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2019 Annual Conference

October 8–11, 2019

St. Louis, MO

The Socio-Cultural Challenges of International Graduate Parenting Students and Spouses

Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at 8:55 AM–9:35 AM CDT
Grand A (85)
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Graduate Student Education

Presentation Format Requested

Shared Concurrent Session (Approx. 12 or 20 minutes)

Session Abstract

While more international doctoral students bring their spouse or get married, and become parents in the U.S., little research focuses on their experience. Both international student parents and their non-student spouses are faced with social and cultural challenges in their daily life. This qualitative study explored their socio-cultural challenges.

Target Audience

This session targets researchers and practitioners who are interested in qualitative research, international adult education, cultural adaptation, and informal learning. Graduate students who are under the dual roles of being students and parents will also benefit from this study.

Learning Outcomes

Learners will have a general idea of the international students’ difficulty in studying in a new cultural environment in terms of language difficulties, adjusting to social and cultural customs, financial burdens, etc. These categories are helpful to analyze the experience of international student parents. Beyond that, the family responsibilities, challenges of multi-roles of being the student, husband or wife, parents, the cultural adjustment in pregnancy care and children’s care among the international students’ parents are also key experience.

Session Description

    In recent years, with the increasing number of international graduate students enrolled in U.S. universities and colleges. Among them, a number of graduate students bring their spouse or get married, and become parents in the U.S. As non-traditional students, both the international student parents and their non-student spouses are faced with problems and challenges in their daily life.

Regarding the experience of parenting students in academia, the majority of study mainly discuss the role of student parenthood regarding academic pressure and balance of study and life in general. Faced with the new cultural environment, studies on cultural adaptions mainly focus on immigrant families, limited literature touch upon unique experience of international students as parents in the U.S universities. The study explores the social-cultural challenges of international parenting students and spouses in higher educational institutions in the U.S. What are the challenges they are faced with? Is the role of parenthood help with the adapting to or intensify the challenges compared with traditional international students?

Format & Technique

This session will adopt a presentation of PPT along with discussion interactions with participants. The presentation firstly introduces the cultural phenomenon of international graduate parenting students and spouses, and then present the theoretical and methodological analysis with participants’ interviews and observation. The latter part sets aside time for raising questions and discussion among participants.

Primary Presenter

Xiaoying Jiang, The Pennsylvania State University
Work Title

Doctoral Student

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