- School of Education, Deakin University
Ly Tran
Deakin University, Education/teaching, Faculty Member
- International Students, Teaching International Students, Internationalisation of Higher Education, Internationalisation of the curriculum, Student Mobility, Pierre Bourdieu, and 33 morePositioning Theory, Internationalization of Curriculum, International Education, Teachers' professional development, Teacher Identity, Vocational Education, Vocational education and training, higher education in Vietnam & China, Vietnam, Vietnamese literature, Vietnamese language and culture, Teacher Education, Transnational Education, Graduate employment, Transnational Students, Teacher Professional Identity, Cosmopolitanism, Academic Writing, teaching academic writing to ESL or L2 students, Surveys and Research on International Students, International Doctoral Students, Diaspora and Identity Formation of International Students, Language Teaching, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Teaching EFL, Teaching Culture In the EFL Classroom, English As a Second Language (ESL), ESL/EFL Writing, ESL Curriculum Design, ESL writing, Professional development of ESL/EFL teachers, Teaching ESL/EFL, Efl and Esol Teaching, Teaching EFL and Teacher Training, and Vietnamese diasporaedit
- I am an Associate Professor in the School of Education, Deakin University and an Australian Research Council Future F... moreI am an Associate Professor in the School of Education, Deakin University and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow. My research focuses on international students across the school, VET and HE sectors, student mobility, the New Colombo Plan, teacher professional learning needs and practices in international education. I also undertake projects on higher education, vocational education and graduate employability in Vietnam and China. I have been awarded four grants on international student mobility, internationalising teaching and learning and staff professional development in international education from the Australian Research Council. My book, ‘Teaching international students in vocational education: New pedagogical approaches’, won the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) Excellence Award for Best Practice/Innovation in International Education (https://shop.acer.edu.au/teaching-international-students-in-vocational-education).
I have produced more than 150 publications (published and in press) in a wide range of outlets and been invited to speak at various national and international conferences on key issues related to international student experiences, student mobility, the New Colombo Plan, teacher professional learning in international education, the teaching of international students and education in Vietnam.
Additionally, I have collaborated with researchers from Vietnam and China on various projects related to the higher education curriculum, graduate employability and internationalisation of higher education in Vietnam and China. One of the important outcomes of this ongoing collaborative work is our new book with Palgrave Macmillan entitled 'Higher education in Vietnam: Flexibility, mobility and practicality in the global knowledge economy', http://www.palgrave.com/page/detail/?sf1=id_product&st1=765663.edit - Sophie Arkoudis and Joseph Lo Biancoedit
Despite the rapid flow of international students to Anglo-Saxon countries, especially the US, UK, Canada and Australia, the professional development needs and practices of teachers working with international students are still... more
Despite the rapid flow of international students to Anglo-Saxon countries, especially the US, UK, Canada and Australia, the professional development needs and practices of teachers working with international students are still under-researched. According to the OECD, around the globe, over five million students are pursuing tertiary education in another country other than their own. Australia, in particular, is hosting more than 600,000 international students. Australian teachers are facing significant professional challenges to engage with pedagogical issues in teaching international students. This paper responds to a critical gap in the literature by exploring teacher interactive and reflexive positionings with regards to their professional development in international education. It draws on a research project that includes observation, field work, and 102 semi-structured interviews with staff working with international students. The findings indicate the need for professional development focusing on supporting teachers to develop the capabilities to not only deal with the challenges in teaching an increasingly diverse student population but importantly, build productive interactive relationships with their international students. In this regard, interactive relationships are centred around recognising cultural differences and positioning international students as partners on a more equal basis in the construction of transnational knowledge, skills and competencies.
Research Interests: Teacher Education, International Education, Comparative & International Education, Teaching International Students, International Students, and 4 moreTeachers' professional development, Teacher professional development, International student mobility, and English language education & teacher professional learning
The commercialisation of education and the massive recruitment of international students across different vocational education and training (VET) systems including the US, UK, Canada and Australia have led to significant changes in the... more
The commercialisation of education and the massive recruitment of international students across different vocational education and training (VET) systems including the US, UK, Canada and Australia have led to significant changes in the VET teaching and learning landscape. This situation compels the VET sector to design and develop new professional development programs to support the immediate and changing needs of teachers working with the diverse international student cohort. However, to date, teacher professional development in response to the growing population of international students has not been an explicit focus of empirical study and theoretical conceptualisation in VET research. This study responds to this paucity. It draws on a broader three-year research project funded by the Australian Research Council (2014–2017) that involves fieldwork, participation in and observation of staff professional development activities and interviews with 102 VET staff in Australia. It uses positioning theory as a conceptual framework to examine how VET teachers position themselves and their professional development needs in response to international students. The results call for a critical need to re-examine the focus of the current professional development programs offered for VET teachers. The current context requires teacher professional development in international VET to focus on developing teachers’ capabilities to re-examine their pedagogical beliefs and practices and to understand international students’ various needs and cultural backgrounds. The study also stresses the importance of ongoing professional learning to equip teachers with the skills and knowledge to appropriate their pedagogical practices in response to the critical need to prepare all students for the intercultural labour market and to use students’ diversity as a resource for teaching and learning.
Research Interests: International Education, Comparative & International Education, Teaching International Students, International Students, Teachers' professional development, and 3 moreTeacher professional development, Teaching International Students at higher education institutions, and Teacher Professional Learning
This article addresses the professional learning needs and practices of teachers in international education based on interviews with 98 academics and language and learning skills advisors from 19 universities. It explores teachers'... more
This article addresses the professional learning needs and practices of teachers in international education based on interviews with 98 academics and language and learning skills advisors from 19 universities. It explores teachers' negotiation of professional demands, barriers to professional learning and implications for professional development provision in response to international students' needs in higher education.
http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20180515144632119
http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20180515144632119
Research Interests:
Research Interests: Doctoral Supervision, Comparative & International Education, Intercultural Education, Teaching International Students, Comparative and International Development Education, and 6 moreInternationalization of higher education, Doctoral education, Doctoral thesis, Doctoral Studies, DOCTORAL STUDENT, and International Doctoral Students
Research Interests: Doctoral Supervision, International Education, Comparative & International Education, Intercultural Education, International Students, and 6 moreInternationalisation of Higher Education, Doctoral education, International student mobility, Doctoral thesis, DOCTORAL STUDENT, and International Doctoral Students
Research Interests: Internationalisation (Learning and Teaching), Doctoral Supervision, Comparative & International Education, Intercultural Education, Teaching International Students, and 5 moreInternational Students, Doctoral education, International student mobility, Doctoral thesis, and International Doctoral Students
Research Interests:
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13636820.2016.1275033 There is an increasing volume of international students enrolled in the vocational education and training sector in many countries. However, questions of ethnicity and... more
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13636820.2016.1275033
There is an increasing volume of international students enrolled in the vocational education and training sector in many countries. However, questions of ethnicity and identity in VET have not been explicitly examined in relation to this group. This paper offers some valuable insights into the complex and varying ways in which ethnicity is interrelated to the issues of identity of international students who have non-citizen status in the host country. It draws on a four-year qualitative study funded by the Australian Research Council that includes 105 interviews with international students and fieldwork in VET institutes across three states of Australia: New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The research highlights forms of injustice including non-recognition of skills due to skin colour, disadvantage with regard to employment opportunities, being positioned as deficient in the classroom and workplace, unjust stereotypes and violation of rights. The research also reports international students’ specific strategies in exercising both individual and collective agency to seek a ‘space’ for comfort, mutual support and communal strength and to confront injustices. The paper concludes with some practical recommendations for institutions to support international students’ agency and build an inclusive environment for international students in VET.
There is an increasing volume of international students enrolled in the vocational education and training sector in many countries. However, questions of ethnicity and identity in VET have not been explicitly examined in relation to this group. This paper offers some valuable insights into the complex and varying ways in which ethnicity is interrelated to the issues of identity of international students who have non-citizen status in the host country. It draws on a four-year qualitative study funded by the Australian Research Council that includes 105 interviews with international students and fieldwork in VET institutes across three states of Australia: New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria. The research highlights forms of injustice including non-recognition of skills due to skin colour, disadvantage with regard to employment opportunities, being positioned as deficient in the classroom and workplace, unjust stereotypes and violation of rights. The research also reports international students’ specific strategies in exercising both individual and collective agency to seek a ‘space’ for comfort, mutual support and communal strength and to confront injustices. The paper concludes with some practical recommendations for institutions to support international students’ agency and build an inclusive environment for international students in VET.
Research Interests:
Tran, L.T. & Pham L. (2017). International student connectedness with local teachers and peers: Insights from teachers. In L. T. Tran & C. Gomes (Eds), International student connectedness and identity (pp.41-60). Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Springer. http://www.springer.com/in/book/9789811025990more
The mobility processes associated with the dynamic formations of locality shape and reshape international students’ connectedness with teachers, peers, families, institutions and the broader community. This chapter focuses on the academic... more
The mobility processes associated with the dynamic formations of locality shape and reshape international students’ connectedness with teachers, peers, families, institutions and the broader community. This chapter focuses on the academic and social connectedness of international students in vocational education and training (VET). This research includes 155 interviews with international students and staff as well as fieldwork in Australian dual-sector universities and VET colleges. The chapter draws on Vertovec’s (2001) idea of transnationalism and Hall’s (1996) notion of identity to examine international students’ connectedness with teachers and peers in international VET classrooms. The findings of the research point to the ways VET teachers view their relationships with international students and among all students through a functional lens. Placing the functional goals of developing students’ vocational and cultural skills and hands-on experiences at the centre of their pedagogy, these teachers engage in practices to foster the interaction of international and domestic students inside and outside the classroom. The research found that meaningful connectedness in international VET spaces moves beyond the mere condition for interaction between domestic and international peers to the real opportunities for international students to share, negotiate and contribute to building practical hands-on skills, vocational knowledge and cultural experiences on a more equal basis. This process enhances not only vocational capabilities but also mutual learning for all.
Research Interests:
The intersections with new socio-cultural environments as a result of transnational mobility affect international students’ identity and connectedness with place, people and values. Mobility provides both challenges and possibilities for... more
The intersections with new socio-cultural environments as a result of transnational mobility affect international students’ identity and connectedness with place, people and values. Mobility provides both challenges and possibilities for international students’ self-formation and connectedness with the world around them. Connectedness/disconnectedness is closely related to mobility and plays an important role in shaping international students’ well-being, performance and life trajectories. This introductory chapter begins with an overview of international student mobility and the primary factors shaping this phenomenon. It next discusses the key issues related to international students’ physical and virtual connectedness with people, places, communities and organisations. It examines the conditions in which international students’ connectedness and identity formation and reformation are embedded. The chapter highlights the fluidity, diversity and complexity of international student connectedness and identity development across different national, social and cultural boundaries.
Research Interests:
This book focuses on the interrelationship between international student connectedness and identity from transnational and transdisciplinary perspectives. It addresses the core issues surrounding international students’ physical and... more
This book focuses on the interrelationship between international student connectedness and identity from transnational and transdisciplinary perspectives. It addresses the core issues surrounding international students’ physical and virtual connectedness to people, places and communities as well as the conditions that shape their transnational connectedness and identity formation. Further, it analyses the nature, diversity and complexity of international student connectedness and identity development across different national, social and cultural boundaries.
Research Interests:
Tran, L. T., & Vu, T. T. P. (2016). ‘Responsibility in mobility’: International students and social responsibility. Globalization, Societies and Education. DOI: 10.1080/14767724.2016.1195729 Enhancing the educational experience and... more
Tran, L. T., & Vu, T. T. P. (2016). ‘Responsibility in mobility’: International students and social responsibility. Globalization, Societies and Education. DOI: 10.1080/14767724.2016.1195729
Enhancing the educational experience and social connectedness for international students is the responsibility of different involved parties among whom international students themselves and host institutions play a key role. However, the question of how the condition of cross-border mobility has shaped and re-shaped international students’ responsibility towards the home and host country and other social relationships that have been formed via their mobility experiences is often neglected. This paper examines the social nature of international students’ responsibility. It is derived from a research project funded by the Australian Research Council that includes fieldwork and semi-structured interviews with 155 staff and international students from 25 institutions in Australia over 4 years. Using positioning theory as a conceptual framework, the study shows that it is important to take into account the tangible aspects of transnational mobility in understanding international student responsibility rather than merely locating their responsibility in simple cultural, personal or institutional parameters. The study suggests the important roles of host institutions and community in creating conducive conditions and opportunities for international students to exercise responsibility as social members and intercultural learners. Enhancing student social responsibility and capacity for enacting responsibility is essential for nurturing meaningful transnational citizenship.
