College of Education and Human Development

Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development

Zhuldyz Amankulova, PhD

  • Comparative and International Development Education

Zhuldyz Amankulova

Areas of interest

  • Higher education access and equity
  • Social reproduction theory
  • Internationalization of higher education
  • Postsocialist education transformations in the former Soviet Union
Degrees

MSc Educational Leadership: Higher Education, Nazarbayev University, 2015
MSc Economics and Business, Kazakh University of Economics, Finance and International Trade, 2010
BA Foreign Philology: English language and literature, Eurasian National University named after L.N. Gumilyov, 2008

Biography

I am interested in the issues of access and equity in higher education as well as how students’ transitions into and out of the university can be structured to maximize academic and career success, especially for marginalized youth. My dissertation builds on my master’s research and serves as a reflection of my own experience as a student from a lower-income background. My scholarship is regionally focused on the former Soviet Union and primarily explores the role of social capital in facilitating or constraining educational and career aspirations of marginalized youth in Kazakhstan.

I am committed to expanding partnerships between the University of Minnesota and Kazakhstani universities. Currently, I am part of a team that received a grant from the American Councils for International Education to establish a collaborative relationship between South Kazakhstan University and the University of Minnesota (2020-2021).

I have been the instructor of record for the First Year Experience course, an administrative staff member at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan, published in peer-reviewed journals, and presented at international conferences. In addition, I am the mother of two young boys. I love getting to know new people from different backgrounds and enjoy attending and facilitating cross cultural events with my family.

Awards, fellowships, and grants

  • Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship, University of Minnesota, 2022-2023
  • Cogan Graduate Research Fellowship, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 2021
  • American Council for International Education’s US-Kazakhstan University Partnerships Program Grant: English Language Integration in Higher Education Pedagogy: A Partnership Between M. Auezov South Kazakhstan University (SKU) and University of Minnesota, 2020-2021
  • Frank R. Braun Fellowship, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, 2020
  • Bolashak International Scholarship, Kazakhstan, 2016-2021
  • Merit-based Presidential Stipend, Kazakhstan, 2008

Collegiate service

CEHD Graduate student parents and caregiver’s support, 2020-current

  • creating an alliance to advocate for supporting graduate student parents and caregivers in CEHD in collaboration with two other fellow graduate students

Vice President of Communication, 2016-2017

  • GradSEHD, College of Education and Human Development

Invited talks

IQanat High School Rural students

  • Shared my experience and answered questions from high school students at IQanat High School of Burabay for gifted rural students in Kazakhstan. May 22, 2021, via Zoom.

My journey from Kazakhstani school to University of Minnesota

  • Shared my experience and answered questions of high school students in a rural school #40, Almaty region, Kazakhstan. May 13, 2021, via Zoom.

Interview with Libertas Education

  • Shared my experience applying and studying in a PhD program at the University of Minnesota with the audience of Libertas Education, social media platform established to demystify the application process and international student experience at the leading universities in the world. February 21, 2021, via Zoom.

My PhD Journey: Navigating a PhD and Parenthood

  • Talk with Nazarbayev University alumni and students NU Career Advising Center, October 2020
  • Talk with Kazakhstan PhD Association in the UK members, February, 2021

Service to professional society

CIES New Scholars Committee, 2020-2021

  • review proposals, organize sessions, and communicate with the conference organizers

CIES Eurasia Special Interest Group—Secretary, 2019-2021

  • review proposals, organize sessions, and communicate with the conference organizers
  • maintain and update the Eurasia SIG website and Facebook page
Publications

Seithers, L., Amankulova, Z., & Johnstone, C. (2022). "Rules you have to know": International and domestic student encounters with institutional habitus through group work." Journal of International Students 12(2). doi.org/10.32674/jis.v12i2.1651

Amankulova, Z. (2022). Cultivating community. In L.A.Arasaratnam-Smith and D. K. Deardorff (Eds.). Developing Intercultural Competence: International Students’ Stories and Self Reflection.

Amankulova, Z. (2018). How Rurality Affects Students’ Higher Education Access in Kazakhstan. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Perspectives in Higher Education 3(1). https://www.ojed.org/jimphe

Presentations

Invited Presentations at Professional Meetings and Conferences

Amankulova, Z. (2021, April 25-May 2). Balancing academia and other aspects of life. Comparative and International Education Society 65th Annual Conference.

Amankulova, Z. (2020, May 18). Educational research implications during COVID-19. University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.

Amankulova, Z. (2019, September 27). Balancing career and family life. College ofEducation and Human Development Alumni-Graduate Student Networking event, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.

Amankulova, Z. (2018, November 29). Higher Education Reforms in Kazakhstan. University of Minnesota College of Education and Human Development, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.

Contributed Papers Presented at Professional Meetings and Conferences

Amankulova, Z. (2022). Educational and Career Aspirations of Marginalized Youth in Kazakhstan: The Role of Social Capital. Comparative and International Education Society 66th Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.

Turymshayeva, A. & Amankulova, Z. (2022). Boundary Spanners: Cogs in the wheels of international partnerships. University partnerships during COVID 19: What made it work? Comparative and International Education Society 66th Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, U.S

Orr, E., Amankulova, Z., & Upadhyay, B. (2022). Evaluating International Partnerships. Collaborative partnership in an international context Lessons from USA and Kazakhstan. Comparative and International Education Society 66th Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN, U.S

Amankulova, Z., Seithers, L., & Johnstone, C. (2019, April 14-18). “There are rules you have to know”: International students, domestic student gatekeepers, and the institutional habitus of the university [Paper presentation]. Comparative and International Education Society 63rd Annual Conference, San Francisco, CA, U.S.

Amankulova, Z. (2017, March 5-9). Transitioning from School to the University: Attitudes and experiences of the first-year undergraduate students at Nazarbayev University [Paper presentation]. Comparative and International Education Society 61 st Annual Conference, Atlanta, GA, U.S.

Kurakbayev, K., Amankulova, Z. (2015, September 7-11). From School to University: Student Transition and Europeanisation of Higher Education in Kazakhstan [Paper presentation]. European Educational Research Association conference, Budapest, Hungary.