International graduate students’ perceptions and interest in international careers

Nikos Bozionelos, Giorgos Bozionelos, Konstantinos Kostopoulos, Chwen-Huey Shyong, Yehuda Baruch, Wenxia Zhou

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

39 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This research developed and tested a comprehensive model of the antecedents of international graduate students' interest in an international career. Based largely on Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT), the model included elements that pertain to perceptions of external constraints (perceptions of the labor market, family pressure to return), international student experience (adjustment in the foreign country during graduate studies, exposure and immersion to the international context) and individual factors (self-efficacy with respect to working abroad and outcome expectancy). Participants were 139 international graduate students in the UK. Individual factors and perceived constraints were directly related to interest in an international career. The factors that comprised current international student experience were indirectly related to interest via their relationship with self-efficacy, while adjustment moderated the relationship between self-efficacy and interest. Although the hypothesized moderating role of family pressure to return did not materialize, the findings suggest that perceptions of constraints play a more substantial role in the formation of interest than has been assumed by SCCT theory thus far. The findings are discussed with respect to their implications for the literature and for the policies of host country stakeholders.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1428-1451
Number of pages24
JournalInternational Journal of Human Resource Management
Volume26
Issue number11
Early online date22 Jun 2014
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords

  • adjustment
  • exposure and immersion
  • graduate students
  • interest
  • international careers
  • international students
  • labor market conditions
  • perceived barriers
  • self-efficacy
  • Social Cognitive Career Theory

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