Students’ (Inter)National Identities within International Schools: a Qualitative Study

Abstract

Debates surrounding national and international identity are becoming increasingly prevalent with the rise of nationalist and populist rhetoric in the public sphere. International schools, which are growing in number, serve as valuable sites for conducting research on national and international identity as they can be viewed as a representation of the increasing diversification of many schools around the world. The aim of the study described in this article is to determine how the national and international identities of young people are influenced by being educated in this context. The conceptual frame of the study brings together a variety of concepts related to identity, categorised under national identity, transnational identity and cosmopolitan identity. In addition, the concept of ‘third space’ is drawn upon to reflect on the individualised process of negotiating identity. The study, undertaken with two international schools in Belgium and Serbia, found that attending an international school influenced students in a variety of ways, with some students strengthening their sense of international identity and others their national affiliation. It also emerged that the curricula and culture of these two schools promoted a hierarchy of identities, with the highest value awarded to Anglo-Western identities.

International Schools as Transnational Spaces for Global Learning and Identity Development

“…This connects with Fitzsimons’ study which found that students often had what they termed an ‘(inter)national identity’, recognizing that some individuals may affiliate with more than one national identity, or not connect with one at all (2019: 276). Anastasia felt connected not only with her international school, but also with the term ‘third culture kid’ and the idea of students from other international schools with similar backgrounds.…”

Experiences and Effects of Name-based Microaggressions in Schools: A Mixed-methods Study

“…In terms of curriculum, many international schools offer a standardised curriculum such as the International Baccalaureate. Critics assert that there is an intellectual colonisation of Anglo-Western themes within international curricula, with students studying the history of Western countries and not their countries of origin (Fitzsimons, 2019). This Anglo-Saxon orientation within the teaching demographic and the curriculum against the backdrop of a diverse student body likely increases the prevalence of name-based microaggressions among ethnic minorities.…”

Programa del Diploma del Bachillerato Internacional en Cataluña. Excelencia y Compromiso Global

“…La EI puede ser interpretada por los colegios desde las perspectivas globalista e internacionalista que perfila la identidad pedagógica en sus propuestas educativas junto con las historias de vida, expectativas y preconcepciones que trae consigo el alumnado al aula (Allan, 2015). Esta convergencia de valores crea un espacio único para el desarrollo de la identidad del alumnado (Fitzsimons, 2019) el cual, pone de manifiesto el sentido de la EI implementado en las escuelas. Lo anterior puede ser ejemplificado con el hecho de que un colegio internacional puede plantear una propuesta educativa basada en la EI desde una perspectiva internacionalista, pero sin llegar a cumplir dicho cometido; mientras que la EI puede ser experimentada por el alumnado que estudia en una escuela que no especifica su carácter internacional (Hayden & Thompson, 2013) poniendo en evidencia la proliferación de colegios que se catalogan como internacionales que da lugar a una narrativa cínica y poniendo en duda la legitimidad de centro educativo (Bunnell, 2019).…”