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Dissertation
Motivational Factors Informing Female International Students’ Decisions To Pursue Graduate Degrees Abroad
University of West Florida Libraries
Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida
2025
Abstract
This study explored the motivational factors influencing female international students’ decisions to pursue graduate education at a southeastern U.S. university. Since 2010, the number of women pursuing a graduate degree abroad has increased, surpassing male enrollment in the United States. In the late 1990s to early 2000s, campaigns were created in various countries led by reputable international organizations, such as the United Nations International Children’s Fund and the United Nations Development Program, to get girls into school. These programs were prominent in Africa and Asia, with some countries supporting the projects with concrete educational policies like free, compulsory education for girls. With the number of female international students pursuing graduate degrees at U.S. universities increasing astronomically in the last decade, this study employed a qualitative phenomenological approach to explore the factors motivating their decisions. Deci and Ryan’s (2012) self-determination theory provided the theoretical framework, focusing on autonomy, relatedness, and competence. Interview data from six participants revealed themes, including personal efficacy, social influencers, career competence, and competence to handle general life issues. The study concludes that female international students consciously exercised autonomy in their decision to pursue a graduate degree abroad, reflecting an eagerness to be in full control of their future aspirations. The
findings highlight the importance of university policies that recognize and support the evolving aspirations of female international graduate students.
Details
- Title
- Motivational Factors Informing Female International Students’ Decisions To Pursue Graduate Degrees Abroad
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Contributors
- Mark Malisa (Committee Chair)Giang-Nguyen Nguyen (Committee Member)
- Publisher
- University of West Florida Libraries
- Format
- pdf
- Number of pages
- 209
- Copyright
- Unpublished work © Stella Awo Kpogli
- Identifiers
- 99381469153706600
- Academic Unit
- School of Education
- Language
- English
- Awarding Institution
- University of West Florida; Doctor of Education (EDD)
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Education (EDD), University of West Florida