ERIC Number: EJ1273429
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2020
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-2162-3104
EISSN: N/A
An Ethnography of Taiwanese International Students' Identity Movements: Habitus Modification and Improvisation
Hsieh, Jasper Kun-Ting
Journal of International Students, v10 n4 p836-852 2020
Many studies focus on Chinese-speaking international students' adaptation issues inside and outside educational settings in the West. A strong emphasis has been placed on identifying Chinese-speaking international students' problems and solving them through educational programs, pedagogies, and curricula. This emphasis potentially categorizes these students as a cohort that, in particular, have issues learning and living in Western societies, a categorization that ignores identity as complex and context-dependent. Drawing on a Bourdieuian poststructuralist perspective, this 18-month-long study documented the experiences of nine Taiwanese international students at different Australian universities before, during, and after their 1-year postgraduate education in Australia. This study compared their experiences and highlighted the complexity of identity movements. The findings present habitus modification and habitus improvisation, two notions developed from a Bourdieuian perspective. In conclusion, this study encourages reassessment of the standard notions of adaptation and prompts further exploration of how international students use their overseas experiences in the home context.
Descriptors: Ethnography, Foreign Students, Study Abroad, Chinese, Native Language, Classification, Student Adjustment, Teaching Methods, Western Civilization, Cultural Differences, Asians, Social Capital, Educational Experience, Comparative Analysis, Self Concept, Foreign Countries, Graduate Students, Cultural Capital, Outcomes of Education
Journal of International Students. 4005 Spurgeon Drive #6, Monroe, LA 71203. Tel: 318-600-5743; Fax: 318-342-3131; e-mail: jis@ojed.org; Web site: https://www.ojed.org/index.php/jis/index
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia; Taiwan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A