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Fei, Mianmian

Critical Internationalization Studies Review 
Manuscript 1041 
Practice Implications for Supporting International Students’ Racial 
Learning in the US 
Mianmian Fei 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.shu.edu/cisr 
 Part of the Higher Education Commons, International and Area Studies Commons, International and 
Comparative Education Commons, International and Intercultural Communication Commons, and the 
Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies Commons 
Practice Brief 
 
© Critical Internationalization Studies Review 
Volume 4, Issue 1 (2025) 
ISSN: 2832-3211 
https://www.cisrjournal.org/ 
 1 
 
Practice implications for supporting international students’ 
racial learning in the U.S. 
 
Mianmian Fei 
The Ohio State University, United States of America  
 
In my recently published article, Fei (2024), I reviewed 11 studies that explored the micro-
narrative of international students in the U.S. to re-examine the Learning Race in a U.S. Context 
emergent framework (Fries-Britt et al., 2014) a decade after its publication. The article concluded 
with three theoretical implications, suggesting that the framework expand the scope of ethnic/racial 
encounters, emphasize the influences of home country context, and maintain flexibility regarding 
racial learning outcomes. While several empirical studies on international students’ racial learning 
and racial identities have touched on practice implications, no article to date has systemically 
discussed practice-orientated recommendations for supporting international students’ racial 
learning. Drawing on additional literature, this practice brief fills that gap and provides actionable 
insights for higher education practitioners.  
Racial Learning of International Students in the U.S. 
As highlighted in Fei (2024), empirical studies on international students’ racial learning 
over the past ten years reveal that most international students enter the U.S. with a limited 
understanding of race in the country’s context. Their racial learning is generally informal and 
experiential, which can either prompt them to examine their racial identities within the U.S. context 
or reinforce preexisting racial stereotypes from their home countries. While some students attempt 
to resist dealing with race or accepting the racial identities imposed upon them, the ubiquity of 
race in everyday life in the U.S. often leaves them feeling confused or frustrated. Moreover, 
international students’ stereotypical views of certain racial groups can potentially harm their 
racially minoritized peers and jeopardize efforts to foster an inclusive campus climate.  
Practice Implications 
Drawing on existing literature, the following sections present practice implications 
regarding higher education administration, curricula, and student affairs programming for 
supporting international students’ racial learning. 
Administrative Implications 
Higher education institutions around the country tend to aggregate international student 
data solely based on geographic origins while neglecting their racial/ethnic identities, following 
the example of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System of the National Center for 
Education Statistics (Buckner et al., 2021; Hou et al., 2023; Jiang, 2021). Even when race is 
mentioned in institutions’ internationalization strategies, it is typically framed as a global issue 
rather than an institutional concern, reinforcing the othering of this population and overlooking 
Critical Internationalization Studies Review 
 2 
their struggles with race in the U.S. (Buckner et al., 2021). U.S. higher education institutions must 
acknowledge international students’ racial/ethnic identities along with their national identities. 
Doing so would be an important first step toward recognizing their racialized experiences on 
campuses and thus incorporating them into discussions of racial diversity and multiculturalism 
policies (Jiang, 2021; Yu, 2024). 
Curricular Implications 
Coursework on American history, particularly its racial foundations, is one widely 
recommended practice in existing literature (Mitchell et al., 2017; Ritter, 2016; Yu, 2024), although 
whether such courses should be required remains a topic of debate (Althen, 2009). Beyond credit-
bearing courses, creative alternatives like for-credit intergroup dialogues, which combine 
classroom instruction with conversations and community action projects, offer flexibility and 
practical relevance (Mitchell et al., 2017; Ritter, 2016). While ethnic studies courses available in 
most universities and colleges address race-related content, their focus on U.S.-based racial-ethnic 
groups may limit their relevance for international students from different cultural and historical 
backgrounds (Ham, 2023; Jiang, 2021). Jiang (2021) therefore proposed joint coursework between 
ethnic studies and international studies, making discussions about race in the U.S. context more 
relevant for international students. Additionally, specifically regarding economically privileged 
