Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Intercultural (Re)Presentations of International Students at an Italian Higher Education Institution

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Interculturality in Institutions

  • 142 Accesses

Abstract

This contribution focuses on the intercultural experience of international students enrolled at a large Italian university, with the aim of exploring the ways in which both the students and the Institution (governance, academic and administrative staff) are engaged in (re)presenting international students, thus shedding light into the negotiated and contested nature of such mediated encounters. This paper uses data from a wider situated and multi-method research that unfolds from an ethnographic fieldwork aimed to capture the contextual constrains and resources experienced by international students enrolled at a Roman university. A total of 13 narrative interviews with international students were collected to examine the students’ own perspective and narratives about their experience of living in Rome and being students at the Italian university. Interviews (9) were also conducted with informants of the Institution. At the same time, a survey was conducted, reaching 262 respondents. An open-ended question asked particularly suggestions to improve the University and the living and studying conditions of international students. Different methods were used (ethnography, narrative interviews, focus group) to observe the international students experience from multiple perspectives. Discourse analysis and the identification of interpretative repertoires was conducted on the in-depth interviews with selected institutional agents and international students. Results concerning the institutional perspective of international students show them as a valuable and desirable “purchase” for the university, although considered as a vulnerable and disoriented group. From the students’ perspective, the identity construction is (re)presented as the output of orientation and navigation strategies put in place in order to open and cross doorways and overcome obstacles in their paths. More specifically, the DA of the narrative interviews with international students showed an imbalance of power that in some cases led to complaint/conflict with the host university. Recommendations concern the necessity of enhancing university policies and services towards the real needs of international students related to orientation, engagement, and empowerment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 119.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 159.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Altbach, P. G., & Knight, J. (2007). The internationalization of higher education: Motivations and realities. Journal of Studies in International Education, 11(3–4), 290–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Antaki, C., & Widdicombe, S. (Eds.). (1998). Identities in talk. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Asselin, M. E. (2003). Insider research: Issues to consider when doing qualitative research in your own setting. Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 19(2), 99–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Avery, H., & Wihlborg, M. (2013). Teachers’ interpretation of Bildung in practice: Examples from higher education in Sweden and Denmark. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 5, 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakhtin, M. M. (1981). The dialogic imagination. University of Texas Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benhabib, S. (2002). The claims of culture: Equality and diversity in the global era. Princeton.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. W. (1997). Immigration, acculturation, and adaptation. Applied Psychology, 46(1), 5–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brennan, M., & Dellow, D. A. (2013). International students as a resource for achieving comprehensive internationalization. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2013(161), 27–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruner, J. (1990). Acts of meaning. Harvard university press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bucholtz, M., & Hall, K. (2005). Identity and interaction: A sociocultural linguistic approach. Discourse Studies, 7(4–5), 585–614.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buckner, E., Lumb, P., Jafarova, Z., Kang, P., Marroquin, A., & Zhang, Y. (2021). Diversity without race: How university internationalization strategies discuss international students. Journal of International Students, 11, 32–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, C. Y., & Razek, N. A. (2016, April). Acculturation and sense of belonging: Engagement patterns for Indian graduate students in the United States. In Allied Academies International Conference. Academy of Educational Leadership. Proceedings (Vol. 21, no. 1, p. 13). Jordan Whitney Enterprises, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalglish, C., & Chan, A. (2005). Expectations and reality-international student reflections on studying in Australia. In Proceedings of AIEC Conference 2005 (pp. 1–9). IDP Education Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Demuth, C., & Fatigante, M. (2012). Comparative qualitative research in cultural psychology: Challenges und potentials. Zeitschrift für Qualitative Forschung, 13(1–2), 13–37. http://www.budrichjournals.de/index.php/zqf/article/view/11117

    Google Scholar 

  • Devos, A. (2003). Academic standards, internationalisation, and the discursive construction of “the international student”. Higher Education Research & Development, 22(2), 155–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dimmock, C., & Ong Soon Leong, J. (2010). Studying overseas: Mainland Chinese students in Singapore. Compare, 40(1), 25–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dwyer, S. C., & Buckle, J. L. (2009). The space between: On being an insider-outsider in qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 8(1), 54–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • East, J. (2001). International students identified as customers: Their expectations and perceptions. Changing Identities.

