Working Toward Becoming Doctoral Researchers: A Collective Autoethnography of International Students in Australia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v12iS2.4278Keywords:
self-formation, international student experience, positioning theory, self-determination, collective autoethnography, postgraduate researchAbstract
It is well established that international education can profoundly influence a student, including identity and agency formation and the acquisition of knowledge and culture. This study applies the concept of self-formation to reconceptualize the international student experience. It captures the development, changes, and operation of identity and agency during self-formation. Utilizing collective autoethnography, the authentic experiences of three international students studying in Australia during the Covid-19 pandemic were collected. These stories illustrate their transformation from international students to student researchers. Through thematic analysis, three phases have been identified in this study, which are self-exploration, self-positioning, and self-determination and shedding light on the role of agency and hybrid identity. A further scholarly investigation is advocated to enrich the discussion of self-formation and add a nuanced investigation into the variability of individual experiences.
References
Archer, M. S. (2000). Being human: The problem of agency. Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511488733
Australian Qualifications Framework. (2013). The AQF Second Edition January 2013. https://www.aqf.edu.au/framework/australian-qualifications-framework
Berge, M., & Ingerman, Å. (2017). Multiple theoretical lenses as an analytical strategy in researching group discussions. Research in science & technological education, 35(1), 42-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2016.1245657 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2016.1245657
Berman, A. M., Schwartz, S. J., Kurtines, W. M., & Berman, S. L. (2001). The process of exploration in identity formation: The role of style and competence. Journal of Adolescence, 24(4), 513–528. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/jado.2001.0386
Bickerdike, A., O'Deasmhunaigh, C., O'Flynn, S., & O'Tuathaigh, C. (2016). Learning strategies, study habits and social networking activity of undergraduate medical students. International Journal of Medical Education, 7, 230-236. https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.576f.d074 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5116/ijme.576f.d074
Blackmore, J. (2020). The carelessness of entrepreneurial universities in a world risk society: A feminist reflection on the impact of Covid-19 in Australia. Higher Education Research and Development, 39(7), 1332-1336. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1825348 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1825348
Bourdieu, P. (1993). The field of cultural production. Columbia University Press.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa DOI: https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Bryman, A. (2016). Social research methods (5th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Butz, D., & Besio, K. (2009). Autoethnography. Geography Compass, 3(5), 1660–1674. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-8198.2009.00279.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-8198.2009.00279.x
Chwialkowska, A. (2020). Maximizing cross-cultural learning from exchange study abroad programs: Transformative learning theory. Journal of Studies in International Education, 24(5), 535–554. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315320906163 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315320906163
Dalley, G. (1988). Ideologies of caring: Rethinking community and collectivism. Macmillan Education.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
Department of Education, Skill and Employment. (2022). International education data and research. https://www.dese.gov.au/international-data/data-visualisation-international-student-monthly-summary
Dedaić, M. N., & Dale, K. (2012). Mediated collaborative positioning: The case of prisoner blogs. Discourse, Context & Media, 1(1), 20-31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcm.2012.05.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcm.2012.05.005
Dirkx, J. M. (2012). Self-formation and transformative learning: A response to "Calling transformative learning into question: some mutinous thoughts," by Michael Newman. Adult Education Quarterly, 62(4), 399-405. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741713612456420 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0741713612456420
Ellis, C., Adams, T. E., & Bochner, A. P. (2011). Autoethnography: An overview. Historical Social Research/Historische Sozialforschung, 273-290. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23032294
Eschenbacher, S., & Fleming, T. (2020). Transformative dimensions of lifelong learning: Mezirow, Rorty and COVID-19. International Review of Education, 66(5-6), 657–672. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-020-09859-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-020-09859-6
Esser, F., Baader, M. S., Betz, T., & Hungerland, B. (2016). Reconceptualizing agency and childhood: New perspectives in childhood studies. Taylor and Francis. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315722245
Gagné, M., & Deci, E. L. (2005). Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(4), 331–362. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/job.322
Giddens, A. (1984). The constitution of society. University of California Press.
