Malaysian PhD graduates coming home: adjustment and adaptation to the research ecosystem

Da Wan C. Kuzhabekova A. Ispambetova B.
2022 Routledge

Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management
2022 #44 Issue 6 580 - 595 pp.

Study abroad has a long-standing tradition in higher education. Apart from the pursuit of knowledge that cannot be confined by the boundaries of nation-state, sending local talents to study abroad has also been a strategy to build capacity in a developing/emerging nation like Malaysia. This article focuses on the stories and experiences of Malaysian in adjusting and adapting to the local situation as academic staff when they returned to Malaysian universities after their doctoral study abroad. Through thematic analysis and guided by Structuration Theory, this article illustrates structural constraints in the form of research governance, practices and cultures, as well as agency manifestations of these returnees to overcome and address these constraints and challenges. These stories and experiences are important to understand and to make recommendations to improve the governance, practices and culture of universities especially in developing/emerging systems globally.

adjustment , key performance indicators , research , returnees , Structuration theory , Study abroad

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National Higher Education Research Institute, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
Graduate School of Education, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan, Astana, Kazakhstan
The HEADFoundation, Singapore

National Higher Education Research Institute
Graduate School of Education
The HEADFoundation

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