Walking on Gender Tightrope With Multiple Marginalities

Asian International Female Students in STEM Graduate Programs

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v11i3.2132

Keywords:

acculturation, female students, international students, STEM students

Abstract

This phenomenological research explored how Asian female international students (AFISs) understand the role of gender in their program experiences and how they cope with the challenges derived from their multiple marginalities—gender, foreign nationality, and race/ethnicity. Based on in-depth interviews with 21 Asian female international graduate students enrolled in various science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, we analyzed the ideological undercurrents embedded in their genderblind perspectives and examined their coping strategies in the context of STEM disciplines. Our thematic findings illustrate the participants’ multiple marginalities as manifested in the concept of “gender advantage,” and the precarious power dynamics and ironic coping strategies that they adopt in undergraduate teaching contexts. This study suggests that STEM educators in higher education understand the multifaceted struggles of AFISs who inevitably embody multiple marginalities in their graduate programs and provide culturally relevant support and advocacy-based professional mentoring.

Author Biographies

  • Jae Hoon Lim, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA

    JAE HOON LIM, PhD, is a Professor in the Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research explores the intersection of gender, race, and class in STEM education and highlights the dialogical process of identity construction across various groups of underrepresented minorities in STEM fields.

  • Yi Wang, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA

    YI WANG, MA, is a PhD student in the Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her major research interests lie in the area of STEM transfer students, student engagement, and underserved students in community colleges.

  • Tong Wu, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA

    TONG WU, MA, is a PhD student in the Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her research focuses on educational measurement, program evaluation, and acculturation experiences of international students in the United States.

  • Zhi Li, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA

    ZHI LI, M.Ed., is a PhD student in the Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her major research interests lie in the area of program evaluation, Research on Evaluation (RoE), and Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) application.

  • Ting Sun, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA

    TING SUN, MA, is a PhD candidate in the Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Her major research interests lie in the area of higher education research, writing self-efficacy, and meta-analysis

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Published

2021-06-15

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 3 (2021)

Section

Research Articles (English)

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How to Cite

Walking on Gender Tightrope With Multiple Marginalities: Asian International Female Students in STEM Graduate Programs. (2021). Journal of International Students, 11(3), 647-665. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v11i3.2132

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