Nazarbayev University researchers shine a spotlight on South–South student mobility with a case study of Indian medical undergraduates in Kazakhstan. The articleт “Global south mobility: a case study on the motivations and language practices of Indian international students in Kazakhstan” by Kymbat Yessenbekova, Anas Hajar, and Daniel Hernández-Torrano was received 9 March 2025, accepted 24 May 2025, and published online 30 May 2025 in the Q1 journal Globalisation, Societies and Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/14767724.2025.2512824
Conducted at two northern-Kazakhstan universities offering English-Medium Instruction (EMI) in medicine, the study used a convergent mixed-methods design survey (N=158) plus semi-structured interviews (N=10) to map the motivations behind destination choice and the language practices that follow.

What brings students to Kazakhstan?
Participants pointed to a pragmatic mix of career opportunity, affordability relative to other destinations, personal safety (especially salient for women and their families), and cultural exploration. Many were first in their families to study abroad, financing education via family savings or loans underscoring practical rather than prestige-only decision-making.
How does that shape language use?
While English remains the classroom medium, the multilingual reality of daily life means Russian often functions as the working language with peers, staff, and services; reported interest in learning Russian outpaced Kazakh. Quantitative analyses linked stronger world-enlightenment and personal-growth motivations with greater interest in both local languages, while career motives were less tied to language learning per se.
What it means:
The findings position Kazakhstan not only as an EMI provider but as a regional education hub where motivations and the lived linguistic environment interact. The authors suggest fast-start survival Russian/Kazakh for EMI cohorts, multilingual student-facing services, and career-linked bridges (mentored clinicals, employer talks) that respect EMI while acknowledging multilingual practice.

Kymbat Yessenbekova, NU GSE PhD candidate and lead author:
“Students’ choices are pragmatic—career, costs, and safety drive the move—and once here, language practice follows function: Russian helps them navigate everyday academic and social life.”

Anas Hajar, Associate Professor, NU GSE:
“Designing support for international students in Kazakhstan means pairing EMI with realistic multilingual pathways—so students can succeed in labs, clinics, and the community.”

Сonclusion
Kazakhstan offers competitive conditions for international study safety, affordability, and a favourable climate but fully realising this potential will require addressing language-related challenges through mutual, intercultural approaches that involve both students and local stakeholders. These results underscore the value of integrating motivational factors when designing language-learning and cultural-adaptation support.
Building on these findings, integrated language + cultural immersion programmes could strengthen students’ personal growth and global outlook while deepening regional connection. Further research should examine language challenges across academic and social settings. Given strong career motivations (notably in medicine), universities should build stronger links to local industries and international employers to expand career development and attract future cohorts.

Limitations and future directions

• Sample & design: A modest qualitative sample and a cross-sectional design limit generalisability and mask change over time.
• Scope: Focusing on a single nationality narrows interpretation; comparative cohorts would enrich insights.
• Next steps: Longitudinal studies tracking academic, linguistic, and sociocultural trajectories; multi-national samples to map how motivations and language practices vary across groups; mixed-methods work that probes identity negotiation in multilingual EMI contexts.

What we learned: Students’ non-career motives (curiosity, growth, culture) drive local-language uptake; career motives alone don’t.
Why it matters: Supporting EMI students in Kazakhstan means pairing English-medium teaching with realistic multilingual pathways.
Do now (for universities):

1. Launch fast-start survival Russian/Kazakh tied to real campus/admin tasks.
2. Provide multilingual student services and peer mentoring.
3. Offer career-linked placements/clinicals and employer talks tailored to international cohorts.
4. Run cultural immersion modules co-designed with students.

Our publications:
Title: Mapping research on International Student Mobilities in higher education: Achievements and the agenda ahead. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2024.102482
Title: Unpacking Syrian international students’ expectations, challenges and future selves in Kazakhstan: a qualitative inquiry https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2025.2486086