Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Sociology

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

The research investigates the interdependencies among higher education, motivation, belonging, and development. Also, the study covers the literature on integration and gender of international migrants.

The first study examines the motivation to serve and its predictors among Turkish military officers and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) prior to July 15th, 2016 Coup attempt in Turkey. Based on survey data, the findings revealed that institutional and moral commitments, organizational responsiveness, perceived fairness, and satisfaction with social benefits were positive significant determinants of motivation to serve, while occupational commitment had a negative relationship with it.

The second study examines the labor market participation of highly educated Turkish state officials after the Coup attempt. Drawing on qualitative research, this study broadens the discussion about migration policies and job market participation of highly educated migrants/refugees in Western countries. The article shows the effects of state policies and practices on migrants’ thoughts, experiences, and feelings during the job market participation and integration with the destination state.

The final research analyzes the literature on integration and assimilation related to immigrants and searched for the role of gender in this process. Based on computer-assisted content analysis of related articles published from January of 1998 to September of 2018, the results indicate that the current body of research focuses primarily on organizational and structural topics like housing, health, education, the labor force, identity, and language, instead of human-based topics such as social capital, community participation, and networks of displaced persons that recognize them as public actors. Also, the final study shows the interconnectedness of migration topic with broader mainstream issues of gender at multi-levels. It analyzes that the role of gender has generally been ignored in theorization and examination of the migration process from migration decision-making to integration to destination countries. It hypothesizes the importance of separate explanations for women’s migration rather than traditional explanations derived for men’s labor migration and accepts women as dependent individuals with children. Also, this study discusses that women’s participation in job markets and integration to destination countries may be different than the traditional findings especially in terms of recent migration flows and forced migration.

Committee Chair

Shrum, Wesley

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.5157

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