Stepwise Migration Intentions of International Students: An Explanatory Sequential Study

KONDAKÇI Y., Kasikci S. K., ZAYİM KURTAY M., ÇAPA AYDIN Y.

Journal of Studies in International Education, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2026
  • Doi Number: 10.1177/10283153251414977
  • Journal Name: Journal of Studies in International Education
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Educational research abstracts (ERA), ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Public Affairs Index
  • Keywords: International student mobility, mixed-methods design, multinational migration, stepwise migration, Türkiye
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The dominant analyses of trends and flows in International Student Mobility (ISM) overlook different hierarchies of destinations and the pathways students take to reach these locations. The tendency to conceptualize ISM as a linear involvement of the global elites masks the mobility patterns and trajectories of students with mobility capital shortage. Theorizing on the stepwise migration, this explanatory mixed-methods study investigates the onward migration intentions of international students in Türkiye. Although the stepwise migration theory has been applied to explain low-skilled migration, this study partially confirms that a significant number of international students in Türkiye have developed stepwise migration intentions toward Western countries and use Türkiye as an intermediary, leveraging it to build and accumulate various capitals before moving on to economically developed Western destinations.