Education Commons^™

International Master's Degree Students' Experiences Of Support At A Finnish University, Anduena Ballo, Sotiria Varis, Charles Mathies, Kalypso Filippou

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

This phenomenographic study explores international master’s degree students’ ways of experiencing support in Finnish higher education. The study draws on Schlossberg’s Transition Model and the Culturally Engaging Campus Environments Model as a conceptual framework. The phenomenographic analysis of 17 interviews with international master’s degree students identified four ways of experiencing support as: (a) study system adjustment, (b) learning enhancement, (c) personal growth, and (d) autonomy development. The findings identified participants’ experiencing support in relationships, use of information, communication, services, the flexibility of studies, learning and study environments. The presence of two indicators, Humanizing Educational Environments and Availability of Holistic Support …

Social Capital Development In Community College Alumni Who Studies Abroad, Heidi Fischer, Rosalind Latiner Raby

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

This qualitative study explores how US community college students who studied abroad use their existing social capital to enhance their engagement with other students and host country residents. The study also shows that students who studied abroad develop new social capitals for bridging and bonding with others. Data collection consisted of two rounds of in-depth interviews with 27 alumni students as well as a survey on participant background. Findings show that students use their social capital to enhance their relationships with other students and host country individuals. These positive relationships, in turn, enrich and build new social capitals that remained …

Dismantling The Master's House: A Decolonial Blueprint For Internationalization Of Higher Education, Bhavika Sicka, Minghui Hou

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

While critical scholars have attempted to decenter internationalization, limited research has aimed to understand internationalization efforts in the context of the socio-historical particularities of the postcolonial condition. This paper takes a decolonial perspective in the study of internationalization, in light of the Eurocentric tendencies of modernity, whose major manifestation in higher education is neoliberal globalization. We unpack internationalization in the U.S. and examine how it is embedded in and reproduces neoliberalism, racism, and colonialism. Since decolonization is not merely deconstructive but also regenerative, we reconceive what it means to be international and recommend how internationalization can be deployed as a …

Rhizomic Communication Practices Bridging International Students And The Host Society And Beyond, Suvi Jokila, Charles Mathies

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

Evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted international student communities while reflecting wider societal inequalities. This study in the Finnish context examined international students’ experiences of the published national crisis communication and media usage during the first year of the pandemic. Using the national COVID-19 crisis communication practices as an example, we examined what kinds of strategies the international students deployed to access information in this non-English-speaking country and how they perceived the information communicated. Theoretically, we based the analysis on the theories of crisis communication and information inequality, which identify communication practices, such as language choice, that …

Women's Empowerment Through The Use Of Technology, Wolayat Tabasum Niroo, Helen Crompton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Technology has shaped people’s lifestyles globally. Today, the majority of the world’s population seeks help through technology as a portal to learning with the wide variety of learning materials available. Women in both developed and developing countries can access learning through technology, yet the scholarly community do not have an up-to-date collective view of how technology is being used to provide learning materials to empower women around the world. Therefore, this systematic review included an aggregated and qualitative synthesis to investigate extant empirical work over five years, 2017-2021. Following a rigorous PRISMA selection process, 40 articles were included in the …

"Native Speakers Do Not Understand Me": A Phenomenological Study Of Student Experiences From Developing Asian Countries At An American University, Wolayat Tabasum Niroo, Mitchell R. Williams

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

International students from developing Asian countries where English is the second and foreign language are marginalized in some American Universities due to language barriers. Native English speakers often assume that whoever comes to the United States should be able to speak and write English perfectly. In developing Asian countries, such as South Asia, however, the English language belongs to the families of the Middle and Upper classes. They can get admission in English spoken countries’ higher education institutions. However, when those students come to English-speaking countries, they feel othered, left alone, and disappointed. This study utilizes a phenomenological research method …

New Voices From Intersecting Identities Among International Students Around The World: Transcending Single Stories Of Coming And Leaving, Katie Koo, Charles Mathies

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

In this article, we introduce our special issue: International students’ lived experiences in the era unprecedented by uncertainty and challenges: New voices from intersectional identities. Our motivation and intention, focus, and overall methodological approach for this special issue are discussed. In addition to presenting the contributions of each article to this issue, we also discuss how our (all authors of this special issue) voices reflect our unique experiences of coming to new countries as international students by unfolding our stories and multiple intersecting identities that we experienced.

