Working towards inclusive definitions of international students: Reflecting, refiguring, reconceptualising as international students and researchers

TY - CHAP

T1 - Working towards inclusive definitions of international students: Reflecting, refiguring, reconceptualising as international students and researchers

AU - Bennet, Summer

AU - Ichikawa, Asuka

AU - Lin, Yuqi

AU - Pannirselvam, Meena

AU - Uerpairojkit, Thornchanok

PY - 2023/10/26

Y1 - 2023/10/26

N2 - In the context of evolving social, cultural and political practices and increased student mobility in the 21st century, the term ‘international student’ has been associated with different layers of meanings. However, particular categorisations risk concealing the expansive diversity and complexity of international students’ identities, and may even undermine possibilities for engaging with humanised, equitable and inclusive practices. Holding dual roles of international students and emerging researchers, we examine how ‘the international student’ and its related labels can construct false boundaries and inform dominant discursive (mis)understandings. The commonalities of our experiences, despite being geographically dispersed and collaborating across five different time zones, offer beginning points for reflecting how international students are — and can alternatively be — conceptualised. We approach this via a critical examination of conventional definitions of international students and the invisible baggage underlying them, followed by reflective questions and practical suggestions. In writing this chapter, we hope to offer a companion for readers in their reflections about their own research journey, their purpose in researching international students, and their potential contribution to the research literature and beyond.

AB - In the context of evolving social, cultural and political practices and increased student mobility in the 21st century, the term ‘international student’ has been associated with different layers of meanings. However, particular categorisations risk concealing the expansive diversity and complexity of international students’ identities, and may even undermine possibilities for engaging with humanised, equitable and inclusive practices. Holding dual roles of international students and emerging researchers, we examine how ‘the international student’ and its related labels can construct false boundaries and inform dominant discursive (mis)understandings. The commonalities of our experiences, despite being geographically dispersed and collaborating across five different time zones, offer beginning points for reflecting how international students are — and can alternatively be — conceptualised. We approach this via a critical examination of conventional definitions of international students and the invisible baggage underlying them, followed by reflective questions and practical suggestions. In writing this chapter, we hope to offer a companion for readers in their reflections about their own research journey, their purpose in researching international students, and their potential contribution to the research literature and beyond.

M3 - Chapter

SN - 9781032269832

T3 - Internationalization in Higher Education

BT - Research with International Students: Critical, conceptual and methodological considerations

A2 - Mittelmeier, Jenna

A2 - Lomer, Sylvie

A2 - Unkule, Kalyani

PB - Routledge

ER -