Developing a sense of self-in-the-world : staff and student narratives from a post-1992 university in the north of England

Abstract

Killick (2011; 2013a; 2013b) views the internationalised university as uniquely placed to facilitate a ‘global identity’ or sense of ‘self-in-the-world’ as a foundation upon which students might develop the ‘act-in-the-world' capabilities associated with being a global citizen. This study explores the extent to which participants develop a sense of self-in-the-world over the course of their studies, and what might facilitate or hinder this process. Today’s diverse campus provides ‘ideal forums for intercultural learning’ (Volet and Ang, 1998), yet home and international students continue to report isolation from each other (Baldassar and McKenzie, 2016). This is often attributed to home student resistance, described as ‘passive xenophobia’ (Harrison and Peacock, 2010), yet there is a lack of qualitative research to explore their perspective in depth and longitudinal studies are rare. Grounded in social constructionism, this research is a narrative inquiry (Trahar, 2011a; Riessman, 2008). Narrative interviews with two student participants took place over three years. Thematic analysis (Braun and Clark, 2006) identified and tracked themes across the research period, while dialogic/performative analysis (Riessman, 2008) considers the influence of the local and wider context. Both participants evidence a growing sense of self-in-the-world, which can be mapped against established models of intercultural development (King and Baxter Magolda, 2005; Bennett, 2004). While positive experiences of intercultural interaction lead to ‘virtuous circles of becoming’ (Killick, 2013b), the narratives suggest unequal power relations between home and international students with regard to language, social capital and access to knowledge (Ippolito, 2007). The researcher’s own personal and professional learning emerged as an important outcome. The study highlights the personal transformations necessary in moving towards transformative internationalisation (Turner and Robson, 2008). Furthermore, the dialogic, reciprocal nature of the staff-student relationship could form the basis of an internationalised curriculum to support ‘internationalisation at home’ (Crowther et al, 2000)