Enhancing the educational experience and social connectedness for international students is the responsibility of different involved parties among whom international students themselves and host institutions play a key role. However, the question of how the condition of cross-border mobility has shaped and re-shaped international students’ responsibility towards the home and host country and other social relationships that have been formed via their mobility experiences is often neglected. This paper examines the social nature of international students’ responsibility. It is derived from a research project funded by the Australian Research Council that includes fieldwork and semi-structured interviews with 155 staff and international students from 25 institutions in Australia over 4 years. Using positioning theory as a conceptual framework, the study shows that it is important to take into account the tangible aspects of transnational mobility in understanding international student responsibility rather than merely locating their responsibility in simple cultural, personal or institutional parameters. The study suggests the important roles of host institutions and community in creating conducive conditions and opportunities for international students to exercise responsibility as social members and intercultural learners. Enhancing student social responsibility and capacity for enacting responsibility is essential for nurturing meaningful transnational citizenship.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Higher and tertiary education have become crucial to modern economies and societies. As a nation, Vietnam has great potential and its secondary school students perform very well in comparative international tests, yet its universities and... more
Higher and tertiary education have become crucial to modern economies and societies. As a nation, Vietnam has great potential and its secondary school students perform very well in comparative international tests, yet its universities and colleges are poor-performing, under-funded and slow to change compared to those in neighbouring East Asian nations like China and South Korea. Why is this the case - and what can be done about it? Higher Education in Vietnam dissects the problems and provides constructive and well-located solutions, combining reform with Vietnam's strong educational tradition, for the transformation of higher education in governance, funding, curriculum, quality assurance, internationalization, language policy, research and vocational training. Written by a team of expert insiders with international experience, this book is the first comprehensive diagnosis and prescription for higher education in Vietnam and establishes a distinctive Vietnamese pathway for modernization in the global knowledge economy.
Research Interests: Internationalisation of the curriculum, Mobility/Mobilities, Higher Education, Curriculum Studies, Comparative & International Education, and 7 moreVietnam, Vietnamese diaspora, Education in Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnamese literature, Vietnamese language and culture, Global knowledge economy, academic mobility, transnational, higher education in Vietnam & China, and Culture and People of Vietnam
http://www.amazon.com/Teaching-International-Students-Vocational-Education/dp/1742860427
http://rd.acer.edu.au/article/meeting-the-needs-of-international-students-in-vet
http://rd.acer.edu.au/article/meeting-the-needs-of-international-students-in-vet
Research Interests: Internationalisation of the curriculum, Pedagogy, Teaching International Students, International Students, Vocational Education, and 9 moreCurriculum Development, Curriculum and Instruction, Technical and Vocational Education, Vocational Training, International students recruitment, International student mobility, Teaching International Students at higher education institutions, Surveys and Research on International Students, and Journal of International Students
Research Interests: Academic Writing, Teaching International Students, International Students, Academic writing in a foreign language, ESP, EFL. CALL, and 17 moreInternational students recruitment, ESL writing, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), International student mobility, Teaching and Assessment or Evaluation Strategies. Student Academic Performance, teaching academic writing to ESL or L2 students, Surveys and Research on International Students, Diaspora and Identity Formation of International Students, teaching Chinese students, Journal of International Students, ESL/EFL Writing, English As a Second Language (ESL), Thinking and Writing Across the Curriculum/Language and Learning, Chinese International Students, International Doctoral Students, Vietnamese Students, and Chinese Students In Australia
Together with a supportive high quality learning environment and individual motivations, international students’ responsibility towards academic learning and capacity to exercise responsibility are crucial to ensure their meaningful... more
Together with a supportive high quality learning environment and
individual motivations, international students’ responsibility towards
academic learning and capacity to exercise responsibility are crucial to
ensure their meaningful engagement in learning and their academic
success. This paper aims to address international students’ perceived
responsibility towards their academic learning. It is based on a four-year
research project that focuses on international students’ learning and
engagement in Australian institutions. Semi-structured interviews and
fieldwork were the key instruments for data collection for this research.
The paper points to the importance of both external and internal factors in
influencing international students’ perspectives on their personal
responsibility and how such responsibility is critical to their academic
performance. The factors shaping international students’ views on their
personal responsibility range from extrinsic obligations to intrinsic
motivations, including externally imposed legal requirements and
financial pressures to ensure good returns on investment in overseas
study, their self-esteem and identity, perceived work ethic, as well as
intrinsic interest for academic development and employment prospects.
The paper indicated that it is important to place emphasis on not only
nurturing international students’ sense of responsibility but also providing them with the condition to enact their responsibility through specific goal oriented tasks in the classroom as well as in the broader institutional community.
individual motivations, international students’ responsibility towards
academic learning and capacity to exercise responsibility are crucial to
ensure their meaningful engagement in learning and their academic
success. This paper aims to address international students’ perceived
responsibility towards their academic learning. It is based on a four-year
research project that focuses on international students’ learning and
engagement in Australian institutions. Semi-structured interviews and
fieldwork were the key instruments for data collection for this research.
The paper points to the importance of both external and internal factors in
influencing international students’ perspectives on their personal
responsibility and how such responsibility is critical to their academic
performance. The factors shaping international students’ views on their
personal responsibility range from extrinsic obligations to intrinsic
motivations, including externally imposed legal requirements and
financial pressures to ensure good returns on investment in overseas
study, their self-esteem and identity, perceived work ethic, as well as
intrinsic interest for academic development and employment prospects.
The paper indicated that it is important to place emphasis on not only
nurturing international students’ sense of responsibility but also providing them with the condition to enact their responsibility through specific goal oriented tasks in the classroom as well as in the broader institutional community.
