Youth Perspectives on the Phenomenon of Brain Drain: An Examination Based on Self-Determination Theory

Brain drain has become important issue for many countries. The brain drain of youth or well-educated people can have social and economic consequences for both the host countries and the countries of origin. This study aims to understand the motivations of educated youth for their decision to go abroad or stay in Turkey in the context of brain drain. This qualitative study conducted using theory-driven approach and a deductive process. We determined the research themes based on self-determination theory. A total of 15 youths aged 18-23 years participated in the study (Ngirls=8, Nboys=6, Ntransgender=1). The structured interview form contained 11 open-ended questions and each interview lasted almost 40 minutes. After transcribing the audio recordings, each researcher categorized youths’ responses under the themes of “relatedness”, “competence” and “autonomy”. The results showed that the need for relatedness is crucial for youths’ decision to stay in Turkey. However, the responses of the youth who wanted to go abroad tended to fall under the themes of "competence" and "autonomy". These findings may have drawn attention to the needs of youth and provided an opportunity to take various precautions in the educational and working environment before increasing levels of brain drain.