A Positioning Analysis of School-to-Work Transitions: Narratives of Chinese Master’s STEM Students in the U.S

Abstract School-to-work transitions have primarily been examined through structural and economic lenses, focusing on factors such as labor market demands, skill alignment, and employment outcomes. However, the nuanced personal and relational dimensions of these transitions remain underexplored, particularly for international master’s students in STEM fields. Drawing on Bamberg’s (2020) positioning theory, this paper analyzes the narratives of Chinese master’s STEM students in the U.S. to illuminate how their identities, aspirations, and challenges are dynamically constructed and negotiated during this pivotal phase. The findings reveal how participants position themselves reflexively and interactively in relation to dominant cultural and professional expectations, negotiating key dilemmas such as sameness versus difference, agency versus passivity, and continuity versus change. These narratives further demonstrate the interplay of relationality, temporality, and self-formation in shaping the transition process. This study argues that applying a positioning lens deepens our understanding of school-to-work transitions and concludes with implications for future research in this area.