Suriani Dzulkifli

Topic

The art of social consciousness: An exploration of the impact of formal education, non-formal adult education and informal learning on international students

Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies

Date & location

• Thursday, September 12, 2024

• 10:00 A.M.

• Virtual Defence

Reviewers

Supervisory Committee

• Dr. Darlene Clover, Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies, University of Victoria (Supervisor)

• Dr. Catherine McGregor, Department of Educational Psychology and Leadership Studies, UVic (Member)

• Dr. Budd Hall, School of Public Administration, UVic (Outside Member) 

External Examiner

• Dr. Carole Roy, Department of Adult Education, St. Francis Xavier University

Chair of Oral Examination

• Dr. Amy Verdun, Department of Political Science, UVic 

Abstract

Being an international student comes with its own unique set of challenges and privileges. While many studies explore the difficulties associated with being international students, there are only a few that look at the positive implications of pursuing education and living abroad, and certainly almost none that focus on the pedagogical impact international students experience as far as their awareness regarding social issues is concerned. This study aims to bridge that gap.

This study, the first of its kind to combine the fields of adult education and higher education, seeks to investigate the role of adult education and learning approaches – formal, nonformal, informal – to the development of critical consciousness amongst international students in the context of complex social issues. This study also seeks to gain a better understanding of the various ways of ‘how’ international students become cognisant of injustices from their standpoint.

The data for this study was collected through one-on-one interviews as well as a three-day arts-based workshop utilising visual-based methods namely images, collage and photovoice. This study found that students benefitted from their formal education when they were exposed to diverse knowledge and perspectives in terms of their awareness on social issues, but the learning that was most effective and transformative for them was experiential and informal. The majority of the students were engaged in a variety of nonformal activities outside of their classroom and gained valuable insights on social issues.

The results suggest that universities should facilitate the integration of Indigenous and excluded peoples' knowledge into its curricula, as well as the amalgamation of non-formal adult education and informal learning approaches into formal higher education amongst other things.