    Google Scholar 

  • England, K. (1994). Getting personal: Reflexivity, positionality, and feminist research. The Professional Geographer, 46(1), 80–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finlay, L. (2002a). Negotiating the swamp: The opportunity and challenge of reflexivity in research practice. Qualitative Research, 2(2), 209–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finlay, L. (2002b). “Outing” the researcher: The provenance, process, and practice of reflexivity. Qualitative Health Research, 12, 531.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, Y., & Guo, S. (2017). Internationalization of Canadian higher education: Discrepancies between policies and international student experiences. Studies in Higher Education, 42(5), 851–868.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haugh, M. (2008). The discursive negotiation of international student identities. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 29(2), 207–222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hellstén, M. (2002). Students in transition: Needs and experiences of international students in Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hénard, F., Diamond, L., & Roseveare, D. (2012). Approaches to internationalisation and their implications for strategic management and institutional practice. In IMHE Institutional Management in Higher Education. OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, G. L., Blackner, K., Brooks, A. S., Cameron, A., Kelly, A., Kelly J., Newman, K., Potts, N, Russert, N., & Williams, A. (2013). An ethnographic portrait of international students. ISU ethnography of the university initiative. Paper 8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kanuha, V. K. (2000). “Being” native versus “going native”: Conducting social work research as an insider. Social Work, 45(5), 439–447.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karuppan, C. M., & Barari, M. (2010). Perceived discrimination and international students’ learning: An empirical investigation. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 33(1), 67–83.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koehne, N. (2005a). (re) construction: Ways international students talk about their identity. Australian Journal of Education, 49(1), 104–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Koehne, N. (2005b). Positioning international education and international students: Multiple discourses and discursive practices. In International Conference of the Australian Association for Research in Education 2004 (pp. 1–17). Australian Association for Research in Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koehne, N. (2006). (be) coming,(be) longing: Ways in which international students talk about themselves. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 27(2), 241–257.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, J. J., & Rice, C. (2007). Welcome to America? International student perceptions of discrimination. Higher Education, 53(3), 381–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lillyman, S., & Bennett, C. (2014). Providing a positive learning experience for international students studying at UK universities: A literature review. Journal of Research in International Education, 13(1), 63–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mantovani, G. (2000). Exploring borders: Understanding culture and psychology. Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mantovani, G. (2004). Intercultura: è possibile evitare le guerre culturali? [Interculture: Can cultural wars be avoided?]. Il Mulino.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mantovani, G. (2007). Dalla psicologia culturale alla prospettiva interculturale [From cultural psychology to the intercultural perspective]. In B. Mazzara (Ed.), Prospettive di psicologia culturale [Perspectives of cultural psychology] (pp. 57–76). Carrocci.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mecacci, L. (1999). Psicologia moderna e postmoderna. GLF editori Laterza.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, J. M. (2000). Language use, identity, and social interaction: Migrant students in Australia. Research on Language and Social Interaction, 33(1), 69–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mullings, B. (1999). Insider or outsider, both or neither: some dilemmas of interviewing in a cross-cultural setting. Geoforum, 30(4), 337–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norton, L. S. (2020). (De) Constructing bridges for development and innovation: Intercultural concerns regarding ICT4D. American Behavioral Scientist, 64(13), 1921–1932.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norton, L. S., & Bucatariu, C. A. (2019). The 2030 Agenda and students with migratory background at Italian higher education institutions: Challenges and opportunities. In J. Baños, C. Orefice, F. Bianchi, & S. Costantini (Eds.), Good health, quality education, sustainable communities, human rights: The scientific contribution of Italian UNESCO Chairs and partners to SDGs 2030. Firenze University Press. isbn 886453895X.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norton, L. S., & Fatigante, M. (2018). Being international students in a large Italian university: Orientation strategies and the construction of social identity in the host context. Rassegna di Psicologia, 35(3), 31–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norton, L. S., Giudici, C., Fatigante, M., & Zucchermaglio, C. (2022). When in Rome, not all international students do as the Romans do. A survey-based typification of international students’ experiences and profiles at Sapienza University of Rome. Journal of Educational, Cultural and Psychological Studies (ECPS Journal), 25, 123–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norton, L.S., Sonetti, G., & Sarrica, M. (forthcoming). Crossing borders, building new ones, or shifting boundaries? Shared narratives and individual paths towards inter/transdisciplinarity in research centres for urban sustainability. Sustainability Science.

