Ms Manaia Chou-Lee1
1Deakin University, 221 Burwood Hwy, Australia
Intercultural interactions between all students are a key factor of internationalisation at home, abroad and of the curriculum (Knight, 2015; Leask, 2015) where genuine reciprocity with other nationalities and cultures is critical to the process. However, international student disconnectedness still remains a challenge for those studying in Australia. They are isolated from families, peers and the cultural norms of home. In addition, these students experience moments of confusion and anxiety with unfamiliar values and practices in Australian schools while they transition between new spaces they have not encountered previously. Therefore, policy makers and education systems identify the connectedness of international secondary students as a significant social and educational issue. As scholars have argued the need for further research with internationalisation in contexts other than higher education, and with other groups of people (de Wit, 2016; Rivzi, 2017), this presentation will draw on 5 case studies in Victorian secondary schools where focus group and semi-structured interviews have been conducted with domestic students. Their insight and engagement with internationalisation in schools will prove invaluable in aiding student well-being and identifying spaces of connectedness where authentic relationships could form between international and domestic students.
Manaia is currently completing her PhD focusing on domestic students understanding and engagement with internationalisation in schools. She is also a staff member at Deakin University teaching the specialist strand of International Education online, within the Masters of Education course. Previously, she was the Dean of international students at an international college in New Zealand, before becoming part of the schools’ senior management team. In this role, she led teams responsible for the academic welfare and pastoral care of international students; consequently, developing a passion for their well-being. Over the past 16 years as a teacher in the secondary school sector, other responsibilities in her portfolio included teacher professional development, project management, curriculum development, cultural activities and Pasifika achievement.