Harré, R., & Dedaić, M. (2012). Positioning theory, narratology, and pronoun analysis as discursive therapies. In A. Lock, & T. Strong (Eds.), Discursive perspectives in therapeutic practice (pp. 45–64). Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780199592753.003.0003
Harré, R., & Slocum, N. (2003). Disputes as complex social events: On the uses of positioning theory. Common Knowledge, 9(1), 100-118. https://doi.org/10.1215/0961754X-9-1-100 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1215/0961754X-9-1-100
Huang, X., & Wang, C. (2021). Pre-service teachers' professional identity transformation: A positioning theory perspective. Professional Development in Education, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2021.1942143 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2021.1942143
Ibrahim, S. S. (2006). From individual to collective capabilities: The capability approach as a conceptual framework for self-help. Journal of Human Development, 7(3), 397–416. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649880600815982 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14649880600815982
Issa, T., Isaias, P., & Kommers, P. (2016). Social networking and education global Perspectives. Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-17716-8
Jiang, S. (2020). Diversity without integration? Racialization and spaces of exclusion in international higher education. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 42(1), 32-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2020.1847635 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2020.1847635
Kiley, M., & Cumming, J. (2015). Enhanced learning pathways and support for coursework master's students: Challenges and opportunities. Higher Education Research and Development, 34(1), 105-116. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2014.934335 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2014.934335
Klak, T., & Martin, P. (2003). Do university-sponsored international cultural events help students to appreciate “difference”? International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 27(4), 445-465. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0147-1767(03)00033-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0147-1767(03)00033-6
Klemenčič, M. (2017). From student engagement to student agency: Conceptual considerations of European policies on student-centered learning in higher education. Higher Education Policy, 30(1), 69-85. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-016-0034-4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41307-016-0034-4
Kuron, L. K. J., Lyons, S. T., Schweitzer, L., & Ng, E. S. W. (2015). Millennials’ work values: Differences across the school to work transition. Personnel Review, 44(6), 991-1009. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-01-2014-0024 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-01-2014-0024
Larkins, C. (2019). Excursions as corporate agents: A critical realist account of children’s agency. Childhood, 26(4), 414-429. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568219847266 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568219847266
Lee, J. J. (2020). Neo-racism and the criminalization of China. Journal of International Students, 10(4), i-vi. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v10i4.2929 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v10i4.2929
Lin, Y., & Chan, P. W. K. (2021). Class origins, higher education and employment in China during the 21st century. Higher Education Quarterly, 75(4), 634–647. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12291 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12291
Lin, Y., & Nguyen, H. (2021). International students’ perspectives on e-learning during Covid-19 in higher education in Australia: A study of an Asian student. The Electronic Journal of E-Learning, 19(4), 41-251. https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.19.4.2349 DOI: https://doi.org/10.34190/ejel.19.4.2349
Lin, Y., & Zhang, H. (2021). “I finally marginalized myself from the mainstream”: An autoethnography study of Chinese international students’ development of intercultural communicative competence. The Qualitative Report, 26(11), 3665-3682. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4827 DOI: https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2021.4827
Marginson, S. (2014). Student self-formation in international education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 18(1), 6-22. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315313513036 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315313513036
Mezirow, J. (1981). A critical theory of adult learning and education. Adult Education, 32(1), 3-24. https://doi.org/10.1177/074171368103200101 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/074171368103200101
Nada, C. I., Montgomery, C., & Araújo, H. C. (2018). ‘You went to Europe and returned different’: Transformative learning experiences of international students in Portugal. European Educational Research Journal EERJ, 17(5), 696–713. https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904118765334 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1474904118765334
Oswell, D. (2013). The agency of children: From family to global human rights. Cambridge University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139033312
OECD. (2021). Education at a glance 2021. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/education-at-a-glance-2021_b35a14e5-en
Sen, A. (2000). Development as freedom. Anchor Books.
Siczek, M. (2020). International Student Agency in the Face of a Global Health Crisis. Journal of International Students, 10(4), vii–ix. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v10i4.2424 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v10i4.2424
Tarrant, M., Dazeley, S., & Cottom, T. (2009). Social categorization and empathy for outgroup members. Br J Soc Psychol, 48(3), 427-446. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466608X373589 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1348/014466608X373589
Thomas, A. E., Pflanzl, B., & Völkl, A. (2016). Broadening the mind: Beneficial effects of sojourn experiences and contact with visiting international students on prospective teachers’ motivation to avoid prejudiced behavior. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 50, 89-95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2015.12.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2015.12.005
Tran, L. T., & Vu, T. T. P. (2018). ‘Agency in mobility’: Towards a conceptualization of international student agency in transnational mobility. Educational Review (Birmingham), 70(2), 167-187. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2017.1293615 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00131911.2017.1293615
Toprakkiran, S., & Gordils, J. (2021). The onset of COVID-19, common identity, and intergroup prejudice. The Journal of Social Psychology, 161(4), 435–451. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2021.1918620 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2021.1918620
Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Harvard University Press.
Whyte, D. (2002). Crossing the unknown sea: Work as a pilgrimage of identity. Riverhead Books.
Wu, X. (2020). Examining the influence of transnational discourses on Chinese international secondary school students' academic learning. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 41(4), 368-382. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2019.1623223 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2019.1623223
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2022 Journal of International Students
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
All published articles are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Unported License.