    Google Scholar 

  • Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2021). International student mobility (indicator). https://doi.org/10.1787/4bcf6fc3-en (Accessed on 23 May 2021).

  • Padiglione, V., & Fatigante, M. (2009). Dalla documentazione al patrimonio. Il percorso di restituzione di una etnografia in famiglia. Etnografia e ricerca qualitativa, 2(2), 205–224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Potter, J. (1996). Discourse analysis and constructionist approaches: Theoretical background. In J. T. E. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of qualitative research methods for psychology and the social sciences. BPS Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Potter, J. (2004). Discourse analysis. In M. Hardy & A. Bryman (Eds.), Handbook of data analysis (pp. 607–624). Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, S. (2011). Cash cows, backdoor migrants, or activist citizens? International students, citizenship, and rights in Australia. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 34(12), 2192–2211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, S., & Runganaikaloo, A. (2014). Lives in limbo: Migration experiences in Australia’s education–migration nexus. Ethnicities, 14(2), 208–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Safak-Ayvazoglu, A., & Kunuroglu, F. (2021). Acculturation experiences and psychological well-being of Syrian refugees attending universities in Turkey: A qualitative study. Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 14(1), 96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sawir, E., Marginson, S., Deumert, A., Nyland, C., & Ramia, G. (2008). Loneliness and international students: An Australian study. Journal of Studies in International Education, 12(2), 148–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serranò, F., & Fasulo, A. (2011). L’intervista come conversazione. Carocci.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R. A., & Khawaja, N. G. (2011). A review of the acculturation experiences of international students. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 35(6), 699–713.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sontag, K. (2019). Refugee students’ access to three European universities: An ethnographic study. Social Inclusion, 7(1), 71–79.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Starr-Glass, D. (2017). Troubling metaphors and international student adjustment: Reflections from a transnational place. Journal of International Students, 7(4), 1126–1134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Urban, E. L., & Palmer, L. B. (2014). International students as a resource for internationalization of higher education. Journal of Studies in International Education, 18(4), 305–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valsiner, J. (2007). Culture in minds and societies: Foundations of cultural psychology. SAGE Publications India.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Valsiner, J. E. (2012). The Oxford handbook of culture and psychology. Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wihlborg, M., & Robson, S. (2018). Internationalisation of higher education: drivers, rationales, priorities, values and impacts. European Journal of Higher Education, 8(1), 8–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yao, C. W., Mwangi, C. A. G., & Brown, V. K. M. (2019). Exploring the intersection of transnationalism and critical race theory: A critical race analysis of international student experiences in the United States. Race Ethnicity and Education, 22(1), 38–58. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2018.1497968

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, Y., Jindal-Snape, D., Topping, K., & Todman, J. (2008). Theoretical models of culture shock and adaptation in international students in higher education. Studies in Higher Education, 33(1), 63–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zucchermaglio, C., Alby, F., Fatigante, M., & Saglietti, M. (2013). Fare ricerca situata in psicologia sociale. Il Mulino.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication and Social Research, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Laura Soledad Norton

Authors
  1. Laura Soledad Norton
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laura Soledad Norton .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Marilena Fatigante

  2. Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Cristina Zucchermaglio

  3. Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy

    Francesca Alby

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Norton, L.S. (2022). Intercultural (Re)Presentations of International Students at an Italian Higher Education Institution. In: Fatigante, M., Zucchermaglio, C., Alby, F. (eds) Interculturality in Institutions. Culture in Policy Making: The Symbolic Universes of Social Action. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12626-0_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12626-0_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-12625-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-12626-0

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation