Date of Submission
7-9-2024
Document Type
DiP
Degree
Doctor of Education
Department
Education
Keywords
international students, sense of belonging, work integrated learning, transformational leadership, activity theory, critical reflection
Abstract
International students in Canadian institutions of higher education face multiple barriers to experiencing a full sense of belonging. While these barriers impact their ability to engage fully with their academic programs, they also affect opportunities for post-graduation employment. Work integrated learning has many pre- and post-graduation benefits for students, including increased opportunities for employment. In this dissertation-in-practice, the problem of practice presented explores sense of belonging through the role work integrated learning plays in international students securing post-graduation employment. It proposes an alternate program stream for international students that provides access to work integrated learning opportunities. This stream embeds targeted supports for international students and their placement employers. This proposed program stream embodies the ethics of care and community as grounding principles. Consideration for the problem of practice is through a leadership approach rooted in transformational and distributed leadership and critical reflection. I deliberately address the limitations of my middle manager role through a collaborative agency approach. Guided by activity theory, an examination of the organizational context at Career Ready College (a pseudonym) identifies implementation opportunities and barriers to the proposed change. Sense of community theory grounds the conceptual framework, and the change planning incorporates the change path model. Also included is a plan for monitoring, evaluating, and communicating the proposed change. The dissertation-in-practice concludes with recommendations for expanded work integrated learning opportunities for international students in additional programs at Career Ready College and beyond.
Recommended Citation
Querbach, A. (2024). Hire Education: Work Integrated Learning and Sense of Belonging for International Students. The Organizational Improvement Plan at Western University, 431. Retrieved from https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/oip/431