Research Interests:
The integration of work experience and learning in tertiary education is a complex issue for different stakeholders, including students, institutions, and employers. The provision of course-related work experience for international... more
The integration of work experience and learning in tertiary education is a complex issue for different stakeholders, including students, institutions, and employers. The provision of course-related work experience for international students is far more challenging as it involves issues of visa status, different cultural expectations, recognition/misrecognition of skills and experiences across cultures, English language competency, and local employers' attitudes toward international students. Even though there is a significant body of scholarly research on work-integrated learning in tertiary education, empirical research on this issue related to international students remains scarce. This article responds to a critical gap in the literature by examining the provision of course-related work experience for international students from both the teachers' and students' perspectives. It is derived from a 4-year research project funded by the Australian Research Council that includes 155 interviews with staff and international students and fieldwork from the Australian vocational education and training (VET) sector. Drawing on Bourdieu's notions of habitus and field as conceptual tools to interpret the empirical data, the research found work-integrated learning is unevenly distributed and inconsistently implemented across institutions. The article addresses the complex interplay between the student habitus and the habitus within the institutional field and the workplace field in shaping international students' work-integrated learning access and experience. Practical implications for institutions on how to improve access and experience to course-related work experience for international students are discussed in light of the findings of this research.
Research Interests:
Despite the significant body of literature on international students’ intercultural development, the core issue of how they see their own responsibility in transnational intercultural spaces is largely neglected. This paper addresses this... more
Despite the significant body of literature on international students’ intercultural development, the core issue of how they see their own responsibility in transnational intercultural spaces is largely neglected. This paper addresses this paucity by examining the intercultural responsibility perceived by international students. It is based on a four-year study that includes interviews with 105 international students and fieldwork in vocational education institutions. It draws on positioning theory and three key concepts: intercultural competence, intercultural capital and national attachment to interpret the nature of international students’ intercultural responsibility. The research underscores four main forms of intercultural responsibility perceived by international students: responsibility to represent the home country, responsibility to respect the host country, responsibility to assimilate into the host culture and responsibility to integrate into the host culture. Intercultural responsibility can emerge from international students’ national attachment and be embedded in their intrinsic commitment and imagination of their role in representing their home country in a transnational space. Intercultural responsibility can also manifest in international students’ self-determined responsibility to respect, accommodate or integrate into the host culture. However, the finding shows that international students’ act of positioning at the periphery of the host community and their perceived responsibility to assimilate into the host culture precludes their capacity to engage in and negotiate reciprocal and respectful intercultural interactions. The study highlights the role of international students’ self-positioning between and across home and host cultures in underpinning their perceived responsibility in transnational spaces.
Research Interests:
Globalization and internationalization forces have placed Vietnam higher education (VHE) under the pressure of change. Reforming VHE has therefore become imperative for institutions at this crossroad of change forces. However, reform... more
Globalization and internationalization forces have placed Vietnam higher education (VHE) under the pressure of change. Reforming VHE has therefore become imperative for institutions at this crossroad of change forces. However, reform efforts have been ad-hoc, fragmented and unstable. Reform outcomes have remained fairly limited and fall under scrutiny. Drawing on a case study of the Advanced Program, we argue that importing the curriculum from a Western country without thoughtful consideration of the local culture, history and dynamics would result in low cost efficiency and cost ineffectiveness, leading further to a huge waste of resources. We emphasize the importance of an inward-looking approach to higher education reforms because it brings the centuries-long Vietnamese cultural values into play. At the same time, policy borrowing must be accompanied with a culturally responsive curriculum and pedagogy, and it recognizes the role of Vietnamese teaching and learning culture. This inward-looking approach is complementary to an outward perspective, allowing for a comprehensive and solid understanding of the globalization forces and the global power structure within which VHE system is located.
Research Interests:
Student mobility is becoming a prominent phenomenon of tertiary education in the twenty-first century. Internationally mobile students’ lived experiences are intimately linked to their potential to exercise agency in transnational... more
Student mobility is becoming a prominent phenomenon of tertiary education in the twenty-first century. Internationally mobile students’ lived experiences are intimately linked to their potential to exercise agency in transnational mobility. However, the notion of agency within the context of student mobility has not been the explicit focus of theoretical and empirical investigation. This article examines how international student agency is affecting and is affected by their experiences in transnational mobility. This process is conceptualized as “agency in mobility” in this article. Based on theoretical discussions and an empirical study that draws on interviews with 105 international students, this article shows that “agency in mobility” underscores not only the response to a temporal particular need but importantly produces spaces in which international students can potentially transform their present, their future beings and the communities with which they interact. Employing agency theory and positioning theory as conceptual frameworks, the research suggests four primary forms of “agency in mobility”: agency for becoming, needs-response agency, agency as struggle and resistance and collective agency for contestation.
Research Interests:
The integration of work experience and learning in tertiary education is a complex issue for different stakeholders, including students, institutions, and employers. The provision of course-related work experience for international... more
The integration of work experience and learning in tertiary education is a complex issue for different stakeholders, including students, institutions, and employers. The provision of course-related work experience for international students is far more challenging as it involves issues of visa status, different cultural expectations, recognition/misrecognition of skills and experiences across cultures, English language competency, and local employers’ attitudes toward international students. Even though there is a significant body of scholarly research on work-integrated learning in tertiary education, empirical research on this issue related to international students remains scarce. This article responds to a critical gap in the literature by examining the provision of course-related work experience for international students from both the teachers’ and students’ perspectives. It is derived from a 4-year research project funded by the Australian Research Council that includes 155 interviews with staff and international students and fieldwork from the Australian vocational education and training (VET) sector. Drawing on Bourdieu’s notions of habitus and field as conceptual tools to interpret the empirical data, the research found work-integrated learning is unevenly distributed and inconsistently implemented across institutions. The article addresses the complex interplay between the student habitus and the habitus within the institutional field and the workplace field in shaping international students’ work-integrated learning access and experience. Practical implications for institutions on how to improve access and experience to course-related work experience for international students are discussed in light of the findings of this research.
Research Interests:
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13384-015-0198-8 A significant body of literature on international education examines the experiences of international students in the host country. There is however a critical lack of empirical... more
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13384-015-0198-8
A significant body of literature on international education examines the experiences of international students in the host country. There is however a critical lack of empirical work that investigates the dynamic and complex positioning of international students within the current education-migration nexus that prevails international education in countries such as Australia, Canada and the UK. This paper addresses an important but under-researched area of the education-migration landscape by examining how the stereotyping of students as mere ‘migration hunters’ may impact their study and work experiences. It draws on a four-year research project funded by the Australian Research Council that includes more than 150 interviews and fieldwork in the Australian vocational education context. Positioning theory is used as a conceptual framework to analyse how generalising international students as ‘mere migration hunters’ has led to the disconnectedness, vulnerability and marginalization of the group of international students participating in this research.
A significant body of literature on international education examines the experiences of international students in the host country. There is however a critical lack of empirical work that investigates the dynamic and complex positioning of international students within the current education-migration nexus that prevails international education in countries such as Australia, Canada and the UK. This paper addresses an important but under-researched area of the education-migration landscape by examining how the stereotyping of students as mere ‘migration hunters’ may impact their study and work experiences. It draws on a four-year research project funded by the Australian Research Council that includes more than 150 interviews and fieldwork in the Australian vocational education context. Positioning theory is used as a conceptual framework to analyse how generalising international students as ‘mere migration hunters’ has led to the disconnectedness, vulnerability and marginalization of the group of international students participating in this research.
Research Interests:
Work-integrated learning (WIL) is regarded as an important vehicle to assist students' development of relevant professional skills, knowledge and attributes that can enhance their employability. WIL arrangement for international students... more
Work-integrated learning (WIL) is regarded as an important vehicle to assist students' development of relevant professional skills, knowledge and attributes that can enhance their employability. WIL arrangement for international students is a challenging issue for institutions, international students themselves as well as other related stakeholders. While there is an emerging body of literature that examines WIL for international students, how the value of WIL is perceived by this cohort is little known. This paper responds to this dearth of the literature by exploring the different meanings that international students in the vocational education and training sector attach to WIL. Using Bourdieu's thinking tools of capitals and habitus to interpret interview data from 105 international students, this paper shows that WIL is seen to not only add value to student learning, career aspiration and employability but also transform and enhance their symbolic and social capitals. The paper underscores the instrumental, symbolic and developmental meanings that international students associate with WIL. In particular , it highlights the reciprocal relationship between students' development of vocational 'being' and personal 'being' through WIL.
Research Interests: Employability, International Education, Work-Based Learning, Vocational And Adult Education, Teaching International Students, and 7 moreInternational Students, Vocational Education, Technical and Vocational Education, Work Integrated Learning, Graduate employability, Vocational Training, and International student mobility
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This paper unpacks the meanings and implications of the mobility of international students in vocational education - an under-researched group in the field of international education. This four-year study found transnational mobility is... more
This paper unpacks the meanings and implications of the mobility of international students in vocational education - an under-researched group in the field of international education. This four-year study found transnational mobility is regarded as a resourceful vehicle to help international students ‘become’ the kind of person they want to. The paper justifies the value of re-conceptualising student mobility as a process of ‘becoming’. Mobility as ‘becoming’ encompasses students’ aspirations for educational, social, personal and professional development. Theorising mobility as ‘becoming’ captures international students’ lived realities and has the potential to facilitate the re-imagining of international student mobility with new outlooks. Mobility as ‘becoming’ is construed through the manners in which overseas education facilitates not only the redistribution of social class capital but importantly the pursuit of the integrated forms of profession-advanced capital and migration-oriented capital. This research suggests the importance to draw on the integrated and transformative nature of Bourdieu’s forms of capital in understanding the logics and practice of the social field - international student mobility.
Research Interests:
Intercultural interaction plays an important role in contributing to international students’ learning and wellbeing in the host country. While research on international students’ intercultural interactions reveals multifaceted aspects of... more
Intercultural interaction plays an important role in contributing to international students’ learning and wellbeing in the host country. While research on international students’ intercultural interactions reveals multifaceted aspects of personal and social factors, there is a tendency to consider language barrier and cultural differences as individual factors that constrain their interactions with the institutional community. Drawing on 105 interviews with international students in Australian vocational education and training and dual sector institutions, this paper examines international students’ intercultural interactions in host institutions and the factors that act as enablers or inhibitors for intercultural interactions. It highlights the social and structural conditions in creating symbolic capital of elitist Anglo-Australian culture and English language, and social differentiation. This paper offers insights into understanding the legitimacy of such elitism, in hope that future conceptualisation, research and practices of intercultural interactions may locate international students within their cultural diversity.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Soong, H., Tran, L., & Pham, H. (2015) Being and becoming an intercultural doctoral student. Reflective Practice.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14623943.2015.1023276
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14623943.2015.1023276
Research Interests:
Cao, L. & Tran, L. T. (2015). Chinese international students in Australia: An insight into their help and information seeking manners. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives. 14(1), 42-56.... more
Cao, L. & Tran, L. T. (2015). Chinese international students in Australia: An insight into their help and information seeking manners. International Education Journal: Comparative Perspectives. 14(1), 42-56.
http://openjournals.library.usyd.edu.au/index.php/IEJ/article/download/6949/8847
http://openjournals.library.usyd.edu.au/index.php/IEJ/article/download/6949/8847
Research Interests:
Tran, L. T. & Nguyen, N. (2015, forthcoming). Re-imagining teachers’ identity and professionalism under the condition of internationalisation. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice. Around the world, 4.3 million students are... more
Tran, L. T. & Nguyen, N. (2015, forthcoming). Re-imagining teachers’ identity and professionalism under the condition of internationalisation. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice.
Around the world, 4.3 million students are engaged in international education each year. However, there is a paucity in theory and empirical research on teachers’ professionalism in international education. This paper aims to fill out this gap and contribute to our understanding of teachers’ changing roles and identity due to the impact of internationalisation and the growth of international students. Drawing on positioning theory as a conceptual framework to understand teachers’ roles and identity, this paper shows the emergence of teacher sub-identities as a reciprocal intercultural learner and an adaptive agent. It argues that these sub-identities are central to teachers’ development of cosmopolitan qualities in the contemporary context of international education.
Around the world, 4.3 million students are engaged in international education each year. However, there is a paucity in theory and empirical research on teachers’ professionalism in international education. This paper aims to fill out this gap and contribute to our understanding of teachers’ changing roles and identity due to the impact of internationalisation and the growth of international students. Drawing on positioning theory as a conceptual framework to understand teachers’ roles and identity, this paper shows the emergence of teacher sub-identities as a reciprocal intercultural learner and an adaptive agent. It argues that these sub-identities are central to teachers’ development of cosmopolitan qualities in the contemporary context of international education.
