Lessons Learned from Low-Income, First-Generation, Technical, and Rural Students (LIFTRs) Who Participate in Education Abroad
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v35i3.833Keywords:
Anti-deficit narrative, community college, diversity, equity, and inclusion, education abroad, intercultural experiencesinternational education, internationalizationAbstract
Community college student data and stories provide a critical contribution to the narrative of inclusive education abroad. A deficit mindset perspective has precluded historically marginalized student populations’ education abroad stories being shared and heard broadly. The community college provides a setting in which accessible education abroad opportunities exist, and in which students with diverse identities participate in education abroad. This mixed-methods study brings forward unique lessons learned from one community college’s education abroad student enrollment data and student study abroad narratives. Findings show evidence that students who identify as LIFTRs (low-income, first-generation, technical, rural, or a combination of these four) are indeed likely to participate in education abroad opportunities. A retrospective education abroad survey and semi-structured student interviews collect and amplify LIFTR stories. Education abroad leaders and practitioners are called upon to embrace a capabilities approach to education abroad access and recognize that global learning is a requisite to all students’ higher education experience, regardless of personal backgrounds.
Downloads
References
Abdallah‐Pretceille, M. (2006). Interculturalism as a paradigm for thinking about diversity. Intercultural Education, 17(5), 475–483. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980601065764 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14675980601065764
American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). (2022). American Association of Community Colleges 2022 Fact Sheet. May, 1–2. https://www.aacc.nche.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/2018-Fast-Facts.pdf
American Institute for Foreign Study (AIFS) Foundation & Institute for International Education. (2018). Study abroad matters linking higher education to the contemporary workplace through international experience [White paper]. https://www.iie.org/Research-and-Insights/Publications/Study-Abroad-Matters
Andriano, B. R. (2010). Study abroad participation and engagement practices of first-generation undergraduate students. [Doctoral dissertation, George Washington University]. ProQuest Dissertation Publishing. https://www.proquest.com/openview/17aa63d6c6c9a6703cb73ce46e8a19d3/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=18750
Ardoin, S. (2018a). College aspirations and access in working-class rural communities. Lexington Books.
Ardoin, S. (2018b). Helping poor- and working-class students create their own sense of belonging. New Directions for Student Services, 162(Summer 2018), 75–86. https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20263 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20263
BaileyShea, C. (2009). Factors that affect American college students’ participation in study abroad. (Publication No. 3395372) [Doctoral dissertation, University of Rochester]. ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.
Ballatore, M., & Stayrou, S. (2017). Internationalisation policy as a (re)producer of social inequalities: The case of institutionalised student mobility. Rassegna Italiana Di Sociologia, 58(2), 251–281. https://doi.org/10.1423/87309
Bloch, R., & Mitterle, A. (2021). On stratification in changing higher education : the "analysis of status" revisited. Higher Education, 73(6), 929–946. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-017-0113-5 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-017-0113-5
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood Press.
Bourke, B. (2014). Positionality: Reflecting on the research process. The Qualitative Report, 19(33), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2014.1026
Brux, J. M., & Fry, B. (2010). Multicultural students in study abroad: Their interests, their issues, and their constraints. Journal of Studies in International Education, 14(1997), 1–6.
Byun, S. Y., Meece, J. L., Irvin, M. J., & Hutchins, B. C. (2012). The role of social capital in educational aspirations of rural youth. Rural Sociology, 77(3), 355–379. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1549-0831.2012.00086.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1549-0831.2012.00086.x
Cho, S., Crenshaw, K. W., & McCall, L. (2013). Toward a field of intersectionality studies: Theory, applications and praxis. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 38(4), 785–810. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/669608
Crain, A. (2018). Serving rural students. NACE Center for Career Development and Talent Acquisition Web Page. https://www.naceweb.org/career-development/special-populations/serving-rural-students/
Crenshaw, K. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine. In Feminist theory and antiracist politics, university of Chicago legal forum (No. 1, pp. 138-167).
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Deisigning and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Ezarik, M. (2022). First in the family make their mark in college. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2022/07/19/first-generation-students-describe-paths-college-success?
Fakunle, O. (2021). Developing a framework for international students’ rationales for studying abroad, beyond economic factors. Policy Futures in Education, 19(6), 671–690. https://doi.org/10.1177/1478210320965066 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1478210320965066
Gale, T., & Molla, T. (2015). Social justice intents in policy: an analysis of capability for and through education. Journal of Education Policy, 30(6), 810–830. https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2014.987828 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02680939.2014.987828
Institute of International Education. (2021). Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange. https://opendoorsdata.org/
Kezar, A. J., Walpole, M., & Perna, L. W. (2015). Engaging low-income students. In S. J. Quaye & S. R. Harper (Eds.), Student engagement in higher education: Theoretical perspectives and practical approaches for diverse populations (pp. 237–255). Routledge.
Koricich, A., Chen, X., & Hughes, R. P. (2018). Understanding the effects of rurality and socioeconomic status on college attendance and institutional choice in the United States. TheReview of Higerh Education, 41(2), 281.305. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2018.0004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2018.0004
Legusov, O., Raby, R. L., Mou, L., Gómez-Gajardo, F., & Zhou, Y. (2022). How community colleges and other TVET institutions contribute to the United Nations sustainable development goals. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 46(1), 89–106. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2021.1887463 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2021.1887463
Leibowitz, B. (2017). Rurality and education. SARiHE working paper.
Luo, J., & Jamieson-Drake, D. (2014). Predictors of study abroad intent, participation, and college outcomes. Research in Higher Education, 56(1), 29–56. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-014-9338-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-014-9338-7
Ma, J., & Baum, S. (2016). Trends in community colleges: Enrollment, prices, student debt, and completion. College Board Research. https://trends.collegeboard.org/sites/default/files/trends-in-community-colleges-research-brief.pdf
Pascarella, E. T., Pierson, C. T., Wolniak, G. C., & Terenzini, P. T. (2004). First-generation college students: Additional evidence on college experiences and outcomes. Journal of Higher Education, 75(3), 249–284. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2004.11772256 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2004.0016
Patton Davis, L. & Museus, S. (2019). What is deficit thinking? An analysis of conceptualizations of deficit thinking and implications for scholarly research. Currents, 1(1), 117-130. http://dx.doe.org/10.3998/currents.17387731.0001.110 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3998/currents.17387731.0001.110
Perkins, C. (2020). Rewriting the narrative: An anti-deficit perspective on education abroad participation among students of color. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study abroad, 32(1), 148-165. https://10.36366/frontiers.v32i1.438 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v32i1.438
Raby, R. L. & Rhodes, G. (2018). Promoting education abroad among community college students: Overcoming obstacles and developing inclusive practices. In H. B. Hamir & N. Gozik (Ed.), Promoting Inclusion in Education Abroad (pp.114.132). Stylus. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003446545-9
Raby, R. L. & Valeau, E. J. (2007). Community college international education: Looking back to forecast the future. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2007(138), 5-14. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.276 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.276
Raby, R. L. & Valeau, E. J. (2009). Community college models: Globalization and higher education reform. Springer. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9477-4
Raby, R. L. (2018). Adult students studying abroad through community colleges. In Critical Perspectives on Education Abroad: Leveraging the Educational Continuum. Stylus.
Raby, R. L. (2019). Changing the conversation: Measures that contribute to community college education abroad success. In G. F. Malveaux & R. L. Raby (Ed.), Study abroad opportunities for community college students and strategies for global learning. (pp. 1-21). IGI Global. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-6252-8.ch001
Raby, R. L., Rhodes, G. M., & Biscarra, A. (2014). Community college study abroad: implications for student success. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 38(2–3), 174–183. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10668926.2014.851961
Robertson, J. (2016). The community college student’s social construction of global learning in the Florida college system. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Central Florida]. Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4869. http://stars.library.ucf.edu/etd/4869
Saldaña, J. (2016). The coding manual for qualitative researchers (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Salisbury, M. H., Paulsen, M. B., & Pascarella, E. Tl. (2011). Why do all the study abroad students look alike? Applying an integrated student choice model to explore differences in the factors that influence white and minority students’ intent to study abroad. Research in Higher Education, 52(2), 123–150. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-010-9191-2 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-010-9191-2
Schultz, P. F. (2004). Upon entering college: first semester experiences of first-generation rural students from agricultural families. The Rural Educator, 26(1), 48–51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.35608/ruraled.v26i1.521
Sen, A. (1985). Well-being, agency and freedom : The Dewey lectures 1984. The Journal of Philosophy, 82(4), 169–221. https://doi.org/10.2307/2026184 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2026184
Sen, A. (2009). The idea of justice. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press.
