Cross-national doctoral transitions and employability development: a multilevel qualitative study of Chinese doctoral students in the UK

Meng, Fanzhu (2026) Cross-national doctoral transitions and employability development: a multilevel qualitative study of Chinese doctoral students in the UK. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

International doctoral education is characterised by complex, multi-layered transitions, yet much existing research has focused on single or isolated domains—such as supervision, language, or social integration—without recognising that cross-national doctoral study involves multiple, interdependent, and temporally evolving transitions that collectively shape academic development and employability outcomes. In addition, only minimal empirical work has examined employability as an ongoing developmental process during the doctorate, especially for those navigating dual academic systems and labour markets across different cultural and policy environments. These gaps are particularly salient for Chinese doctoral students in the UK, who must simultaneously adapt to the expectations of the host system while preparing for potential future careers in China.
To address these limitations, this thesis adopts a dual-study qualitative design. Study 1 draws on retrospective interviews with eight Chinese social science doctoral graduates who completed their PhDs in the UK within four years and are now employed at globally ranked top 200 universities, revealing how academic, cultural, social, institutional, and career-related transitions interact and accumulate across the doctoral lifecycle. Study 2 complements this by examining the real-time experiences of twelve current Chinese social science doctoral students at different stages of progression, demonstrating how employability planning is shaped by supervisory relationships, institutional structures, labour-market expectations, and shifting visa regulations.
Together, these findings highlight that doctoral transitions are relational, ecological, and cumulative, with agency developing through dynamic interactions across multi-level environments. The thesis advances theoretical understanding by refining transition categorisation through the dimensions of controllability and locus of influence; proposing a Bicultural Transitional Adaptation Model to explain identity negotiation across UK and Chinese academic cultures; and extending Bioecological Systems Theory by showing how system-level influences shift over time. An original multilevel integrative framework is developed to explain how employability is co-constructed across ecological layers rather than acquired solely through individual effort. Practically, the research calls for coordinated support at policy, institutional, supervisory, and individual levels to strengthen equitable developmental opportunities and sustainable career futures for international students.
Overall, this thesis moves beyond deficit-based framings of international students and demonstrates that Chinese doctoral students in the UK are actively negotiating recognition, belonging, and future possibilities across intersecting sociocultural systems, offering a more holistic and human-centred understanding of cross-national doctoral journeys.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Subjects: L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Education
• Supervisor's Name: Hand, Dr. Christopher and Elliot, Dr. Dely
• Date of Award: 2026
• Depositing User: Theses Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:2026-86148
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 22 Jul 2026 10:51
• Last Modified: 26 Jul 2026 07:11
• Thesis DOI: 10.5525/gla.thesis.86148
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/86148