Chinese international students, Yu (2024) called for civic education curricula that address the 
intersections of race, nativity, and class. Such curricula aim to encourage students to reflect on 
their intersecting yet inconsistent social identities, ultimately fostering a commitment to social 
justice. 
Programmatic Implications 
The most common practice recommendation in the literature is to formalize international 
students’ racial learning through student affairs programming. These programs can include 
initiatives to foster meaningful connections between international students and racially diverse 
domestic students, faculty, and staff (Fries-Britt et al., 2014; Jiang, 2021; Mitchell et al., 2017; 
Ritter, 2016; Yu, 2022, 2024), facilitated space where international students can ask questions and 
engage in discussions without fear of reprisal (Yao et al., 2024; Yu, 2024), and targeted orientations 
for international students which openly address racial issues in the U.S. (Jiang, 2021; Yao et al., 
2023; Yu, 2022, 2024).  
Surveying the programming efforts of international student offices across the U.S., Althen 
(2009) found that higher education institutions in urban settings with racially heterogenous 
populations often offered limited programming on racial learning, assuming that international 
students would acquire racial knowledge from daily interactions with diverse campus populations. 
Fei’s (2024) findings, however, underscored the need for such programming regardless of an 
institution’s geographic location, since even international students in diverse states like California 
might retain problematic racial biases against certain minority groups, shaped by perspectives from 
their home countries. Althen (2009) also found that some institutions only offered programming 
for international undergraduate students, assuming that international graduate students were 
uninterested in anything beyond their academic pursuits. However, research has shown that 
international graduate students also face challenges stemming from their lack of racial knowledge 
in the U.S. context (Bardhan & Zhang, 2017; Feraud-King & George Mwangi, 2022; Jiang, 2021; 
Mitchell et al., 2017; Okura, 2019; Ritter, 2016). While they might be less inclined to spend time 
Critical Internationalization Studies Review 
 3 
learning about race in the U.S. context, insufficient knowledge to cope with racist encounters could 
distract them from their academic goals and negatively impact their overall well-being.  
At the institutional level, recognizing the intersecting identities of international students, 
Feraud-King and George Mwangi (2022) and Yao et al. (2023, 2024) recommended fostering 
collaboration between offices responsible for international students and those overseeing 
multicultural affairs. Such partnership would allow student affairs professionals to leverage the 
expertise of multicultural affairs offices in developing race-related programming while addressing 
the intersection of nativity and race in supporting international students’ racial learning (Althen, 
2009). Feraud-King and George Mwangi (2022) further advocated for restructuring student 
support services beyond these two offices, emphasizing the need for integrated approaches that 
transcend silos based on social identities. 
It is important to stress that the burden of racial learning should not rest solely on 
international students. Fries-Britt et al. (2014) and Yao et al. (2024) advocated for formalized 
learning opportunities for faculty and staff, particularly those working in departments with a high 
proportion of international students. These opportunities can equip educators and administrators 
with an understanding of how race is perceived differently outside the U.S., enabling them to better 
support international students as they navigate racial learning. Malcolm and Mendoza (2014) also 
highlighted the prevalence of U.S.-superiority attitudes among domestic students in their 
interactions with international peers, calling for programming efforts that foster global awareness 
and sensitivity. Similarly, Jones et al. (2020) emphasized the responsibility of faculty and the 
institution to cultivate an appreciation of cultural diversity and to encourage thinking beyond U.S.-
centric cultural norms in domestic students. This is especially important as U.S. higher education 
institutions increasingly rely on graduate students––many of whom are international––to fulfill 
teaching duties. 
Conclusion 
In conclusion, drawing on existing literature, this practice brief recommends that U.S. 
universities and colleges support international students’ racial learning by recognizing their 
racial/ethnic identities in institutional data and providing relevant coursework and student affairs 
programming for both international and domestic students and faculty. 
Acknowledgement: The author would like to thank Professor Tatiana Suspitsyna of The Ohio 
State University for constructive feedback on earlier versions of this article. 
 
