Livelihood and return migration intention among foreign students in the GCC: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

The indigenous skilled man-power shortfall in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a known phenomenon. Efforts at tackling this problem have witnessed policy reforms targeted at human capital development via qualitative education at all levels. In the interim, the GCC countries rely on expatriat...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Adewale, Abideen Adeyemi, Omar, Azura
Format: Proceeding Paper
Language:English
English
Published: 2012
Subjects:
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/26777/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/26777/1/11._GRM2012-Abideen_Adewale.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/26777/4/27_Workshop_4_-Migration_-_Fargues_and_Shah.pdf
_version_ 1848779703082549248
author Adewale, Abideen Adeyemi
Omar, Azura
author_facet Adewale, Abideen Adeyemi
Omar, Azura
author_sort Adewale, Abideen Adeyemi
building IIUM Repository
collection Online Access
description The indigenous skilled man-power shortfall in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a known phenomenon. Efforts at tackling this problem have witnessed policy reforms targeted at human capital development via qualitative education at all levels. In the interim, the GCC countries rely on expatriates to fill the gap. This option may only work in the short term. This may be so given the growth rate of the GCC and the ageing and competition factors vis-à-vis skilled workers from the developed countries. A longer term policy option explored in this paper, and as suggested in some extant migration literature, therefore, is to attract talented students from the Less Developed Countries (LDC), train and retain them as a complement to indigenous skilled man-power. It is presupposed that the initial brain drain this would cause in the sending country would transform to brain gain upon migration return. However, it may be overstretching assumptions that the livelihood opportunities in the host countries align with the aspiration of the foreign students, thereby, making them not to return immediately after their studies. This study presents a phenomenological analysis of the various adjustment issues faced by foreign students in the GCC countries. Elicited by the need to fill an apparent qualitative research gap particularly in the GCC context this study is aimed at unraveling the livelihood strategies of the foreign students and the implications for their return migration intention in their own personal accounts. Data collected via a semi-structured interview are transcribed verbatim, subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis based on a constant comparative approach, and arranged into themes upon which the results are presented. The themes that emerge in the analysis are discussed in depth and policy recommendations offered
first_indexed 2025-11-14T15:21:59Z
format Proceeding Paper
id iium-26777
institution International Islamic University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
language English
English
last_indexed 2025-11-14T15:21:59Z
publishDate 2012
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling iium-267772012-12-13T13:02:04Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/26777/ Livelihood and return migration intention among foreign students in the GCC: an interpretative phenomenological analysis Adewale, Abideen Adeyemi Omar, Azura H96 Public policy (General), Policy sciences The indigenous skilled man-power shortfall in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is a known phenomenon. Efforts at tackling this problem have witnessed policy reforms targeted at human capital development via qualitative education at all levels. In the interim, the GCC countries rely on expatriates to fill the gap. This option may only work in the short term. This may be so given the growth rate of the GCC and the ageing and competition factors vis-à-vis skilled workers from the developed countries. A longer term policy option explored in this paper, and as suggested in some extant migration literature, therefore, is to attract talented students from the Less Developed Countries (LDC), train and retain them as a complement to indigenous skilled man-power. It is presupposed that the initial brain drain this would cause in the sending country would transform to brain gain upon migration return. However, it may be overstretching assumptions that the livelihood opportunities in the host countries align with the aspiration of the foreign students, thereby, making them not to return immediately after their studies. This study presents a phenomenological analysis of the various adjustment issues faced by foreign students in the GCC countries. Elicited by the need to fill an apparent qualitative research gap particularly in the GCC context this study is aimed at unraveling the livelihood strategies of the foreign students and the implications for their return migration intention in their own personal accounts. Data collected via a semi-structured interview are transcribed verbatim, subjected to interpretative phenomenological analysis based on a constant comparative approach, and arranged into themes upon which the results are presented. The themes that emerge in the analysis are discussed in depth and policy recommendations offered 2012-07 Proceeding Paper PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/26777/1/11._GRM2012-Abideen_Adewale.pdf application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/26777/4/27_Workshop_4_-Migration_-_Fargues_and_Shah.pdf Adewale, Abideen Adeyemi and Omar, Azura (2012) Livelihood and return migration intention among foreign students in the GCC: an interpretative phenomenological analysis. In: Gulf Research Meeting 2012, July 11-14, 2012, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom. (Unpublished) http://www.grm.grc.net
spellingShingle H96 Public policy (General), Policy sciences
Adewale, Abideen Adeyemi
Omar, Azura
Livelihood and return migration intention among foreign students in the GCC: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
title Livelihood and return migration intention among foreign students in the GCC: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
title_full Livelihood and return migration intention among foreign students in the GCC: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
title_fullStr Livelihood and return migration intention among foreign students in the GCC: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
title_full_unstemmed Livelihood and return migration intention among foreign students in the GCC: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
title_short Livelihood and return migration intention among foreign students in the GCC: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
title_sort livelihood and return migration intention among foreign students in the gcc: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
topic H96 Public policy (General), Policy sciences
url http://irep.iium.edu.my/26777/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/26777/
http://irep.iium.edu.my/26777/1/11._GRM2012-Abideen_Adewale.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/26777/4/27_Workshop_4_-Migration_-_Fargues_and_Shah.pdf