A Quest Towards Academic and Social Integration in the United States: A Narrative Inquiry into Academic Mobility Experiences of Indian STEM Post-Doctorates

Abstract

International students are a prominent sub-group of students in most US university campuses, yet few scholars focus on their experiences, especially regarding why they choose to study abroad, and how they manage to successfully immerse themselves into a new academic and cultural environment. In the present study, a narrative inquiry approach was used to understand the participant’s motivations and experiences of academic mobility, academic integration, and social integration. Four international STEM post-doctoral scholars from India participated in three rounds of interviews. All four participants indicated high intrinsic motivation to pursue post-doctorate experiences abroad and indicated several push-pull factors that affected their choice. Other factors deemed important were related to their process of academically and socially integrating into their new environment. The findings confirmed that academic and social integration are related to each other. It was seen that the need for autonomy, competency, and relatedness played a crucial factor in the participants’ overall experiences. It was also found that post-doc scholars had an easier adjustment academically but often struggled with social integration.