Research in Context
Research in Context submissions (2,000 words maximum) focus on critical conceptual, methodological, or practical issues which evaluate or challenge existing research and/or practice. They are intended to catalyze discussion and debate by problematizing existing discourses, practices, or situations with an eye towards change. Submissions in this category should provide readers with opportunities for critical reflection or considerations for re-imagining practices and/or research with international students. Based on the arguments made, they should also offer suggestions for moving the field forward into more ethical and critical directions.
The topics in focus for this section are purposefully left open ended. However, Research in Context submissions may include, but are not limited to:
- Critical (re-)conceptualizations of key concepts, phrases, or ‘fuzzy concpets’ used in research with international students that are perhaps taken for granted, reflecting on how they might be defined or conceptualised in new ways (e.g., Unkule, 2022)
- Critiques of existing processes or practices which may stereotype, other, or homogenize international students through research and/or practice, or position their experiences problematically through a deficit lens (e.g., Deuchar, 2022)
- Critical reflections on methodological considerations for improving research with international students (e.g., Lou, 2022)
- Reflections on underused theorists or conceptual frameworks and their applicability to research with international students or international higher education (particularly theories conceptualized by women, people of colour, and from communities in the Global South) (e.g., Trimpe, 2022)
- Scholarly reflections on timely issues and debates in public discourses or current events which may impact upon international higher education or groups of international students (e.g., Liu, 2022)
In summary, the topics within this section are vast and purposefully flexible. However, the underlining similarity between them is that they attempt to characterise and critique existing research and/or practice, encouraging readers to expand and challenge their existing knowledge within this field.
Research in Context submissions should be conceptually rigorous, but are shorter than full articles and should include no more than two figures or tables. Submissions in this format will undergo the same peer review process and should follow the same submission guidelines as full research articles in the journal.
Because of word count limitations, it is recommend that most articles in this section be conceptual rather than empirical. However, authors are welcome to bring in examples of their research in brief as evidence for their key arguments. Please note: fully empirical articles which aim only to share research findings will not be considered for this section. Authors are instead encouraged to consider submitting empirical research as a full ‘Research Article’ to the journal.
If you are interested in making a Research in Context submission, you are strongly encouraged to informally discuss your article idea with the section editor prior to submission.
Visit our Contact Us page to email the Research in Context section editor, including in your message a title and few sentences of description about your topic idea for feedback. Please note that full drafts cannot be read until after submission.