Book Review: Higher Education In The Era Of Migration, Displacement, And Internationalization, Bhavika Sicka

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

Higher Education in the Era of Migration, Displacement and Internationalization by Khalid Arar, Yasar Kondakci, Bernhard Streitwieser, and Anna Saiti provides a multifaceted exploration of the dilemmas involved in higher education policymaking and administration in keeping with the accelerated pace, scale, and diversity of transnational migration. Assuming that higher education empowers displaced persons to better themselves and their host communities, Arar et al. consider specific dynamics that shape the educational trajectories and choices available to these populations. The co-authors list activities and initiatives employed in various world states to create higher education pathways for displaced persons, highlighting different variables that …

Family Structure And Maternal Depressive Symptoms: A Cross-National Comparison Of Australia, The United Kingdom, And The United States, Kirsten Rasmussen, Elizabeth K. Sigler, Sadie A. Slighting, Jonathan A. Jarvis, Mikaela J. Dufur, Shana Pribesh

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between family structure and maternal depressive symptoms (MDS) in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Family structures that involve transitions across life's course, such as divorce, can alter access to resources and introduce new stressors into family systems. Using the stress process model, we examine the links between family structure, stress, resources, and MDS. Using nationally representative data from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States and cross-sectional models for each country, we find that family structure may influence MDS differently in the UK than it does …

Native Presence And Sovereignty In College: Sustaining Indigenous Weapons To Defeat Systemic Monsters, Bhavika Sicka

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

In Native Presence and Sovereignty in College: Sustaining Indigenous Weapons to Defeat Systemic Monsters, Amanda Tachine delineates the barriers that hinder the personal and academic goals of Navajo students, and what sources of strength and comfort these students channel to guide them toward college. Tachine stresses the importance of story-sharing and world-making, which she herself employs. She uses a story rug technique, weaving together the narratives of ten Navajo students as they journey to and through college, bringing together their experiences of belonging in educational settings and offering us lessons gleaned. The storylines serve as threads, which she connects …

Pandemic Repercussions: The Future Of International Education At Us Community Colleges, Heidi Fischer, Melissa Whatley

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

The disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic have both short- and long-term repercussions on higher education. To crystallize these impacts in a sector that was particularly vulnerable to the economic effects of the pandemic, this mixed methods study explores the intersection of international education and community college responses to the pandemic. Findings indicated that due to the pandemic, community college international education programs faced a reallocation of institutional resources, both financial and otherwise, which shapes the educational opportunities available to students and informs the institutional habitus of the US community college. This study’s findings have implications in the areas of international …

Comparative Review On Information And Communication Technology Issues In Education Sector Of Developed And Developing Countries: A Case Study About Pakistan, Aasma Akram, Moshin Nazir, Tayyaba Batool, Muhammad Imran Zulfiqar, Maria Nazir, Habiba Azhar, Sadia Murawwat

STEMPS Faculty Publications

The use of information and communication technology is very beneficial in the education sector because it can enhance the quality of education. However, the implementation of ICT in the education sector of developed and developing countries is a challenging task. This paper explains the comparative study of ICT issues in the education sector of developed and developing countries. In particular, we compare issues between Pakistan and high-tech countries. Our study reveals the fact that the education sector is facing numerous ICT problems that are based on culture, finance, management, infrastructure, lack of training, lack of equipment, teacher’s refusal, and ethical …

