Voices from the Global South: international postgraduate study aspirations of Ghanaian students

Abstract

This qualitative paper scrutinises the international postgraduate study aspirations of Ghanaian students through nineteen in-depth, semi-structured interviews, scaffolded by a reflective conversation led by author three, a postgraduate applicant from Ghana. Through these interviews, we examine personal and contextual antecedents driven by ‘Jakpa’ as a conceptual force propelling the relentless efforts of these students to secure fully funded postgraduate admission in Western universities. The interviews further reveal hitherto unexplored ‘fears’ within ISM: fear of never securing fully funded study opportunities, fear of return to the home country, fear of rejection by academic supervisors, among others. We progress our research using thematic analysis and conversation as a blended methodology within the frame of postcolonial theory. This article stresses that existing ISM (international student mobility) literature is heavily skewed towards studies from the Global North, with comparatively limited scholarly work on ISM originating from Ghana and the Global South. Therefore, through our methodology, we advocate for culturally inclusive praxis within this research space, concomitantly arguing for a more nuanced grasp of ‘Jakpa’.