Dykema, Julie. First-Year Multilingual International Students’ Academic Socialization and Identity: Narratives of Personal, Social and Academic Development. 2024. University of Washington, PhD dissertation.
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This study examines the academic socialization of seven first-year multilingual international students at the University of Washington in the context of the increased linguistic and cultural diversification of US universities. Building on previous studies of academic literacy practices and academic socialization among multilingual undergraduates (e.g., Kobayashi, 2016; Leki, 2007; Li, 2020; Sheridan, 2011; Wu, 2019; Yang, 2010; Zamel & Spack, 1998, 2004; Zappa-Hollman & Duff, 2015; Zuo, 2015), this dissertation explores the academic demands placed on first-year multilingual international students, as well as the strategies and resources they used to respond to those demands. Through an examination of the factors influencing students’ academic socialization, their self-positioning, and the relationship between students’ identity and their process of academic socialization, the study brings to light the voices of multilingual international students as they negotiate academic tasks and activities and integrate into the campus community. Data were collected over one academic quarter in the students’ first year in the form of audio-recorded interviews, observations of students’ school days, focus group discussion, and course documents. Follow-up interviews with students were conducted in the students’ second year. Key findings reveal that students navigated academic challenges such as course readings, class discussions, and group work by leveraging metacognitive skills, effective time and workload management, self-efficacy, help-seeking behaviors, and friend networks. The process of selecting a major and joining academic cohorts was crucial for their academic and social integration, whether students entered STEM, business, or humanities fields. The study findings suggest a need for holistic support systems that address academic, social, and cultural dimensions of international students' experiences, including targeted academic services, cross-cultural communication initiatives, and other inclusion efforts. This study contributes to our understanding of the nuanced experiences of multilingual international students, appreciating both their generalized and highly individualized experiences. By understanding the challenges and resources involved in students’ academic socialization as well as their perspectives on the process, members of the academic community may become more equipped to meet the needs of incoming first-year multilingual international students through pedagogical, curricular, or institutional initiatives.