Browsing by Author "Liang, Siyin"

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    Internationalization in the Formal Curriculum as Interpreted and Experienced by International Graduate Students in Canada – An Interpretive Case Study
    (2024-03-27) Liang, Siyin; Kawalilak, Colleen; Groen, Janet Elizabeth; Danyluk, Patricia Jill; Winchester, W. Lan S.; Goddard, John Timothy
    Many universities in Canada have dedicated themselves to internationalization as an educational approach to enhance students’ awareness of global complexities, engage with diversity, foster global citizenship, and encourage meaningful contributions to society. Despite the growing attention to modifying curricula to align with the internationalization agenda, the literature offering guidance on approaching this endeavour remains limited, particularly concerning insights from students and within the specific academic realm of education. In order to contribute to the ongoing discourse surrounding curriculum internationalization, deepen the comprehension of how recent international students interpret and experience this approach, and explore ways to enrich student learning experiences, I conducted an interpretive case study, the details of which are presented in this dissertation. Specifically, I delved into a case study centred on internationalization in the formal curriculum through the perspectives of international graduate students enrolled in a school of education at a comprehensive academic and research university in Canada. Using qualitative content analysis and reflexive thematic analysis, I analyzed data collected from public documents, semi-structured interviews with nine international graduate students, and my reflexive research journal. Guided by the framework of practice architecture theory, I identified and shared interpretations on four key themes: 1. Influential cultural-discursive arrangements in shaping interpretations; 2. Diversification of course content: The deliberate commencement; 3. Advancing inclusion in course design to mitigate inequalities; 4. Crucial social-political arrangements in facilitating intercultural learning. In dialogue with existing scholarship, my findings elaborate on the meanings and value of content integration in an ‘internationalized’ formal curriculum, as some international graduate students interpreted. The research findings also highlight the importance of being aware of the practice traditions on the site and incorporating inclusive course design to mitigate inequalities and the risk of system exclusion in an internationalized formal curriculum. Furthermore, the findings suggest that institutional discussions on diversity and inclusivity are notably influential in shaping how international graduate students interpret an internationalized curriculum. In addition, as my findings revealed, being aware of the hierarchical structure within a university and understanding the power dynamics between instructors and students can potentially lead international graduate students to perceive instructors as the primary initiators of the course internationalization process. Simultaneously, they tend to predominantly view their role as that of responsive participants. The study seeks to contribute to empirical and practical knowledge on international studies of internationalizing the formal curriculum in higher education. It shows the necessity for more recent, in-depth, and regional-specific studies regarding curriculum internationalization from students’ perspectives. It concludes by offering recommendations for higher education institutions to support curriculum internationalization.
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    Living through Covid-19 Pandemic as International Students in Canada: Collaborative Autoethnography of Struggles and Resilience
    (University of Calgary. Libraries and Cultural Resources., 2021-12-01) Bello, Jhonattan; Cho, Suyeon; Liang, Siyin; Luo, Cong
    The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the lives of a number of international students and the disruption inevitably has caused suffering. With an aim to provide an in-depth understanding of the international students’ experiences, we examined our own written narratives on how the pandemic challenged our lives, and how we strove to build resilience and deal with the challenges. Upon analysis of the qualitative data collected from our respective narratives and group discussion, the following themes emerged: (1)Intersecting Identities, (2) Systemic Barriers to Achieving Goals, (3) Systemic Risks Caused Instability, and (4) Strategies to Build Resilience. By addressing several complex challenges that the international students faced, we hope to inform higher education stakeholders who seek to better accommodate the unique needs of international students.