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The reintegration of Tongan postgraduate scholars after study abroad: knowledge utilisation and resituation

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Abstract

Higher education has seen increasing educational mobility as students finance themselves or get financial support from their families to study abroad (Shields Comp Educ Rev 57(4):609–636, 2013; Verbik and Lazanowski in World education news and reviews. http://www.wes.org/educators/pdf/StudentMobility.pdf, 2007). Another significant source of support, particularly for students in developing countries, is that from international aid scholarships. This research presents the reported experiences of 15 Tongan postgraduate scholars who successfully completed overseas postgraduate studies. The study focuses on the perceptions of qualifications and of scholars, as well as knowledge utilisation and knowledge resituation in and beyond the workplace. Knowledge utilisation, sometimes referred to as knowledge management, is how others support returnees’ to share and make use of their knowledge; while knowledge resituation is a personal and individual process in which knowledge gained in one context is tuned to and made use of in a new context (Eraut in Expertise development: the transition between school and work. Open Universiteit, Heerlen, pp 52–73, 2004a, Pedagogy and practice. Culture and identities. Sage, London, 2008; Franken 2012). Given the challenges the scholars faced, we advocate for a more explicit recognition of what knowledge and skills returning scholars bring home, and a more proactive and strategic use of these by their workplaces in particular.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education, The University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, 3240, New Zealand

    Margaret Franken & Nautalus Tuituiovai Kaho Langi

  2. Faculty of Education and Arts, Australian Catholic University, Banyo, QLD, Australia

    Christopher Branson

Authors
  1. Margaret Franken
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  2. Nautalus Tuituiovai Kaho Langi
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  3. Christopher Branson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Margaret Franken.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Semi-structured one-on-one interview questions

  1. 1.

    When you were studying, did you anticipate any ways in which your studying overseas would be a benefit for you on your return home?

  2. 2.

    When you were studying, did you anticipate any ways in which your studying overseas would be an obstacle for you on your return home?

  3. 3.

    When you were about to return home, did you anticipate any ways in which your studying overseas would be a benefit for you on your return home?

  4. 4.

    When you were about to return home, did you anticipate any ways in which your studying overseas would be an obstacle for you on your return home?

  5. 5.

    Have you experienced any benefits or obstacles that you anticipated/that you did not anticipate?

  6. 6.

    How did you approach these obstacles? Were they overcome/resolved or not?

  7. 7.

    How have you been received and supported in the workplace/professional community/own community or village?

  8. 8.

    What do you as a returning scholar identify as:

    • Experiences that supported/constrained you in using your new knowledge and skills from your studies in the workplace?

    • Experiences that supported/constrained you in using your new knowledge and skills from your studies in your professional community?

    • Experiences that supported/constrained you in using your new knowledge and skills from your studies in your own community/village?

  9. 9.

    How do you feel your newly acquired skills and knowledge are seen in your current work/professional community/community context?

  10. 10.

    How do you feel about your newly acquired skills and knowledge in relation to your current job? Do you feel they “fit”? Do you feel they have contributed to the organisation?

  11. 11.

    What could have been done differently to make your re-integration experience better?

  12. 12.

    Is there anything else you would like to say?

Appendix 2: Semi-structured focus group interview questions

  1. 1.

    A number of you talked about culture—this could be referring to the workplace culture or our Tongan culture. From your experience in the workplace can you tell me more about culture and how it had an impact on you in your current work context? In your professional community context? And in your community/village context?

  2. 2.

    A number of you suggested that even though you have a postgraduate degree—a masters or PhD, there are times within your workplace and professional communities when it does not seem to matter. You identified that you have been are restricted in terms of what you can say and contribute. Tell me more.

  3. 3.

    A number of you shared that you were able to use some skills acquired from your studies, but not so much about the knowledge that you acquired. Can you talk a little more about knowledge as well as skills? Why is this important to you as a returned scholar with regards to re-integration?

  4. 4.

    A number of you are working in an area that you did not study for and have no expertise in. You reported that you learned on the job and had had no proper induction programme. How important is it for you to have had that induction programme? What impact would you anticipate from a proper induction programme?

  5. 5.

    A number of you talked about being seen as a threat to people in your workplace and your professional community? Why do you think that you were seen in this way? How do you feel about that?

  6. 6.

    From our experiences, what are your views on how can we better re-integrate returning scholars in the future? How would you do it differently from the process that it is currently operating?

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Franken, M., Langi, N.T.K. & Branson, C. The reintegration of Tongan postgraduate scholars after study abroad: knowledge utilisation and resituation. Asia Pacific Educ. Rev. 17, 691–702 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-016-9462-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-016-9462-5

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