2011. Retrieved from http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/sed/2011/pdf/tab18.pdf.

  • Survey of Earned Doctorates. (2012b). Top 40 countries/economies of origin of temporary visa holders earning doctorates at U.S. colleges and universities: 2011. Retrieved from http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/sed/2011/pdf/tab25.pdf.

  • Survey of Earned Doctorates. (2012c). Doctorate recipients with temporary visas intending to stay in the United States after doctorate receipt, by country of citizenship: 2005–11. Retrieved from http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/sed/2011/pdf/tab53.pdf.

  • Urdan, T. (1999). The role of context: Advances in motivation and achievement. Stamford, CT: JAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weidman, J. C., Twale, D. J., & Stein, E. L. (2001). Socialization of graduate and professional students in higher education: A perilous passage?. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiner, B. (1992). Human motivation: Metaphors, theories, and research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wentzel, K. R., & Wigfield, A. (1998). Academic and social motivational influences on students’ academic performance. Educational Psychology Review, 10, 155–175.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Expectancy-value theory of motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 68–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yan, K., & Berliner, D. C. (2013). Chinese international students’ personal and sociocultural stressors in the United States. Journal of College Student Development, 54, 62–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, J. (2014). Managing anxiety: A case study of an international teaching assistant’s interaction with American students. Journal of International Students, 4, 177–190.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Ji Zhou

Authors
  1. Ji Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ji Zhou.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zhou, J. International students’ motivation to pursue and complete a Ph.D. in the U.S.. High Educ 69, 719–733 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-014-9802-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-014-9802-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation