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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

"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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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) …

Uneven Experiences: The Impact Of Student-Faculty Interactions On International Students' Sense Of Belonging, Chris R. Glass, Elizabeth Kociolek, Rachawan Wongtrirat, R. Jason Lynch, Summer Cong

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

This study examines student-faculty interactions in which U.S. professors signal social inclusion or exclusion, facilitating–or inhibiting–international students’ academic goal pursuits. It compares narratives of 40 international students from four purposefully sampled subgroups – academic preparedness (low, high) and financial resources (low, high). Overall, international students’ interactions with professors were marked by joy, trust, anticipation, and surprise. Nonetheless, the narratives exhibit two significant sources of variation: narratives from the low financial resources, high academic preparedness subgroup reflected widely-varied experiences interacting with professors, and narratives from the low financial, low academic preparedness subgroup lacked any descriptions of positive student-faculty interactions.

Students' Perspectives Of Ngo Service-Learning Experiences: A Case Study Of Operation Smile, Suzanne B. Unger, Shana Pribesh, Linda Bol, Daniel Dickerson

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

Past research demonstrated both strong and questionable benefits to students participating in domestic service-learning. However, we know little about high school and college students' perspectives of service-learning while working with nonprofit, non-governmental (NGO) agencies that serve international populations. This qualitative, exploratory study aims to determine how students perceive their lives are impacted as a result of their service-learning experiences at Operation Smile. Data were collected from two focus groups comprised of high school and university youth. Results indicated service-learning in an international setting positively influences areas of personal growth, career choice, and future philanthropic participation. It also affects level of …

Retention Issues Of Mature Students: A Comparative Higher Education Analysis Of Programs In The United States And Ireland, Kim Bullington Sibson, Dr. Dennis Gregory, Brian-Patrick D. Kurisky

Educational Foundations & Leadership Faculty Publications

Retention of students is an issue that challenges colleges and universities around the world and South Africa is no exception. A comparative look at Ireland and the United States shows that there are many similar tools used to retain mature students, and, at the same time, many different ones are used depending on particular situations. A brief retention literature review dealing with mature students is provided as well as examples of retention strategies used in both countries. While these strategies may not fit for South Africa, they may serve as a point of departure for similar activities there.