Academic Motivations and Achievements of Sub-Saharan African International Graduate Students: Implications for Future Research, Practices, and Policies

• In Event: Academic achievements and the role of foreign aid

Proposal

A considerable number of universities in the United States recruit sub-Saharan African international graduate students (SAIGS) (Dennis, 2023; Mandishona, 2018). Yet, researchers have given little attention to the academic achievements and motivations of these academically talented students from diverse cultural, linguistic, and ethnic groups, especially in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. STEM fields are very popular among international students. In recent years, the number of international students pursuing degrees in STEM fields in the U.S. has increased steadily (Chang et al., 2022; Congressional Research Service, 2019; Han & Appelbaum, 2016; NAFSA, 2022; Sparks, 2019). According to the Institute of International Education (IIE)–Open Doors Report of 2023, more than 70% of international graduate students, pursued STEM in the U.S.
Within this international student population, approximately 50,199 students from sub-Saharan Africa account for 18.1% of all international students enrolled in U.S. universities (IIE, 2023), and a majority specialize in STEM fields. However, it is challenging to find data to report the exact percentages of SAIGS in STEM disciplines because of the lack of disaggregation of Black students’ data by ethnicity, nativism, and nationality (Feder, 2024). International students, including SAIGS in the STEM fields, contribute to the U.S. diverse workforce by reducing talent shortages and advancing knowledge in science (Carter, 1965; Mwangi, 2016). Additionally, their significant contributions to the U.S., help position the economy as a leader in technology, science, and innovation, thereby strengthening the country's STEM ecosystem (Chang et al., 2022; Douglass et al., 2009).
Despite the increasing number of SAIGS in STEM and their significant contributions to the U.S. global and local community, there is a notable information gap within social science fields that explores their academic experiences (e.g., acculturative stress and adaptation to pedagogical approaches), academic motivation and achievements (Changamire, 2021; Constantine et al., 2005). While foundational literature that researches on international students' experiences exists in U.S. colleges, it typically focuses on the Asian students' population and has not kept pace with the rapid increase of other international student populations to accommodate their educational experiences (George Mwangi et al., 2019; Wafula, 2023). Instead, the experiences of international students are generalized, preventing these individual students from being best served (Yao & Mwangi, 2022). Moreover, most literature on African students–this includes African Americans, African immigrants, and African international students–centers on the achievement gap ideology, which puts them into a single deficit narrative as disadvantaged and low achievers (Kiramba, 2023). This can perpetuate untrue stories that make individuals lose their sense of self, motivations, and their academic achievements become less focused (Agyepong, 2023).
I argue that the misplaced critical understanding of African diaspora students in the U.S. education tends to dehumanize and breed negative stereotypes, because the existing body of scholarship does not shed light on their academic achievements (e.g., awards, graduation rates, and career projections; Packard & Hirst, 2022). Therefore, it is vital to cultivate an understanding of SAIGS experiences in STEM in nuanced ways as they should and be better served. The research questions guiding this paper are:
1. In what ways do SAIGS in STEM describe their academic experiences in U.S. higher education? Specifically, what benefits, opportunities, barriers, and expectations tied to their identity (nativism/ethnicity) and expected outcomes influence their experiences in STEM?
2. What factors do SAIGS in STEM attribute to their academic motivations and achievements?
3. How do self-determined motivation and the diverse learning environments influence SAIGS in STEM self-regulated learning strategies and academic readiness?
4. How do SAIGS in STEM reflect upon or consider the influence of families, societies, and the U.S. education system on their academic motivation and achievement?

Author

• Mavis Gyesi, University of Iowa