Status And Trends Of Mobile Learning In English Language Acquisition: A Systematic Review Of Mobile Learning From Chinese Databases, Zhang Jie, Helen Crompton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Mobile learning has become the potential for innovation and disruption in the last decade. This study reviewed Chinese scholarly publications related to mobile learning research and published related to teaching and learning English in China’s higher education. Its purpose is to enrich systematic reviews for digital education with the provision of mobile learning research in China’s context with academic findings inaccessible to those who do not speak Chinese. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) principles are used to provide a transparent synthesis of extant studies. Major findings include that English learning has made progress in teaching strategy, …

Covid-19 Impact Research Brief: Virtual Exchanges At Community Colleges, Kimberley Cossey, Heidi Fischer

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected higher education worldwide. Two NAFSA member leaders, Kimberley Cossey, MA, (2021 registrar for Region VIII) and Heidi Fischer, PhD (2021 chair for Region VIII), have coauthored a research brief detailing how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted virtual exchange program development and delivery at community colleges in the United States. The research brief summarizes key takeaways from mixed-methods research (i.e., survey and interviews) with practitioners from U.S. community colleges, requesting information about:

The pandemic's impact on existing virtual exchange programs (VEPs), The impact on developing new VEPs, and New (virtual) models for international education. Key takeaways include …

The (Un)Sustainability Of Higher Education Institutions In Jordan, Sumaya Bint El Hassan, Kyle E. Cordova, Ghaith Rabadi, Wejdan Abu Elhaija

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Higher education in Jordan has been tied closely to the state-building process in the century since the modern Hashemite state's foundation in 1921, with its explicit purpose being to educate and train high volumes of students who are competent and capable to serve as contributors to the state's development. Though this purpose has largely been successful to date, it is becoming increasingly clear that more is needed than simply issuing degrees. In an increasingly globalized world, it is necessary to educate those who can contribute to future research arenas and labor markets over which a single state has limited control. …

The International Student Experience At U.S. Community Colleges At The Onset Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Melissa Whatley, Heidi Fischer

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

This study’s purpose is to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international students who were studying at U.S. community colleges at the onset of this public health crisis. While previous work has explored the impact of the pandemic on international students generally, we argue that community college international students deserve focused attention due to their potentially marginalized status on their campuses. Using a mixed methods research approach, we analyze survey and interview data provided by community college international educators. Our results speak to two overarching themes: the supports provided to students at the onset of the pandemic (and …

Ambitious And Anxious: How Chinese College Students Succeed And Struggle In American Higher Education, Minghui Hou

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

In this new publication, Syracuse University Associate Professor Yingyi Ma employs a mixed-method research design to examine and analyze the educational motivations, experiences, and trajectories of a new wave of Chinese undergraduate students from diverse family backgrounds with an emphasis on “the duality of ambition and anxiety” (p. 7). This book challenges the stereotyped expectations of Americans in regards to Chinese students (for instance, that all are from well-off families and have poor English skills). Ma argues that it is pivotal to consider the educational, social, and cultural backgrounds of Chinese internationals in their processes of self-formation in order to …

Developing Engaged Scholars Through Glocal Learning: A Case Study Of The Thailand Global Citizenship And Civic Engagement Initiative, Sornnate Areesophonpichet, Chris R. Glass, Rachawan Wongtrirat

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

With the development of Thailand 4.0, it is critical for engaged scholars to address the role of higher education in Thailand’s social and economic development with an understanding of how local histories (local) and economic globalization (global) shape their work. We discuss the Thai context for community engagement, then describe the purpose and learning goals for the Global Citizenship and Civic Engagement (GCCE) initiative, as well as the methodological approach used to assess the initiative’s impact and long-term sustainability. The findings highlight how glocal learning fostered Thai and U.S. graduate students’ valuing local knowledge and linking economic inequality to environmental …

Chapter 8: Cultural Aspects And Implications Of Instructional Message Design, Frances R. Dukes

Instructional Message Design, Volume 1

“There is also widespread agreement that a major priority is the reform of schools and other academic venues so that students from diverse, racial, ethnic, and social class groups can achieve equality.” (Roblyer, Dozier-Henry, & Burnette, 1996).

Culture is a major determinant in modern instructional design and instructional message design for a global community of learners. Instructional designers of web-based information for world-wide and cross-culture learners are tasked with developing effective, culture-sensitive, innovative, and useful instructional tools. “Multicultural teaching must entail reaching students by connecting with their cultural, ethnic, linguistic, social, and other affiliations” (Capuk & Kara, 2015). The tenets …

Instructional Message Design: Theory, Research, And Practice, Miguel Ramlatchan, Bethany Emory, Dana Garcia, Meredith Spencer, Travis Saylor, Charles Thull, Frances R. Dukes

Instructional Message Design, Volume 1

Message design is all around us, from the presentations we see in meetings and classes, to the instructions that come with our latest tech gadgets, to multi-million-dollar training simulations. In short, instructional message design is the real-world application of instructional and learning theories to design the tools and technologies used to communicate and effectively convey information. This field of study pulls from many applied sciences including cognitive psychology, industrial design, graphic design, instructional design, and human performance technology to name just a few. In this book we visit several foundational theories that guide our research, look at different real-world applications, …

Transnationality And Teacher Educator Identity Development: A Collaborative Autoethnographic Study, Wei Liao, Jihea Maddamsetti

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Transnational teacher educators, who cross national, social, and cultural boundaries to prepare teachers, play a vital role in nurturing teachers’ awareness and appreciation of learner diversity. However, transnational teacher educators tend to encounter tremendous challenges in developing their professional identities. To date, though many studies have investigated how teachers and teacher educators in general develop their professional identities, scant attention has been paid to that complex process of “transnational” teacher educators. To begin to close this research gap, this collaborative autoethnographic study examines how we develop our teacher educator identities through teaching a diversity course in the United States as …

Life Outside Your Comfort Zone: The Power Of Reflection For Cultural Adjustment, Jobila Sy, Natalie Cruz

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

This reflective paper explores the different experiences of two higher education professionals who utilized intentional reflection to help with the transition to new countries and cultural environments. One story focuses on how the higher education professional grappled with different challenges even though her new environments afforded her a novel privilege of membership in a racial and religious majority. The other higher education professional’s story discusses her transition from life as a member of the majority to a member of the minority in a different religious and racial context. The paper concludes by sharing recommendations for how other higher education professionals …

Exporting Online Engineering Management Programs: Enablers, Barriers, And Descriptions Of Programs At Two Universities, Luna Magpili, Alice F. Squires, Kim Bullington, Linda Vahala, Aysen K. Taylor

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper investigates enablers and barriers for Engineering Management Degree Granting Programs offered online by universities located in the United States to students located in foreign countries. Using a strong foundation of literature research and two universities on opposite sides of the country (one east coast, one west coast) exporting online Engineering Management programs as examples, the paper investigates seven enablers and seven barriers. The enablers and barriers are reviewed in the context of delivering engineering management education online across national borders, without requiring students to travel to another country (referred to as Mode 1 service export). The investigation reveals …

A Novel Brainstorming Pedagogy To Mobilize Pico/Nano/Micro-Satellite (Pn-Msat) Engineering Research And Education In Indian Academia, Sharanabasaweshwara Asundi

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The article describes the outcome of activities to positively impact the careers of engineering graduates in India by engaging them in pico/nano/micro-satellite (PNMSat) engineering through a novel brainstorming pedagogy. The pedagogy, derived out of a systems engineering approach developed for the design and development of PNMSat/CubeSat missions, is used to teach a comprehensive course in PNMSat design engineering. The approach involves brainstorming the participants to conceive a PNMSat payload and teach the PNMSat bus design to accommodate the conceived payload. The approach and the comprehensive treatment of the material are the first of their kind in India in the field …

Water, Food, Shelter And A Mobile Phone Mobile Learning Despite Crises Syrian Refugees' Case Study, Ferial Malaeb-Khaddage, Helen Crompton

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This panel describes the refugees’ crisis and its impact on school age children. The focus is on the Syrian children refugees in Mount Lebanon, an area that is usually forgotten.

