Potential theoretical frameworks

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, 1973; Sen, 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, 2018; Henderson 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, 1970; Giroux, 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., 2018; López 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, 1977; Foucault, 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