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Focusing on Hungarian minority youth in a rural Slovakian setting, this article analyses their higher education aspirations and choices amidst significant economic, political and educational reforms. Relying on mixed methods and a longitudinal design, the research follows a cohort of high school students from their last year of secondary school through university up to their graduate destinations several years onwards. The data reveal three main study-work trajectories reflecting different trade-offs in terms of higher education studies, graduate careers and ethnic identity maintenance that affect life-chances and the future of the Hungarian community in Slovakia.

Based on in-depth interviews with doctoral students across different types of English higher education institutions, this study explores existing and perceived barriers to entering doctoral study. Previous research in widening participation and higher education access has neglected this level. Although the PhD is the highest educational qualification, there appear to be quite distinct, classed pathways in access to and through the doctorate corresponding to patterns of institutional stratification. PhD students do not comprise a homogeneous elite; rather, we detect at least three ideal-typical pathways to the doctorate. These pathways illustrate disparities among the community of PhD students, both between and within universities. Marked differences in funding, facilities and support carry consequences for individual chances of completion and the doctoral experience. Social and institutional stratification appear to work hand-in-hand in determining one's chances for achieving the 'promise' of the PhD, such as secure university employment and similar highly skilled work.

While there has been a proliferation of research on the experiences of nonelite students in elite settings, scholarly attention has predominantly focused on institutions like the Ivy League or Oxbridge, leaving other geographical locales, notably in Europe, understudied. Past research has primarily concentrated on the initial entry to higher education, with limited attention given to postgraduate levels, which this study aims to remedy. Through interviews with a cohort of final-year Ph.D. students at a highly prestigious European graduate school, this paper specifically delves into the social integration of Eastern European students navigating their fit among a predominantly Western European, elite-university-educated student body. Employing the concept of ‘segregated inclusion,’ the study illustrates how cultural and socio-economic differences contribute to stratified social relationships, ultimately impacting the extent to which Eastern European students can leverage their membership in an elite university. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article aims to explore immigrant educational pathways in relation to access to higher education (HE) in the Austrian context. Specifically focusing on Turkish youth, the author presents case studies of students who successfully entered HE in spite of their disadvantaged social, ethnic and geographic background. By further enhancing Ball's distinction (Ball, Reay, and David 2002) between embedded and contingent choosers, the article provides an in-depth understanding of the cultural and structural context in which these students' educational choices are played out. Finally, reaching out for Turner's (1960) notion of sponsored mobility, the article reflects on how the process of early selection reduces the opportunities for immigrant youth to access seemingly open and free HE.

By comparing the educational situation of second-generation Turks in the Netherlands and Austria, the paper investigates the reasons behind the differential higher educational gains of the descendants of guest workers in the two countries. By relying on in-depth interviews with second-generation Turks, the paper illustrates how ethnic discrimination in the labour market lead to maintaining a "sojourn-perspective" among Turks in the Austrian setting, who disapprove of long-term educational investments in favour of material resources enabling a potential return to Turkey. At the same time, the sojourn-orientation is giving way to a more long-term perspective in the case of the Netherlands, where Turkish families see investments in Dutch qualifications as worthwhile channels of upward mobility.

The article aims to explore immigrant educational pathways in relation to access to higher education (HE) in the Austrian context. Specifically focusing on Turkish youth, the author presents case studies of students who successfully entered HE in spite of their disadvantaged social, ethnic and geographic background. By further enhancing Ball’s distinction (Ball, Reay, and David 2002) between embedded and contingent choosers, the article provides an in-depth understanding of the cultural and structural context in which these students’ educational choices are played out. Finally, reaching out for Turner’s (1960) notion of sponsored mobility, the article reflects on how the process of early selection reduces the opportunities for immigrant youth to access seemingly open and free HE. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

International student mobility, especially at doctoral level, is a largely under-researched component of international migration. This is in stark contrast with the case of credit mobility where much research has been undertaken on Erasmus students. The aim of this paper is to remedy the situation by focusing on international doctoral students who chose to study at an elite higher education institution in the UK. By analysing the role of - local, national and international - schemes of funding in shaping individual mobility decisions, the author argues against the portrayal of international students as 'rational decision makers' in favour of a more contextualised approach to mapping the graduate student migratory phenomenon. By contrasting the 'entry channels' of students with their future plans - in terms of the nature of future career and geographic location - the author challenges the assumption that internationally mobile students are coming with the intention of settling down in their study destination. The study cannot uphold the view of international students as a 'migratory elite' either; although some postgraduate students are indeed from more privileged backgrounds, many individuals undertake international doctoral mobility with the explicit aim of capital accumulation. Last but not least, the paper strongly argues for abandoning the term 'spontaneous mobility' in student mobility research because a significant proportion of degree mobility does not occur spontaneously but is a result of organised schemes of funding. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By comparing the educational situation of second-generation Turks in the Netherlands and Austria, the paper investigates the reasons behind the differential higher educational gains of the descendants of guest workers in the two countries. By relying on in-depth interviews with second-generation Turks, the paper illustrates how ethnic discrimination in the labour market lead to maintaining a ‘sojourn-perspective’ among Turks in the Austrian setting, who disapprove of long-term educational investments in favour of material resources enabling a potential return to Turkey. At the same time, the sojourn-orientation is giving way to a more long-term perspective in the case of the Netherlands, where Turkish families see investments in Dutch qualifications as worthwhile channels of upward mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Relying on in-depth interviews with higher education students and young graduates the study investigates the factors underpinning the participation patterns of second-generation Turks in the Dutch higher education system. The paper highlights how ethnic minority students accommodate the constraints faced by the Dutch educational system by rationalizing economics at professional colleges as a suitable alternative to studying medicine at university, an alternative that will meet both their aspirations for a more successful and secure life than their parents’ while maintaining the traditional family ties in line with the work-life balance offered by a ‘nine-to-five job’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article examines the applicability of Ball's categorisation of ethnic minority students as contingent and embedded choosers in the context of higher education choice. Considering the role of the selective school system in shaping the educational careers of the children of Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands the study uses case studies to illustrate the interplay of social class background with the educational structure. The cases of educationally successful second-generation Turks interviewed in the city of Amsterdam clearly illustrate the significance of early tracking in regulating the educational outcomes of pupils of immigrant origin, thus determining their chances for educational advancement and social mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the integration of Turkish labour migrant children in four countries across Europe in terms of their educational performance. By looking at the PISA 2003 (Programme for International Student Assessment) data pertaining to mathematics achievement of 15-year-olds, it explores the effects of ethnicity, gender and family background, on the one hand, and institutional factors (such as kindergarten attendance, grading and tracking), on the other, to offer a better understanding of the large immigrant-native gaps in educational performance. As a result, the author argues that institutional factors can have an impact on school-related integration, in addition to the effects associated with individual factors, thus adding another layer of disadvantage on the children of immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]