Research Interests:
"Competency-based training and training packages are mandatory for Australian vocational education and training (VET). VET qualifications are designed to provide learners with skills, knowledge and attributes required for Australian... more
"Competency-based training and training packages are mandatory for Australian vocational education and training (VET). VET qualifications are designed to provide learners with skills, knowledge and attributes required for Australian workplaces. Yet, towards the end of December 2011, there were 171,237 international student enrolments in the Australian vocational education sector (AEI, 2012). VET currently ranks second behind the university sector by volume of international student enrolments in Australia. The flow of international students into Australian vocational education, their diverse learning characteristics and their different acquired values have created new challenges as well as possibilities for teachers to transform their pedagogic practices and contribute to reshaping the pedagogy landscape in vocational education. Drawing on interviews with 50 teachers from VET institutes in three states of Australia, this paper discusses the emergence of international vocational education pedagogy that enables international students and indeed all learners to develop necessary skills, knowledge and attributes in response to the new demands of the changing workplace context and global skills and knowledge mobility. This article addresses a number of important issues concerning the interrelationship of international pedagogy and learner-centred education, notions of productive and inclusive pedagogies, trans-national skills mobility, cultural diversity and internationalisation within the context of the Australian VET sector. Finally, the significance of these issues to educational providers and teachers across different educational levels and national contexts is discussed.
"
"
Research Interests: Internationalisation of the curriculum, Curriculum Studies, Internationalisation (Learning and Teaching), Vocational And Adult Education, Pedagogy, and 12 moreTeaching International Students, International Students, Vocational Education, Technical and Vocational Education, Vocational Training, Internationalisation of Higher Education, Vocational education and training, Internationalisation and interculturality in higher education, Teaching International Students at higher education institutions, Experiences an Expectations of International Students, Surveys and Research on International Students, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training
Tran, L.T. & Nguyen, N.T. (2013). Mediating teacher professional identity: The emergence of humanness and ethical identity. International Journal of Training Research. 11(3), 119-212. Over the past couple of years, international... more
Tran, L.T. & Nguyen, N.T. (2013). Mediating teacher professional identity: The emergence of humanness and ethical identity. International Journal of Training Research. 11(3), 119-212.
Over the past couple of years, international vocational education and training has been much debated at the nexus of the commercialisation of education and social justice for international students. This nexus has significantly affected the professional identity and responsibilities of teachers who are involved in providing vocational education for international students. Drawing on a research project funded by the Australian Research Council, this paper offers an alternative lens on vocational teachers’ process of mediating professional identity within the context of the commercialisation of education. It employs the logic of relationality as a conceptual framework to interpret teachers’ journey of identity re-construction. The humanness and ethical dimensions of identity have been at the heart of the teachers’ negotiation of the kind of teacher they are and they aspire to become. The teachers in this research draw on humanness and ethical dimensions to engage in the critical reflection of their own teaching practices, their interaction with international students and the socio-political context shaping international vocational education and training. They perceive their professional responsibility not only in relation to the facilitation of students’ development of vocational skills and knowledge but also the provision of pastoral care for international students and the advocating for social justice for this student cohort.
Over the past couple of years, international vocational education and training has been much debated at the nexus of the commercialisation of education and social justice for international students. This nexus has significantly affected the professional identity and responsibilities of teachers who are involved in providing vocational education for international students. Drawing on a research project funded by the Australian Research Council, this paper offers an alternative lens on vocational teachers’ process of mediating professional identity within the context of the commercialisation of education. It employs the logic of relationality as a conceptual framework to interpret teachers’ journey of identity re-construction. The humanness and ethical dimensions of identity have been at the heart of the teachers’ negotiation of the kind of teacher they are and they aspire to become. The teachers in this research draw on humanness and ethical dimensions to engage in the critical reflection of their own teaching practices, their interaction with international students and the socio-political context shaping international vocational education and training. They perceive their professional responsibility not only in relation to the facilitation of students’ development of vocational skills and knowledge but also the provision of pastoral care for international students and the advocating for social justice for this student cohort.
Research Interests: Self and Identity, Teacher Education, Social Identity, Sociology of Identity, Vocational And Adult Education, and 15 moreTeacher Research, Teacher Training, Teaching International Students, International Students, Vocational Education, Teachers' professional development, Technical and Vocational Education, Identity, Vocational Training, Vocational education and training, International student mobility, Teaching International Students at higher education institutions, Surveys and Research on International Students, Teacher professional identities, and Technical and Vocational Education and Training
This paper explores the adaptation patterns of international Chinese and Vietnamese students in relation to academic writing practices in a higher education context. The study utilises a trans‐disciplinary framework for interpreting... more
This paper explores the adaptation patterns of international Chinese and Vietnamese students in relation to academic writing practices in a higher education context. The study utilises a trans‐disciplinary framework for interpreting students’ and lecturers’ practices within institutional structures. This framework has been developed by infusing a modified version of Lillis’ heuristic for exploring students’ meaning making with positioning theory. A prominent finding of the study indicates the emergence of three main forms of adaptation, committed adaptation, face‐value adaptation and hybrid adaptation, that the students employed to gain access to their disciplinary practices. The findings of the study give insights into ways that a dialogical pedagogic model for mutual adaptation can be developed between international students and academics. The aim is to enhance the education of international students in this increasingly internationalised environment.
Research Interests: Internationalisation of the curriculum, Internationalisation (Learning and Teaching), Academic Writing, Adaptation, Teaching International Students, and 12 moreInternational Students, Vietnam, Academic writing in a foreign language, Internationalisation of Higher Education, International students recruitment, Chinese, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Teaching Academic Writing, teaching academic writing to ESL or L2 students, Experiences an Expectations of International Students, Surveys and Research on International Students, and Diaspora and Identity Formation of International Students
Understanding factors influencing international students’ decision to engage in international education is essential for education providers to better cater for students’ educational expectations and enhance their attractiveness to... more
Understanding factors influencing international students’ decision to engage in international education is essential for education providers to better cater for students’ educational expectations and enhance their attractiveness to international students. Whilst there has been extensive research on the reasons why international students undertake cross-border higher education, international students’ motivations in enrolling in diploma and associate degree programs are still under-researched. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 30 international students from China, this research found that pathway to higher education appears to be the most important factor motivating international students to undertake diploma and associate degree study. In addition, prospect of immigration, English language, previous academic performance, agent’s recommendations and relatives’ and friends’ advice are amongst the important factors that students take into account in their decision to choose vocational education and associate degree programs. This research also examines why Chinese international students have chosen diploma and associate degree programs in a dual-sector University over vocational education colleges. It found that the flexibility to articulate to higher education, international reputation of the program, opportunity to gain hand-on experience, program duration, program offerings and favorable location are key issues that these students draw on in their decision making.
