Identities and Transition: Exploring Black-African International Students’ Experiences of Transitioning into Global North Higher Education Institutions

Conference: The European Conference on Education (ECE2022)
Title: Identities and Transition: Exploring Black-African International Students’ Experiences of Transitioning into Global North Higher Education Institutions
Stream: International Education
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Authors:
Sachpasidi Christina, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Barbara Bompani, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Abstract:

This presentation examines transition into Global North Higher Education Institutions (GNHEIs) as a critical stage for Black-African international students. Drawing from a study conducted between 2020 and 2022 at the University of Edinburgh, this presentation will discuss students’ identity development as a process that involves psychosocial adjustment, along with adjustments to new academic and sociocultural settings. Although Black-African students are an increasing population in Higher Education Institutions in the UK, there is a substantial gap in our knowledge around their transitional experiences, despite the evidence that they are subject to unique challenges. Drawing upon critical frameworks of students’ experience, this paper gives voice to the students’ own understanding of the social and academic world and discusses how students (re)define perceptions of belonging, community, and home in this transitional process. This study employed photovoice as a participatory research approach to data collection and analysis, relying on photos taken by participants (n=6), reflective writing and six photovoice focus-group discussions. Findings identified a number of different themes as key aspects of transition and identity formation, including the role of emotions in forming unique place-based experiences and delineating public and private spaces of belonging and non-belonging. This research sheds light on how Black-African students navigate the transition into GNHEIs and the impact that this has on their identity development and sense of institutional inclusion. This contributes to better understanding practises that affect Black-African students' academic experience in GNHEIs, and producing insights to support students' overall sense of wellbeing.

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