Systematic Review on International Students’ Belonging in U.S. Higher Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 7:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Education through an international context

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine how the concept of belonging among international students has been framed and shifted over the past decade (2014-2025). The systematic review of 42 studies addresses international students’ sense of belonging in U.S. higher education, suggesting that international students’ sense of belonging is a multi-dimensional and still evolving concept across four levels: individual, interpersonal, institutional, and societal belonging. Research has evolved from psychological and social perspectives to racialized and political dimensions of international students’ belonging in U.S. higher education. It calls for scholars to move beyond psychological and interpersonal frameworks by incorporating structural, political, and racialized factors that uniquely shape international students’ experiences.

Authors

• Eun Jung "EJ" Paik, Pennsylvania State University

• Amanda R. Corso, George Mason University

• Hanna Kim, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign