"You Conducted an International Dissertation Study?" A Reflection on Centering Equity in Education Research Abroad

• In Event: Approaches to Equity-Driven Internationalization Scholarship in Higher Education

Abstract

Purpose
According to a report on graduate learning overseas by the Institute of International Education (IIE), in 2016-2017 about 3.4% of graduate students in the U.S. engaged in an education experience abroad. Among this group of over 24,000 students, 9% were Black and even fewer were conducting research to fulfill requirements for a Ph.D. (Sanger & Mason, 2019). While international experiences in doctoral preparation are scarce, evidence exists that these experiences are meaningful and contribute significantly to the research development process (Sanger & Mason, 2019; Yao & Vital, 2016, 2018). In spite of this, Western notions of knowledge production and what are considered valuable research pursuits shape research training and influence the direction of dissertation study for doctoral students enrolled in U.S. institutions (Collyer, Connell, Maia & Morrell, 2019). As a result, conducting research abroad or research with a global focus is often not considered or met with little to no support.

Using my own research experience as a unit of analysis, I will demonstrate how I created an international dissertation research agenda as a Black woman within the confines of a traditional education doctoral program. More specifically, I will apply an equity driven internationalization lens (George Mwangi & Yao, in press) to (re)read my preparation and implementation of conducting research abroad. In doing so, my presentation will grapple with the following questions:

What are some characteristics of an equity driven approach to preparing and conducting research abroad? How can scholars assess their equity driven internationalization lens during the research process? What role can the researcher-informant relationship play in developing equity driven research approaches?

Perspectives & Approach
Field notes, journal entries, and personal accounts from my dissertation study serve as data sources used to address these questions as I reflect on time spent developing and conducting research as a doctoral candidate. These data sources are drawn from a larger critical ethnographic investigation (Anderson, 1989; Carspecken, 1996; Madison, 2011) of how self-identified Black university students navigated racial identity and understood affirmative action policy while matriculating at predominately white institutions in Brazil over the 2016-2017 academic year. I spent several months in the cities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro interviewing students, observing various activities at different college campuses (e.g. classes, faculty meetings, student led events, and informal gatherings), and reviewing policy documents. The study, guided by critical race theory and critical policy frameworks centered students as creators of knowledge and legitimate experts of their post-secondary experiences.

Results & Significance
Three findings emerged from the current reflection of the aforementioned dissertation research experience - 1). Equity approaches strengthen internationalization efforts in doctoral training. 2). Black women’s voices and knowledge production provide alternative perspectives on the study of internationalization. 3). Directing attention to the Global South can offer insight into de-centering Global North understandings of equity in international research processes. This work contributes to larger discourses that illuminate the impact of colonialism and global dominance on our world more broadly. Therefore, indicating a necessity to critique internalization processes in higher education and beyond.

Author

• Jeana E. Morrison, Albion College