Education, Theory Education, Theory

Potential theoretical frameworks

The resource below is from AdvancedHE Pedagogies of Internationalisation theoretical frameworks. These are various theoretical frameworks that can be used for far more than internationalisation for questions and issues related to, for example, critically reflective professional practice, education policy, education futures and many others. Thanks to Sara for finding this one! I've slightly modified the formatting to the original source.

Looking down onto the rocky beach near Portencross Castle in West Kilbride, Scotland. Shot from a DJI Mini 2.

The resource below is from AdvancedHE Pedagogies of Internationalisation theoretical frameworks. It's meant to give a bird's eye of what there is to choose from. These are various theoretical frameworks that can be used for far more than internationalisation for questions and issues related to, for example, critically reflective professional practice, education policy, education futures and many others.

Thanks to Sara for finding this one! I've slightly modified the formatting to the original source.

Theoretical frameworks are essential for guiding research about international students and framing their experiences away from deficit narratives. We’ve compiled here a list of potential theoretical frameworks for research with international students that researchers might consider, along with suggested readings to get you started with learning about them.

Please note this list is still a work in progress and is not fully comprehensive. We welcome any suggested additions.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

AdvancedHE Pedagogies of Internationalisation.

Theories about international students’ transitions and broader experiences

Theory Purposefully over-simplified description Suggested reading(s)
Ecological systems theory The multiple environmental and social systems that impact on an individuals’ experiences Original: Bronfenbrenner, 1979
Further conceptualisation in higher education: Jones, 2017
Example in practice: Elliot et al., 2016
Multidimensional transition theory The multilayered academic, social, and emotional transitions that individuals encounter when moving from one space to another Introduction: Jindal-Snape & Ingram, 2013
Example in practice: Jindal-Snape & Rienties, 2016
Academic resilience theory Students’ capacity to adapt and develop under uncertainty or adversity  One approach: Holdsworth et al., 2017
Example in practice: Singh, 2021
Rhizomatic transitions Construction of students’ transitions experiences away from linear pathways towards more fluid, ongoing experiences Original: Deleuze & Guatarri, 1987
Further conceptualisation in higher education: Gravett, 2019
Example in practice: Balloo et al., 2021
Student engagement model Model of factors that impact students’ university retention and success Original: Tinto (1975)
Example in practice: Rienties et al. (2012)
Liminality Transitional space that may lead to disorientation or ambiguity Original: Turner, 1969
Example in practice: Parker et al., 2010

Theories about identity development and the self

Theory Purposefully over-simplified description Suggested reading(s)
Student agency theory Students’ capacity to make choices within the constraints of their lived realities  One approach: Biesta & Tedder, 2007
Example in practice: Tran & Vu, 2016
Identity theory The construction of the self through interactions with experiences and culture One approach: Hall, 1996
Example in practice: Pham & Saltmarsh, 2013
Capability approach  Theory that people achieve well-being through their capabilities to be and do what they value One approach: Nussbaum, 2011
Second approach: Sen, 1973Sen, 1995
Example in practice: Fakunle, 2020
Possible selves  Approach to understanding individuals’ imagined ‘like-to-be’ and ‘like-to-avoid’ futures Original: Markus & Nurius, 1986
Application to higher education: Harrison, 2018Henderson et al., 2019
Example in practice: Yang & Noels, 2013
Intersectional theory Framework for understanding how a person’s multiple identities lead to different forms of oppression and discrimination  Original: Crenshaw, 1989
Example in practice: Forbes-Mewett & McColloch, 2015
Critical race theory Recognition of race as a social construct and that social structures are inherently racist  Starting point: McCoy, 2015
Example in practice: Yao et al. (2018)
Gendered racialisation  The intersecting identities of gender and race  Original: Selod (2018)
Example in practice: Karaman & Christian (2020)

Theories about intercultural friendships / relationships

Theory Purposefully over-simplified description Suggested reading(s)
Intercultural friendship framework  Framework for understanding how intercultural friendships develop on higher education campuses Kudo et al., 2019
Intergroup contact theory Theory that biases and prejudices can be minimized through positive contact with people from different outgroups Original: Allport, 1954
More modern introduction: Dovidio et al., 2005
Meta-analysis: Pettigrew & Tropp, 2006
Intergroup threat theory Theory that encounters between individuals from different backgrounds can lead to discomforts or threatening feelings Original: Stephen & Stephen, 2000
Example in practice: Harrison & Peacock, 2013

Theories about pedagogies with international students

Theory Purposefully over-simplified description Suggested reading(s)
Critical pedagogies Application of critical theory to education; philosophy of education that focuses on issues of social justice, power imbalances, and domination Originals: Freire, 1970Giroux, 2011
Linked to international students: Khalideen, 2015
Engaged pedagogy  Critical pedagogy approach that values relationships between student / teacher, teacher self-actualisation, humanistic approaches to education Original: hooks, 1994
Linked to international students: Madge et al., 2009
Academic hospitality Reflection on academic staff as ‘hosts’ to reciprocally support students as ‘guests’  Original: Bennett, 2000
Further conceptualisation: Ploner, 2018
Bernstein’s pedagogic devices Theory focusing on the ways pedagogies represent symbolic control over knowledge Original: Bernstein, 2000
Example in practice: Zeegers & Barron, 2008
Transformative learning Evaluation of past experience through the acquisition of new knowledge Original: Mezirow, 1991
Example in practice: Nada et al., 2018López Murillo, 2021

Theories about international students and the curriculum

Theory Purposefully over-simplified description Suggested reading(s)
Hidden curriculum The unwritten lessons learned about normative values, beliefs, ethics, etc. as a result of educational provisions and settings Starting point: Apple, 1989
Example in practice: Kidman et al., 2017
Internationalisation of the curriculum Inclusion of international or intercultural elements into the content and delivery of education Starting point: Leask, 2015
Further theorisation: Clifford & Montgomery, 2017
Example in practice: Vishwanath & Mummery, 2018
Glocalisation The blending of global and local elements in the curriculum Starting point: Robertson, 1994
Further theorisation in higher education: Patel & Lynch, 2013
Tourist gaze Approach to learning about other cultures as a ‘guest’ or ‘tourist’  Starting point: Urry & Larsen, 2011
Example in practice: Vinall & Shin, 2019

Social learning theories

Theory Purposefully over-simplified description Suggested reading(s)
Communities of practice A set of people who share a common interest or practice Original: Wenger, 1998
Example in practice: Montgomery & McDowell, 2008
Figured worlds Development of the self in relation to the social types in their surrounding world Original: Holland et al., 2001
Example in practice: Chang et al., 2017
Cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) Relationship between the mind and action within an individual’s situated social world Original: Engestrom, 2001
Example in practice: Straker, 2016

Sociological theories

Theory Purposefully over-simplified description Suggested reading(s)
Bourdieusian theory Set of thinking tools for investigating power and the way it impacts individuals and societies through structural constraints Original: Bourdieu, 1979
Helpful guide: Grenfell, 2013
Example in practice: Xu, 2017
Foucauldian theory Set of thinking tools for investigating power relationships in society, including how they influence language or practice  Original: Foucault, 1977Foucault, 1972
Helpful guide: Ball, 2013
Example in practice: Koehne, 2006
Gramscian theory Theory of cultural hegemony – how the state and high economic class use institutions to maintain power  Original: Gramsci, 1971
Helpful guide: Mayo, 2015
Example in practice: Kim, 2011

Decolonial / postcolonial theories

Theory Purposefully over-simplified description Suggested reading(s)
Orientalism Negative portrayals and ‘othering’ of ‘the East’ by ‘the West’ which serve to maintain colonial power and assumed superiority  Original: Edward Said, 1978
Helpful guide: Leonardo, 2020
Example in practice: Yao, 2018
Subjugation Forced dominance of one group over another through (neo-)colonialism and violence Original: Fanon, 1952
Helpful guide in education: Leonardo & Singh, 2017
Third space / hybridity The sense of ‘limbo’ or ‘in between-ness’ of individuals’ cultural identities  Original: Bhabha, 1994
Example in practice: Pitts & Brooks, 2017
Double consciousness The experience of dual identities in conflict within an oppressive society  Original: Du Bois, 1903
Example in practice: Valdez, 2015

Theories about mobilities

Theory Purposefully over-simplified description Suggested reading(s)
Spacial theories Relations between socially-constructed spaces and times Original: Lefebvre & Nicholson-Smith (1991)
Further theorisation in higher education: Larsen & Beech, 2014
Example in practice: Waters & Leung, 2012
Migration infrastructures Interlinking structures that enable or constrain mobilities Starting point: Xiang & Lindquist, 2018
Example in practice: Hu et al., 2020


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