Choice and Identity Negotiation: Student Experiences at International Branch Campuses in China

• In Event: AERA Graduate Student Research-in-Progress Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: International Perspectives on Sense of Belonging, School Closures, Identity, and School Choice (Table 3)

Abstract

While existing research has looked at why international branch campuses (IBCs) have exploded over the past few decades, few studies have looked at the student experience at these institutions, especially through the lens of identity negotiation. Using qualitative data from interviews and analyzing relevant documents, we surface themes around choice and identity for students who choose to attend IBCs, with a focus on China, illuminating insights around the internationalization of higher education. This study fills a gap in literature that centers the lived experience of students at international branch campuses and provides recommendations that can support student development in different cultural contexts.

Author

• Catherine L. Zhang, University of Pennsylvania