Simon, J., & Ainsworth, J. W. (2012). Race and socioeconomic status differences in education abroad participation: The role of habitus, social networks, and cultural capital. ISRN Education, 2012, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.5402/2012/413896 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5402/2012/413896
Soria, K. M., & Troisi, J. (2014). Internationalization at home alternatives to study abroad: Implications for students’ development of global, international, and intercultural competencies. Journal of Studies in International Education, 18(3), 261-280. https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315313496572 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1028315313496572
Thomas, M. (2013). The problematization of racial/ethnic minority student participation in U.S. education abroad. Applied Linguistics Review, 4(2), 365–390. https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2013-0016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/applirev-2013-0016
Tran, L. T. (2016). Mobility as ‘becoming’: a Bourdieuian analysis of the factors shaping international student mobility. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 37(8), 1268–1289. https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2015.1044070 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2015.1044070
Tran, L.T., & Dempsey, K. (2017). Internationalization in VET: An overview. In L. T. Tran & K. Dempsey (Eds.), Internationalization in Vocational Technical Education and Training: Transanational Perspectives (pp. 1–15). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47859-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47859-3_1
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization Institute for Statistics (UNESCO-UIS). (2020). UNESCO Student participation by regions share of students (both sexes) in tertiary education 2014-1018. https://data.uis.unesco.org/
Van Mol, C. & Perez-Encina, A. (2022). Inclusive internationalisation: do different social gorups of students need different internatonalisation activities?. Studeis in Higher Education, 47(12), 2523-2538. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2083102 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2022.2083102
Walpole, M. (2003). Socioeconomic status and college: How SES affects college experiences and outcomes. The Review of Higher Education, 27(1), 45–73. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2003.0044 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2003.0044
Whatley, M. (2018). Exploring the relationship between institutional context and community college education abroad. WES-CIHE Summer Institute Proceedings.
Whatley, M. (2021). Who participates in the internationalized curriculum? An exploration of access at one community college. American Educational Research Association. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000424
Whatley, M., & Clayton, A. B. (2020). Study abroad for low-income students: The relationship between need-based grant aid and access to education abroad. Journal of Student Financial Aid, 49(2), 1. https://ir.library.louisville.edu/jsfa/vol49/iss2/1 DOI: https://doi.org/10.55504/0884-9153.1679
Whatley, M., & Raby, R. L. (2020). Understanding inclusion and equity in community college education abroad. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Education abroad, 32(1), 80–103. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v32i1.435 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v32i1.435
Whatley, M., & Stitch, A. (2021). From exclusive to inclusive: A mixed-methods investigation of study abroad participation and practices. Journal of Higher Education, 92(1), 140-167. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2020.1768778 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2020.1768778
Whatley, M., LaVenture, S., & Russell, N. (2022). Assessing access and outcomes in community college virtual exchange. https://www.stevensinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Assessing-Access-and-Outcomes-in-Community-College-International-Virtual-Exchange.pdf
Wick, D., Willis, T. Y., Rivera, J., Lueker, E., & Hernandez, M. (2019). Assets-based learning abroad: First-generation Latinx college students leveraging and increasing community cultural wealth in Costa Rica. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Education abroad, 31(2), 63–85. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v31i2.455 DOI: https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v31i2.455
Willis, T. Y. (2016). Microaggressions and intersectionality in the experiences of black women studying abroad through community colleges: implications for practice. In R. L. Raby & E. J. Valeau (Eds.), International education at community colleges: Themes, practices and case studies (pp. 127–141). Palgrave Macmillan. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53336-4_9
Wood, D., & Raby, R. L. (2022). Community college career and technical education internationalization: Diversifying comparative and international education. In Annual Review of Comparative and International Education 2021 (pp. 205–224). Emerald Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-36792022000042B011 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-36792022000042B011
Wood, D., & Whatley, M. (2020). Community college study abroad: Institutional context, geography, and field of study. In S. Saubert (Ed.), NAFSA Research Symposium Series (pp. 4: 102-117). NAFSA: Association of International Educators.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Dawn Wood
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
