Perceived contributions to national development: Government-sponsored Mongolian alumni from Japan
Asian Education and Development Studies
ISSN: 2046-3162
Article publication date: 17 December 2019
Issue publication date: 31 March 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore how Mongolian alumni of three different scholarship programs sponsored by governments of Japan and Mongolia view their role in national development after graduation.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reports findings from a phenomenological study (Creswell, 2007) – the first phase of an exploratory sequential mixed-methods study in a recent PhD study. Based on semi-structured interviews with 24 alumni the study aimed to understand alumni’s perspectives in their voices.
Findings
Alumni were motivated to contribute to their communities, institutions, economic, political, social and legal conditions of Mongolia. However, they faced various structural challenges including getting jobs in the public sector even when they had binding agreements with employers. The findings call for long-term support for alumni projects and hubs as well as policy frameworks that tie the scholarship programs with national development goals.
Originality/value
Despite the high mobility rate of Mongolian scholars and a long history of Japanese Official Development Assistance to develop human resources in developing countries especially in Asia, little is known about the impact of these programs on the Mongolian national development. Through the phenomenological study, this study expands the understanding of ways in which alumni contribute to their national development.
Keywords
Citation
Enkhtur, A. (2020), "Perceived contributions to national development: Government-sponsored Mongolian alumni from Japan", Asian Education and Development Studies, Vol. 9 No. 2, pp. 217-228. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEDS-03-2018-0056
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited