Dissertation Defense Announcement Ed.D. Program: Shuman Wen “Bilingual and Bicultural Support for First Year Chinese International Students: A Case Study of the First Year Study-Abroad Program”

Chinese international students (CISs) represent the largest population of international students in the U.S., yet research on their experiences often adopts deficit-based perspectives (Heng, 2018; Wang, 2021). The challenges they face were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic by explicit xenophobia and worsen U.S.-China political relations.

To address these challenges, Rise University implemented the First Year Study-at-Home (FYSH) program during the pandemic to support newly admitted CISs who could not study on the U.S. campus. The FYSH program combined in-person classes taught by local instructors in China with online coursework taught by Rise professors. It fostered a cross-cultural environment where students used both English and Mandarin. From Fall 2020 to Fall 2022, the program supported 538 students, achieving a 98% retention rate as students transitioned to on-campus studies in Spring 2023. While the FYSH program was discontinued after the pandemic, it’s essential to evaluate it to guide effective programs for international students.

This study aims to explore the FYSH program’s impact on students’ learning experiences during the pandemic and in the U.S. campus. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study analyzed qualitative data from 12 retrospective semi-structured interviews and quantitative data from surveys of 347 and 112 students across two academic years, alongside academic performance data. Key findings include: (1) FYSH program effectively addressed most challenges that CISs faced during the program and prepared them to transition to the U.S. campus. (2) Students expressed high satisfaction with the FYSH program, particularly regarding in-person classes. In addition, students leveraged their funds of knowledge, including their native language, culture, and prior learning experiences to navigate their cultural identity and adapt to challenges. (3) FYSH did not effectively address the challenges in preparing students to network with peers from other racial groups and deal with racism after transitioned to the U.S. campus.

These findings proved the importance of incorporating Culturally Sustaining Pedagogy (CSP)into program design to sustain international students’ cultural and language competencies. Additionally, the study highlights the need to address racism in CSP program design, offering practical and theoretical insights for designing effective academic and cultural programs tailored to international students’ needs.