"They Don't Assign Readings to Us": Asian International Students in Collaborative STEM Learning Environments

• In Event: Roundtable Session 22
  In Roundtable Session: The Impact of Disaggregated Data on Asian Pacific Islander Research

Abstract

This study examines how Asian international college students majoring in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields perceive collaborative and interactive learning practices and navigate such learning environments. The study was motivated by recent undergraduate STEM education reform efforts that highlight interactive and collaborative learning practices (e.g., discussions, group projects). An analysis of interviews and focus groups conducted at a university in the Midwest shows how international students are subject to White, middle-class cultural, linguistic, and academic norms and how they implemented strategies to negotiate these contexts. The findings call for future research on Asian students’ positionings in the changing racial and linguistic landscapes in higher education and offer implications for education of these students.

Author

• Minjung Ryu, Purdue University