Motivation to pursue PhD Studies in Mathematics and Sciences Studies among International Students in a Research University

Sylvestre Munyengabe; He Haiyan; Shan Liangyan; Zhao Yiyi

doi:10.12973/ejmste/80754

Full Text (PDF)

Sylvestre Munyengabe ¹, He Haiyan ¹ ^* , Shan Liangyan ¹, Zhao Yiyi ¹

More Detail

¹ School of Education, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing, CHINA^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study tried to explore what motivates international students to attain PhD graduation requirements in mathematics and sciences studies in a Chinese research university. The design of the study was qualitative and all collected data were analyzed by thematic analysis. The study explored the motive forces that enable international PhD students to persist and solve all challenging situations to fulfill PhD graduation requirements in mathematics and sciences studies. The internal and external motivations were found to be the main cause of their persistence to continue their studies until they meet their graduation requirements. International PhD students in mathematics and sciences reported to be challenged by the communication barriers, unfit social interaction, advanced software to be used and different high requirements to be attained in a research university. The discussions of findings considered other existing related studies and theories that help people to persist and achieve their desired goals and targets. Possible solutions to existing challenges and further research’ areas were suggested in this study.

Keywords

mathematics and sciences studies
graduation’ requirements
international students
internal motivation
goal setting and expectancy

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, Volume 13, Issue 12, December 2017, 8027-8037

https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80754

Publication date: 22 Nov 2017

Article Views: 3350

Article Downloads: 3694

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Altbach, P. G. (2004). Higher education crosses borders: Can the United States remain the top destination for foreign students? Change: the magazine of higher learning, 36(2), 18-25.
Beck, R. (1983). Motivation: Theories and principles (2nd edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Boyatzis, R. E. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. California: Sage.
Creswell, J. W. (2000). Research design. California: Sage, 1–246. doi:10.1016/j.math.2010.09.003.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York, NY: Plenum.
Denzin, N. K. (2008). Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials (Vol. 3). California: Sage.
Eccles, J. S., & Wigfield, A. (2002). Motivational beliefs, values, and goals. Annual review of psychology, 53(1), 109-132.
Finn, M. (2007). Stay rates of foreign doctorate recipients from US universities, 2005. Oak Ridge, TN: Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education.
Gardner, S. K. (2009a). Conceptualizing success in doctoral education: Perspectives of faculty in seven disciplines. Review of Higher Education, 32, 383–406.
Gardner, S. K. (2009b). The development of doctoral students: Phases of challenge and support. ASHE Higher Education Report. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
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.
Green, T. (1992). Performance and Motivation Strategies for Today’s Workforce: A guide to expectancy theory application. Westport, CT: Quorum Books.
Griffin, K. (2006). Striving for success: A qualitative exploration of competing theories of high-achieving Black college students’ academic motivation. Journal of College Student Development, 47(4), 384-400.
Griffin, R. W. (2013). Management. Eleventh Ed. Texas A&M University, South Western, Cengage Learning.
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.
Hoy, W. K., & Miskel, C. G. (1987). Theory research and practice (Vol. 278). Educational administration, New York: Random House.
Khadria, B. (2011). India amidst a global competition for its talent: A critical perspective on policy for higher and university education. In Higher education in the Asia-Pacific (pp. 395-412). Netherlands: Springer Netherlands.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Locke, E. A., & Henne, D. (1986). Work motivation theories. In Cooper, C.L. & Robertson, I.T. (Eds.). International review of industrial and organizational psychology. Chichester, UK: John Wiley.
Lovitts, B. E. (2008). The transition to independent research: Who makes it, who doesn’t, and why. Journal of Higher Education, 79, 296–325.
Mitchell, D. E., Ortiz, F. I., & Mitchell, I. K. (1987). Work Orientation and Job Performance: Toward a Cultural Theory of Work Motivation. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Munyengabe, S., Haiyan, H., Yiyi, Z., & Jiefei, S. (2017b). Factors and Levels Associated with Lecturers’ Motivation and Job Satisfaction in a Chinese University. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 13(10), 6415-6430. doi:10.12973/ejmste/77946.
Munyengabe, S., He, H., & Yiyi, Z. (2016). The Analysis of Factors and Levels Associated with Lecturers’ Motivation and Job Satisfaction in University of Rwanda. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(30), 188–200.
Munyengabe, S., Yiyi, Z., Haiyan, H., & Hitimana, S. (2017c). Primary Teachers’ Perceptions on ICT Integration for Enhancing Teaching and Learning through the Implementation of One Laptop per Child Program in Primary Schools of Rwanda. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 13(11), 7193–7204. doi:10.12973/ejmste/79044.
Munyengabe, S., Yiyi, Z., Haiyan, H., & Jiefei, S. (2017a). Similarities and Differences in Factors and Levels Associated with Lecturers’ Motivation and Job Satisfaction. A Comparative Study between Rwanda and China. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 12(5), 945-964.
OECD. (2012). Education at a Glance 2012: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing. doi:10.1787/eag-2012-en.
Pennington, M. C. (1995). Work satisfaction, motivation, and commitment in teaching English as a second language. Document No. 404850. Washington, DC: Education Resources Information Center (ERIC).
Piché, S. (2003). Précurseurs motivationnels des performances sportive et scolaire (Doctoral dissertation, Université Laval).
Porter, L., Bigley, G., & Street, R. (2003). Motivation and Work Behaviour. New York: McGraw- Hill Education.
Robbins, S. (2003). Organizational Behaviour. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
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.
Spradley, J. P. (1979). The ethnographic interview. New York, NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Statista. (2017). Number of foreign students studying in China 2015, by source of funding. Retrieved on 28 June 2017 from https://www.statista.com/statistics/251213/number-of-foreign-students-studying-in-china-by-source-of-funding.
Vroom, V. H. (1964). Work and motivation. New York: John Wiley.
Wang, L., & Xiao, W. (2017). Higher Education Development and Regional Differences in China. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 13(10), 6689-6698. doi:10.12973/ejmste/78277.
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.
Weiner, B. (1992). Human motivation: Metaphors, theories, and research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Wigfield, A., & Eccles, J. S. (2000). Expectancy-value theory of motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 68-81.

How to cite this article

APA

Munyengabe, S., Haiyan, H., Liangyan, S., & Yiyi, Z. (2017). Motivation to pursue PhD Studies in Mathematics and Sciences Studies among International Students in a Research University. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 13(12), 8027-8037. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80754

Vancouver

Munyengabe S, Haiyan H, Liangyan S, Yiyi Z. Motivation to pursue PhD Studies in Mathematics and Sciences Studies among International Students in a Research University. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2017;13(12):8027-37. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80754

AMA

Munyengabe S, Haiyan H, Liangyan S, Yiyi Z. Motivation to pursue PhD Studies in Mathematics and Sciences Studies among International Students in a Research University. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2017;13(12), 8027-8037. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80754

Chicago

Munyengabe, Sylvestre, He Haiyan, Shan Liangyan, and Zhao Yiyi. "Motivation to pursue PhD Studies in Mathematics and Sciences Studies among International Students in a Research University". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2017 13 no. 12 (2017): 8027-8037. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80754

Harvard

Munyengabe, S., Haiyan, H., Liangyan, S., and Yiyi, Z. (2017). Motivation to pursue PhD Studies in Mathematics and Sciences Studies among International Students in a Research University. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 13(12), pp. 8027-8037. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80754

MLA

Munyengabe, Sylvestre et al. "Motivation to pursue PhD Studies in Mathematics and Sciences Studies among International Students in a Research University". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 13, no. 12, 2017, pp. 8027-8037. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/80754