Dissertation Proposal Announcement Ed.D. Program: Yaruby Petit-Frere “Intercultural Friendships Between US-Born (American) and International Students: What are Americans Learning From These Relationships?”

As global interdependence increases, higher education institutions (HEIs) increasingly focus on preparing students for diverse workplaces and global challenges through comprehensive internationalization strategies (Mansilla & Jackson, 2022; Qiang, 2003). These strategies typically include outward mobility, such as study abroad programs, and internationalization at home (IaH), which involves integrating international students into campus life and promoting cross-cultural engagement (Nilsson, 2003). However, despite the emphasis on study abroad, research shows that only 3% of U.S. students participate in such programs, leaving many students with limited access to intercultural experiences (IIE, 2022). With over one million international students studying at US institutions (IIE, 2023), deepening our understanding of how students form intercultural friendships and develop skills will support HEIs internationalization goals. This qualitative study examines the role of intercultural friendships between U.S.-born and international students in fostering intercultural competence among domestic students.

This study adopts a qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological approach exploring how intercultural relationships between U.S.-born and international students develop and contribute to domestic students’ intercultural competencies. Grounded in social constructivism, the study uses Bridging Social Capita and Intercultural Competence frameworks to inform how these relationships are formed and nurtured within the university environment and what U.S.-born students learn from their international peers. Data will be collected through paired depth interviews and artifact analysis alongside the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) administration to assess the participants’ intercultural competence. By examining these cross-cultural relationships, the study will provide insights into how HEIs can better lean on the strengths of its international student population to promote intercultural competence and foster more inclusive, globally-minded campus communities. The findings of this study will contribute to the ongoing discourse on internationalization in higher education and provide practical recommendations for institutions to enhance their intercultural programs and initiatives.

To access the Zoom link required to attend, please contact academic.services@gse.rutgers.edu.