When Intersectionality Meets Internationality: Navigating Complexity in International Students' Academic Experiences

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 1:30 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Dimensions of Intersectionality and Education: Challenges of Gender, Race, and Culture Within Institutional Hegemony (Table 3)

Abstract

Objectives
The aim of this presentation is to demonstrate through intersectionality the complexity of how international students navigate their academic experiences in the U.S. By intersecting with their roles as diaspora/knowledge-carriers of their home countries, gender, sexuality, nationality, religious, and trauma/mental health issues related to their doctoral studies, this piece calls for more in-depth research about working with international students.
Method
I take a creative writing (Pelias, 2019) approach to aggregate my participants’ core characteristics into two characters, Devora and Buohan. This allows readers to focus on experiences and characteristics without being distracted by multiple pseudonyms. Using narrative also avoids flattening, simplifying, or classifying their experiences .
Data included over 100 hours of meeting recordings, social media posts, diaries, research journals, emails and screenshots in a mix of Mandarin Chinese and English. Data were analyzed in their original languages with an integrated approach of thematic analysis, reconstructive analysis, narrative analysis, and autoethnography. Translation was only done at the writing stage to avoid alternating the cultural meaning and understanding due to the translation.
Framework
Recognizing the intersectionality of international students’ experiences is beneficial for researchers and educational practitioners. Intersectionality was developed by Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989) to disrupt exclusive ways of analyzing race and gender experiences. Recognizing that oppression and inequality are an interlocking of multiple dimensions, intersectionality analysis values how various aspects and characteristics create intertwined experiences. The multiple roles of a doctoral student—as student, advisee, researcher, teacher, staff member, son or daughter, partner, and/or parent—add complex layers to their academic journey. Multiple aspects such as gender, nationality, religion, cultural background, mental health, and sexuality are shown to intersect with U.S. higher education’s norms.
Results
As Devora navigated U.S. academia norms, the stress of the new environment and language worsened her mental health and marginalized her gender role. Concomitantly, her gender and cultural background intersected with other factors, leading to a change in her academic trajectory. As she entered a new community, she explored her religious identity and encountered conflict in balancing her religion, home country’s culture, and academic responsibilities. As she negotiated these relationships, it became impossible to strip away any single factor – the story must reflect all possible elements.
Buohan, knowing he has multiple identities (gender, nationality, international status, queer, etc.), realized that he was continuously selecting which to present based on the occasion.. Reflecting on this duality, he emphasized the importance of remaining flexible and fluid, avoiding categorizing people.


Significance
These stories showcase the complexity of the experiences of international students. They highlight the importance of seeing international students as whole individuals and recognizing how different elements and identities intersect and re-create their stories. This study invites researchers and practitioners to see international students beyond their appearance, country of origin, language ability, or immigrant status.
 

Author

• Pei-Jung Li, Indiana University