The United Nations offers schooling to primary school children in this remote region, but lack of resources in Mount Lebanon schools is evident, access to technologies and applications integration is very limited, and teachers’ frustration is obvious.

There are a quarter of a million Syrian refugees in the country who still do not have access to formal education in the Lebanese school system. The country is looking to integrate and …

Perceptions Of Pre-Service Teachers On Mentor Teachers’ Roles In Promoting Inclusive Practicum: Case Studies In U.S. Elementary School Contexts, Jihea Maddamsetti

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This case study examines a Chinese and Korean-Chinese pre-service teachers’ perceptions of their mentor teachers’ role in supporting inclusive practicum experiences in U.S. elementary school contexts. The findings demonstrate that a mentor teacher’s open conversations and willingness to host those students bring positive influence on their learning and growth. The findings also indicate that the facilitative roles of mentor teachers in the promotion of inclusive environments are intersected with the socio-cultural and political contexts of practicum schools and universities. The study concludes with implications for enhancing the inclusion of diverse pre-service teachers through collaborative roles of multiple practicum stakeholders, including …

First Generation International Students And The 4ds Shaping The Future Of Global Student Mobility: A Comparative Report Analysis, Peggy Gesing, Chris Glass

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

First generation international students are a harbinger for the coming wave of globally mobile students. This article describes trends in the 4 D’s shaping the future of global student mobility: demographics, drivers, directions, and delivery. Authors use analysis of the National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG, 2015) to illustrate these trends in first-generation international students.

Issues Of Language, Insider/Outsider Positionality, And Advocacy Dilemmas In Researching Plurilingual Asian Im/Migrants, Jihea Kang Maddamsetti

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

Drawing on the notion of reflexivity, I examine researcher positionality concerning the issues of language and tensions in navigating perceived insider/outsider positioning, and advocacy dilemmas that I experienced in ethnographic qualitative research with plurilingual Asian im/migrant students in South Korea and in the U.S. Through reflexive analysis of my ethnographic fieldwork, I studied about my researcher’s positionality and voice during and after research and highlighted the partial, situated, and subjective nature of knowledge production through qualitative research. My view is that qualitative researchers should critically reflect on their social location and power relations interlinked with their analysis and positionality, and …

Resilience For A World In Flux, Chris R. Glass

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

There is no question that global student mobility faces significant headwinds in the current geopolitical context. The rise of nationalism worldwide has led many international researchers to reflect on their role as educators and leaders. Resilience is vital during such tumultuous times. The popular definition of resilience is the capacity to quickly recover from difficulties and setbacks. The term is often misunderstood for a type of sturdy individualism that some people possess more than others or the immunity from stress and negative emotions. There is another, more empirically-based, understanding of resilience. Diane Coutu (2002) outlines three dimensions of resilience: (a) …

Preservice Teacher Reflections About Short-Term Summer Study Abroad Experiences In Italy, Jaime Colwell, Diane Nielsen, Barbara A. Bradley, Mindy Spearman

Teaching & Learning Faculty Publications

This chapter studies 21 preservice teachers' blog reflections about working in an Italian classroom and living with a host family during a four-week study abroad program in Northern Italy. During the program, preservice teachers were required to blog about their experiences living and studying abroad using personal blog sites. To encourage more candid reflection about the program, the blog posts could be related to any aspect of the program preservice teachers chose to reflect on. After setting the context of the study through description of the study abroad program and its requirements, the authors present qualitative findings regarding preservice teachers' …