International Student Agency in Study Abroad Decision-Making: A Qualitative Case Study Based on the Chordal Triad of Agency

Abstract

This study examines international student mobility (ISM) through the Chordal Triad of Agency framework, highlighting how past experiences, present evaluations, and future aspirations shape students’ decisions to study abroad. Using Chinese master's students in Australia as a case study, it examines how agency is exercised to navigate structural constraints and pursue educational goals. Existing theories - push-pull theory, human capital theory, cultural capital theory, and the consumer decision-making model - often frame ISM as a rational, economically motivated, and structurally determined choice. However, this study reveals that ISM as a multi-layered, temporally embedded process shaped by social class habitus, career trajectories, and perceived structural constraints. Findings show that past experiences (iterational agency) inform students’ belief in education as a pathway for mobility, while present evaluations (practical-evaluative agency) involve financial feasibility, language readiness, and migration policies. Future aspirations (projective agency) diverge: graduates seek prestigious credentials to enhance employability, whereas professionals aim to escape career stagnation. By demonstrating how agency operates pre-departure and varies across life stages, this study challenges linear decision-making models, offering a more nuanced, context-sensitive understanding of ISM that integrates both individual agency and structural factors.