Motivations of Students to Study Abroad: A Case Study of Moldova

In this paper we explore students’ motivations to study abroad. A decision to study abroad is not only a complex decision-making process a student goes through, but at the same time is among the most significant and expensive initiatives a student undertakes. Specifically we explore push and pull factors that influence students’ decisions to study abroad in the context of students from Moldova. Drawing on extant literature, we developed a conceptual framework of decision-making process and factors influencing study abroad decision, and subsequently designed a questionnaire consisting of 56 items on a 4-point rating scale. Without any ready-to-use dataset of Moldovan students studying abroad, we employed non-probability snowball sampling strategy. The questionnaire was distributed via Google Forms over a four-week period, generating 151 usable responses. Our findings emerged from the analysis support to a certain degree earlier studies on students’ motivations to study abroad, but also provide new, alternative insights into this decision-making process. We also discuss implications for internationalization of companies to emerging economies and home institutions and conclude by providing future research directions.