Qualitative longitudinal research on Lithuanian student migration

Egidija Ramanauskaite and J. Rimas Vaisnys
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Egidija Ramanauskaite: Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, LT
J. Rimas Vaisnys: Yale University, New Haven, CT

Journal of Advances in Humanities and Social Sciences, 2017, vol. 3, issue 4, 193-205

Abstract: Emigration of first-rate students is a very significant form of 'brain drain' for a nation, with serious long-term consequences for cultural, economic, and educational sectors. The purpose of this study is to identify important social factors which influence students in choosing between foreign and Lithuanian universities for a college education. The research used a longitudinal study approach, where the same respondent is repeatedly observed over a number of time instances. A system theory approach was applied for data gathering and analysis. This was done by identifying state and the environmental values and their interactions in terms of which the student's observed behavior can be explained. Data were gathered by observation of students' surrounding at their universities, semi-structured interviews with study participants, and structured questionnaires. Fifty students, some of whom have emigrated for studies in Great Britain and others who have stayed in Lithuania, have been followed by our team for almost five years. The research identified significant changes with time in the values and importance of variables characterizing the students, finding a greater than anticipated influence of peers and personal contacts on the behavior of the research participants. In contrast, economic considerations seem to have been of less significance than anticipated in modulating the behavior of both kinds of students. The study has implications for research and practice. The first is related to an application of a system theory approach to longitudinal social research which results in an in-depth systematic analysis of social processes while searching for causalities in a behavior of the research system (a student in our case). The study makes it possible to understand how the environments could be changed so that students would choose studies at Lithuanian universities or return to Lithuania after graduating. This knowledge may be useful for policy makers at various levels of the education system.

Keywords: Lithuanian students; Migration; Qualitative longitudinal research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:apb:jahsss:2017:p:193-205

DOI: 10.20474/jahss-3.4.1

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