REFERENCES 
Althen, G. (2009, June). Educating international students about ‘race.’ International Educator, 
18(3), 88–93. 
Bardhan, N., & Zhang, B. (2017). A post/decolonial view of race and identity through the 
narratives of U.S. international students from the Global South. Communication Quarterly, 
65(3), 285–306. https://doi.org/10.1080/01463373.2016.1237981 
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(S1), 32–49. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v11iS1.3842 
Critical Internationalization Studies Review 
 4 
Fei, M. (2024). Re-examining Fries-Britt’s Learning Race in a U.S. Context emergent framework 
drawing on the micro-level narratives of international students in the United States. Journal 
of Comparative & International Higher Education, 16(5), 158–169. 
https://doi.org/10.32674/etcvg369 
Feraud-King, P. T., & George Mwangi, C. (2022). “I don’t feel oppressed at all”: Foreign-born 
Black college men’s perceptions of U.S. racism. Journal of African American Males in 
Education, 13(2), 1–16. 
Fries-Britt, S., George Mwangi, C., & Peralta, A. (2014). Learning race in a U.S. context: An 
emergent framework on the perceptions of race among foreign-born students of color. 
Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, 7(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035636 
Ham, S. (2023). Understandings of race and racism in globalizing higher education: When East 
Asian international student perspectives resonate with color-blindness. Race Ethnicity and 
Education, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2023.2257138 
Hou, M. H., Yu, J., & Katsumoto, S. (2023). Methodological approaches to the study of 
international students. Critical Internationalization Studies Review, 2(1). 
https://doi.org/10.32674/cisr.v2i1.5372 
Jiang, S. (2021). Diversity without integration? Racialization and spaces of exclusion in 
international higher education. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 42(1), 32–47. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2020.1847635 
Jones, V., Kim, Y., & Ryu, W. (2020). Intersecting roles of authority and marginalization: 
International teaching assistants and research university power dynamics. Journal of 
International Students, 10(2), 483–500. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v10i2.757 
Malcolm, Z. T., & Mendoza, P. (2014). Afro-Caribbean international students’ ethnic identity 
development: Fluidity, intersectionality, agency, and performativity. Journal of College 
Student Development, 55(6), 595–614. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2014.0053 
Mitchell, D., Steele, T., Marie, J., & Timm, K. (2017). Learning race and racism while learning: 
Experiences of international students pursuing higher education in the Midwestern United 
States. AERA Open, 3(3), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/2332858417720402 
Okura, K. (2019). There are no Asians in China: The racialization of Chinese international 
students in the United States. Identities, Global Studies in Culture and Power, 28(2), 147–
165. https://doi.org/10.1080/1070289X.2019.1663053 
Ritter, Z. S. (2016). International students’ perceptions of race and socio-economic status in an 
American higher education landscape. Journal of International Students, 6(2), 367–393. 
https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v6i2.362 
Yao, C. W., Gause, S., Hall, K., & Dou, J. (2024). “Why is this still happening?”: International 
students of color’s racial sensemaking and perceptions of racial conflicts and racial 
movements in 2020. Journal of Higher Education, 95(4), 450–472. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.2023.2203627 
Critical Internationalization Studies Review 
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Yao, C. W., Oates, E. Q., Briscoe, K. L., Buell, K. J., & Rutt, J. N. (2023). Re/negotiating race 
and racialization for international students of color in the US. Journal of College Student 
Development, 64(1), 79–95. https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2023.0003 
Yu, J. (2022). The racial learning of Chinese international students in the US: A transnational 
perspective. Race Ethnicity and Education, 28(1), 154–173. 
https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2022.2106878 
Yu, J. (2024). “I don’t think it can solve any problems”: Chinese international students’ 
perceptions of racial justice movements during COVID-19. Journal of Diversity in Higher 
Education, 17(5), 775–786. https://doi.org/10.1037/dhe0000457 
 
AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY 
Mianmian Fei is a Ph.D. Candidate in Higher Education and Studies Affairs at The Ohio State 
University’s College of Education and Human Ecology. She also works as a Graduate Research 
Associate at the QualLab research center and as an Editorial Assistant at the Review of Higher 
Education. Her research interests revolve around international and comparative higher education, 
particularly global student mobility.  


Practice Implications for Supporting International Students’ Racial Learning in the US

Faculty Senate Seton Hall University

Executive Committee Report March 2025

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