Conference Agenda

In order to get in-depth information about the participants, the study took an ethnographic approach where semi-structure interviews, informal conversations and audio diaries were used to collect data. Using the concepts of investment (Norton, 2013), imagined identity (Norton & Toohey, 2011) and imagined community (Norton, 2013) as the analytical lens, the findings showed that all participants experienced academic identity reconstruction and during this process, the role of their L1 is unignorable. There was a significant shift on their academic identity as their aims of studying abroad changed. Before they started their studies in the UK, their imagined identity of an international student focused on promoting their English linguistic competence such as pursuing native like accents, becoming global citizens and emerging into the new community. However, as they began their study in the UK, they started to vague the concept of native speakers and began to view English as lingua franca where they now focused more on the knowledge itself rather than the L2 (English) skills.

Unlike some previous studies (Chang, 2016; Gao, 2011; Crowther, 2020) where improving one’s English linguistic competence and adapting into the new environment are the target goals for international students in an English-speaking country, the participants showed low investment both in promoting their L2 (English) linguistic skills as well as adapting into the new environment. Though their investments in the destination country and English linguistic skills seemed to be limited, they managed to use their L1 (such as using translation tools or working with co-nationals) to integrate into the local community and at the same time, achieved satisfactory academic outcomes. For some participants who self-defined as inadequate L2 learners, they managed to use their L1 competence to make friends with non-Chinese which unexpectedly, benefited their L2 learning. It is also interesting to find that their naming practices in the UK also reflected the reconstruction of their academic identities as well. Some participants stopped using English names but began to use their Chinese names to reflect their Chinese international students’ identities. Some continued to use English names but the Chinese names are revealed under the coats of certain English names.

When it comes to the factors that affected their academic identity (re)construction, the Pandemic was just part of the reason why some of the participants had limited interaction with other non-Chinese in academic work and had low investments in promoting their L2 linguistic skills. The most important reason was affected by their imagined identity—potential job hunters in Chinese labour market. As most of them planned to back to China to seek for jobs, they had little interest to invest in promoting their L2 competence as Chinese labour market values more of their study abroad experience rather than their English competence. Also, unlike previous studies where language barrier (Fang & Baker, 2018) is the main cause of limited interaction with non-Chinese peers, my study discovered something different. The participants’ imagined future identity also affected their interaction with other non-Chinese as they had little possibilities to work in the UK after graduation, they found it less necessary to invest in maintaining friendship with other non-Chinese peers.

Globalization is a dynamic process that affects different cultures around the world in different ways. It permeates cultural borders and in the process leads to the spread of Western ideologies and values around the world(Jensen et al., 2011). The Census Bureau's monthly Current Population Survey (CPS) shows that the total foreign-born or immigrant population in the U.S. hit 47.9 million in September 2022, and there are about 3,000 dual-language programs nationwide. With the development of the global connection, many individuals around the world are becoming members of multiple language and sociocultural networks(García, 2011), more and more immigrants’ parents would like to send their children to accept the bilingual education.

However, the different culture mixed to educated students may influence immigrant students’ identity. In 2020, Bu has studied the Asian students in the larger context of Asian immigrants to analyze how American education has historically shaped the racial and ethnic identity of Asian Americans as a minority group and the cultural meaning of being a member of that minority group during different times(Bu, 2020). Besides, the languages in bilingual education has a significant function, we assume that the languages classroom to be a key site for the construction of learners’ linguistic and multilingual identities.(Forbes et al., 2021)

Therefore, such student will face more than two different culture and language between home and school. In my opinion, both parenting environment and school environment are important for students to construct their identity and development. As for school, promoting students’ identity exploration in school within the curriculum and in relation to the academic content should be adopted as an important educational goal.(Kaplan et al., 2014). As for parents, there was research explored the experiences of immigrants in Canada, the results indicated that youth reported that their parents played a direct role in transmitting culture and influencing their identity in five different ways.(Glozman & Chuang, 2019)

This research will focus on the following questions: For the immigrant students, (1) Will the student choose one of their parents’ cultural identities or both or neither of them? (2) Whether the education change students’ identity? If yes, how does bilingual education change students’ cultural identity?

The rise of international migration has led to a growing number of students studying in a second-language environment. Although these students are often seen as having weaker language skills (Sharma, 2016; Kuo, 2011), language proficiency is crucial for their academic success and social integration (Akanwa & Emmanuel, 2015). In addition to language barriers, international students also face a range of challenges such as cultural differences, social adaptation difficulties, health concerns, educational obstacles, housing problems, insufficient institutional support, and financial hardships, therefore, it is important for universities to provide additional resources and more specific support to meet their academic and social needs (Akanwa & Emmanuel 2015). However, the exact support needed is still unclear due to the diverse backgrounds and complexities faced by international students, including cultural and linguistic adjustments and immigration policies. The term "international" fails to accurately represent this group's diverse subgroups and can lead to overgeneralization or fragmentation (Valdez, 2016; Sharma, 2016). To better understand these challenges, this study categorises subgroups of international students studying in a second language as ‘ISLA students’ (International Second Language Acquisition students) and seeks solutions.

This forms the basis for the the following objectives:

1) to identify the challenges and existing supports of International students who study in a second language context, also referred as International Second Language Acquisition (ISLA) Students;
2) to provide a sustainable and implementational solution for ISLA students;and
3) to develop the formal definition of ISLA Students.

Research Questions:

1. What is the definition of international second language acquisition (ISLA) students?

2. What are the barriers and enablers of ISLA students in higher education ?

To this end, four research aims are set:

• to raise awareness of challenges experienced by ISLA students with regard to knowledge acquisition at higher education;

• to support and enhance international students learning experience through participation in research informed transformative approach;  

• to inform higher education educators’ continuing professional development with regard to the specifics of engagement with ISLA students;

• to contribute to the sustainable development of a transformative learning environment at higher education for all.

Theoretical Framework:

The study will be informed by a combination of Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological System Theory (2005), Lave and Wenger's (2009) Situated Learning theory, and Wenger's Communities of Practice (2011), specifically the concept of legitimate peripheral participation. This conceptual framework provides a comprehensive and integrated lens for examining the complex experiences of ISLA students and their facilitators in higher education. Communities of Practice offer an understanding of ISLA students’ learning in practice through participation in these communities at the higher education level and the challenges faced in such processes (Wenger, 2011). This framework also aids in the development of a formal definition for ISLA students Bronfenbrenner's theory allows for the assessment of ISLA students' barriers and enablers through a holistic system context, as it outlines the various interrelated environmental factors that shape their learning experiences. It also provides a means of understanding how the environment surrounding ISLA students either hinders or facilitates their growth and development, using the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem (Bronfenbrenner & Cole, 1981).