Date of Award

8-31-2026

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Sociology

First Advisor

Jorge Capetillo

Second Advisor

Danielle Morales

Third Advisor

Christina Yao

Abstract

This study provided detailed empirical evidence on social experiences of Chinese international students within a US liberal arts college context through examining their race, culture, gender, social class, and mental health experiences. This study showed that the experiences of Chinese international students in the US higher education institutions are influenced not only by individual adaptation but also by broader social and institutional contexts. First, findings of this study demonstrated that institutional features of liberal arts colleges, such as small campus environment, residential nature, and more interactive opportunities between domestic and Chinese international students, can simultaneously create opportunities for inclusion and situations of exclusion for Chinese international students. Inclusion and exclusion are not contradictory outcomes, but rather are interconnected and coexist in Chinese international students’ everyday experiences. Second, findings of this study illustrated that Chinese international students’ experiences cannot be studied through a single dimension of their identity. Chinese international students possess a complex social position in which privilege and within the institutional environment to produce the outcomes of their experiences and shape their mental well-being. Third, findings of this study highlighted the necessity of examining Chinese international students’ experiences across institutional contexts. Findings of this study indicated that frequent interactions alone on a liberal arts campus do not lead to actual intercultural relationships. Theoretically, this study expanded existing frameworks of acculturation, Orientalism, Simmel’s “stranger,” and transnational social class by emphasizing the context- dependent nature of Chinese international students’ experiences. Processes such as belonging, adaptation, and integration are not fixed outcomes but are continually negotiated under institutional structures and through daily interactions. Overall, the results of this study called for US liberal arts institutions to move away from symbolic diversity and work towards meaningful practices for more inclusive classrooms and social practices, meaningful intercultural engagement, and culturally responsive mental health services.

Comments

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