(Re)Define and Develop Global Competence for Chinese International Students in U.S. Higher Education: A Critical Discourse Analysis and Qualitative Narrative Inquiry

• In Event: AERA Virtual Poster Session 6
  In Poster Session: Comprehensive Approaches to Complex Problems: Using Quantitative/Mixed Methods to Study Cognition and Motivation in Context

Abstract

Existing understandings of global competence (the combination of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that enable individuals to live harmoniously in multicultural communities and thrive in a changing labor market) are based on westernized cultural norms that remain de-contextualized for specific educational institutions and undertheorized for students’ diverse experiences. This study contextualizes the understanding and acquisition of GC for Chinese International Students (CGS) studying in American universities. Using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this research investigates the gap between how GC is portrayed in the university’s reports, policies, and plans and how it is understood and acquired by CIS. With in-depth interviews with 25 CIS, challenges, opportunities, and strategies, along with influential factors, are revealed for supporting GC education in higher education.

Author

• Linli Zhou, University of California - Los Angeles