Key words: international students, Chinese students, diploma, associate degree, higher education, transition pathway""
Key words: international students, Chinese students, diploma, associate degree, higher education, transition pathway""
Research Interests: Teaching International Students, International Students, International students experience, International students recruitment, Teaching International Students at higher education institutions, and 7 moreExperiences an Expectations of International Students, Chinese students, teaching Chinese students, Chinese International Students, Pathway to Higher Education, Survey and Research on International Students, and ESL and International Student Advising
Vietnam's open-door policy, its socialist-oriented market economy, recent growth in cross-border education and skills mobility, regionalisation and globalisation have created an increasing demand for Vietnamese graduates to develop not... more
Vietnam's open-door policy, its socialist-oriented market economy, recent growth in cross-border education and skills mobility, regionalisation and globalisation have created an increasing demand for Vietnamese graduates to develop not only their English language but also their intercultural competence. This paper discusses the issue of student intercultural learning and development in the Vietnamese English as a foreign language (EFL) class. Especially, it addresses the use of film as an innovative approach to engage Vietnamese students in intercultural learning and development in the EFL classroom. The study reported in this paper draws on rich sources of data which include in-depth interviews with students, student reflective journals and video-recorded class observations at a university in central Vietnam. Overall, five key themes relating to student intercultural learning through film have been identified in this study. These include enhancing knowledge about cultural differences, engaging in cross-cultural comparison, breaking cultural stereotypes, immersing students in authentic learning and living in the world of ‘other’ culture and the integrated mode of intercultural language learning. The study is a significant contribution to scholarly research on the use of media objects to enhance student intercultural learning in language classrooms in developing countries.
Research Interests: Intercultural Communication, Language Education, Intercultural Education, Vietnam, Teaching EFL, and 10 moreIntercultural Competence, Language Teaching, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), Language and Communication, Teaching EFL and Teacher Training, Intercultural training, English EFL TEFL learning, higher education in Vietnam & China, Efl and Esol Teaching, and Teaching Culture In the EFL Classroom
National and global challenges have given rise to the need to prepare Vietnamese graduates for effective adaptation to the increasingly changing professional field, their community, their society and the globalised world. The tertiary... more
National and global challenges have given rise to the need to prepare Vietnamese graduates for effective adaptation to the increasingly changing professional field, their community, their
society and the globalised world. The tertiary education curriculum thus needs to take into account the employment market, socio-cultural demands and students’ individual needs in order
to develop highly educated populations for the world of work and for the current knowledge economy. Based on a case study of the translation curriculum in a B.A. (Bachelors of Arts) language program, this paper addresses the mismatch between the demands of the translation employment market and the curriculum within the context of Vietnamese tertiary education. It
raises a number of important issues related to the tensions between the centralised curriculum, learner-centred education, the actual demands of the employment market as well as the issue of capacity building in response to the socialist-oriented market economy and the changing workplace context in Vietnam. Implications are drawn not only for the translation curriculum, but
also for the reform of the Vietnamese tertiary education curriculum as a whole, in order to enhance graduate employability.
society and the globalised world. The tertiary education curriculum thus needs to take into account the employment market, socio-cultural demands and students’ individual needs in order
to develop highly educated populations for the world of work and for the current knowledge economy. Based on a case study of the translation curriculum in a B.A. (Bachelors of Arts) language program, this paper addresses the mismatch between the demands of the translation employment market and the curriculum within the context of Vietnamese tertiary education. It
raises a number of important issues related to the tensions between the centralised curriculum, learner-centred education, the actual demands of the employment market as well as the issue of capacity building in response to the socialist-oriented market economy and the changing workplace context in Vietnam. Implications are drawn not only for the translation curriculum, but
also for the reform of the Vietnamese tertiary education curriculum as a whole, in order to enhance graduate employability.
Research Interests:
A number of international students, predominately from Asian countries, are present in universities in the UK, United States, and Australia. There is little research exploring their experiences as they negotiate the disciplinary... more
A number of international students, predominately from Asian countries, are present in universities in the UK, United States, and Australia. There is little research exploring their experiences as they negotiate the disciplinary requirements of their courses. This paper investigates students' agency as they write their first assignment for their Master's of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages course and the academics who teach them. Talk around texts and the positioning theory are used to analyse the data. It is argued that the students demonstrate strategic agency, which allows them to better understand the academic requirements of their disciplines. The analysis reveals the complexities involved in international students' adaptation to disciplinary discourse and the implications for teaching and learning in higher education.
Research Interests: Academic Writing, Teaching International Students, International Students, Academic writing in a foreign language, International students recruitment, and 6 moreInternational student mobility, Teaching Academic Writing, teaching academic writing to ESL or L2 students, Experiences an Expectations of International Students, Surveys and Research on International Students, and Diaspora and Identity Formation of International Students
Research Interests:
The increase in numbers of international students who have English as a second language (ESL) and are studying in English-medium universities has renewed the emphasis of English language development in higher education, particularly... more
The increase in numbers of international students who have English as a second language (ESL) and are studying in English-medium universities has renewed the emphasis of English language development in higher education, particularly concerning academic writing. Much of the discussion has concentrated on developing best practices in providing support via Language and Academic Support (LAS) programs. However, the main challenge in recent years has focused on integrating disciplinary and language learning. What has been largely missing from the discussion are the views of lecturers and students regarding the strategies they use to develop academic writing in the discipline. This paper addresses this issue. The analysis reveals that academic writing within the disciplines is largely an individual endeavor for both lecturers and their students. Lecturers focus on explaining what skills students are required to demonstrate in their assignments, but students are more concerned with understanding how they can develop these skills. The implications are discussed concerning the development of a whole institutional approach for integrating language and disciplinary teaching.
Research Interests:
The study reported in this paper examines the experiences of Chinese and Vietnamese international students in engaging in their institutional written discourse at an Australian university. The study highlights the significance of... more
The study reported in this paper examines the experiences of Chinese and Vietnamese international students in engaging in their institutional written discourse at an Australian university. The study highlights the significance of exploring the real accounts of the students as the ‘insiders’ and uncovering students’ individual potential choices and intentions as their ‘seemingly unrecognized’ values in producing their own texts in English as a second language. In particular, based on international students’ reflection on their intentions and potential choices in academic practices, the study signals how the taken-for-granted institutional conventions may contribute to silencing or marginalizing the possibilities for alternative approaches to knowledge and communication within the higher education institutional context.
Research Interests: Academic Writing, Second Language Writing, Language and Identity, Teaching EFL, Identity, and 10 moreEnglish as a Foreign Language (EFL), EFL teaching, Students Motivation, Teaching EFL and Teacher Training, English EFL TEFL learning, EFL writing, Efl and Esol Teaching, ESL/EFL Writing, EFL Classrooms, and Teaching ESL/EFL
Research Interests:
Tran, L. T. (2011). Research profile - Insider and outsider status: Reflections on becoming an international education researcher. In D. Davis & B. Mackingtosh (Eds.) Looking forward and looking back: Celebrating 25 years of... more
Tran, L. T. (2011). Research profile - Insider and outsider status: Reflections on becoming an international education researcher. In D. Davis & B. Mackingtosh (Eds.) Looking forward and looking back: Celebrating 25 years of international education in Australia (pp. 390-393). Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Dempsey, K. & Tran, L. T. (2017). Internationalization with VET character: Key emerging issues. In L. T. Tran & K. Dempsey (Eds), Internationalization in vocational education and training: Transnational perspectives (pp.215-221). Dordrecht: Springer. http://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783319478579more
This volume has highlighted the complexities of offering vocational education and training across national borders, the nature and forms of internationaliza-tion of VET in different contexts and the impacts of mobility on educational work... more
This volume has highlighted the complexities of offering vocational education and training across national borders, the nature and forms of internationaliza-tion of VET in different contexts and the impacts of mobility on educational work in the distinctive context of VET. In this chapter, we summarize the key issues as addressed by the authors in this volume and we note areas for further study and research. Emerging issues include the lack of comparable, system-wide and timely data on VET systems and students; the limited research on VET systems and the apparent lower status of VET for researchers and indeed for families seeking educational opportunities; the conjunction of withdrawal of funding for higher education in developed countries with the need for rapid training of technical and vocational workers in developing nations. Finally, authors in this volume consider the hege-monic aspects of English as the preferred language of training across many countries. The chapter also highlights the need for further research on the practices, trends, tensions and innovation in international VET and on the motivations of the students who undertake it and the teachers who provide the training.
Research Interests:
This chapter addresses the professional learning needs of teachers in the vocational education and training (VET) sector under the changed circumstances of internationalization and international student mobility. International education... more
This chapter addresses the professional learning needs of teachers in the vocational education and training (VET) sector under the changed circumstances of internationalization and international student mobility. International education is Australia's largest service export, contributing over $16 billion to the national economy annually. Australian VET teachers are facing significant professional challenges to engage with pedagogical issues in teaching international students. However, there has been a lack of research on how teachers are equipped to effectively cater for international students and respond to the demands of international-ization in VET through professional development. Drawing on empirical research and positioning theory, this chapter analyzes the impact of the presence of international students on VET teachers' professional learning needs and practices. The findings suggest the need to systemically and explicitly support substantive professional learning with regard to approaches to engaging and teaching international students. The findings in particular show teachers' aspiration for deep and responsive capacity building and professional learning concerning three primary areas including understandings of international students' backgrounds and motives for undertaking Australian VET, currency with research on international students, and capacity to develop pedagogies responsive to this cohort. Professional learning centered on these areas is essential to foster conditions for the generation of a more truly student-centered and international student-responsive practices among teachers.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Connectedness is an important but under-researched issue in transnational education. Using part of a project that involves interviews with 30 Vietnamese doctoral students in Australia, this chapter analyses the formation of academic... more
Connectedness is an important but under-researched issue in transnational education. Using part of a project that involves interviews with 30 Vietnamese doctoral students in Australia, this chapter analyses the formation of academic connectedness of international doctoral students through the narratives of two participants. The data was interpreted via the lens of transnational social field theory and positioning theory. We argue that international doctoral students’ connectedness is constructed idiosyncratically, influenced by their positions, identities, and transnational social fields. The results of the study reveal that there is home connection in host and host connection in home. Notably, while studying in the host country, these international doctoral students feel connected but not belonged to the host institutions. They maintain a strong sense of belongingness to home, yet there emerges a sense of disconnectedness with home institutions upon their return.
Research Interests:
The intersections with new socio-cultural environments as a result of transnational mobility affect international students’ identity and connectedness with place, people and values. Mobility provides both challenges and possibilities for... more
The intersections with new socio-cultural environments as a result of transnational mobility affect international students’ identity and connectedness with place, people and values. Mobility provides both challenges and possibilities for international students’ self-formation and connectedness with the world around them. Connectedness/disconnectedness is closely related to mobility and plays an important role in shaping international students’ well-being, performance and life trajectories. This introductory chapter begins with an overview of international student mobility and the primary factors shaping this phenomenon. It next discusses the key issues related to international students’ physical and virtual connectedness with people, places, communities and organisations. It examines the conditions in which international students’ connectedness and identity formation and reformation are embedded. The chapter highlights the fluidity, diversity and complexity of international student connectedness and identity development across different national, social and cultural boundaries.
Research Interests:
A growing number of students around the world are engaged in cross-border study mobility. Their academic, intercultural and personal development is a major concern and responsibility of not only the students themselves and their families... more
A growing number of students around the world are engaged in cross-border study mobility. Their academic, intercultural and personal development is a major concern and responsibility of not only the students themselves and their families but also the host institutions and other actors involved in the education of this cohort. This chapter addresses the pressing need to capitalise on international students’ dual strengths of diverse knowledge and transformative capacity as a meaningful and valuable approach to optimising their personal, intercultural and academic development. It also argues that international students’ learning should be conceptualised from a critical approach that considers how these diverse and intangible dimensions of the mobility landscape affect their learning experience rather than merely locating their learning in cultural, institutional or individual parameters.
Research Interests:
Gribble, C. & Tran, L. T. (Forthcoming). Connecting and reconnecting with Vietnam: Migration, Vietnamese overseas communities and social media. In C. Gomes. (Ed.). Multiethnic Southeast Asia and Social Media: Identity, Ethnicity,... more
Gribble, C. & Tran, L. T. (Forthcoming). Connecting and reconnecting with Vietnam: Migration, Vietnamese overseas communities and social media. In C. Gomes. (Ed.). Multiethnic Southeast Asia and Social Media: Identity, Ethnicity, Community and Migration, (pp.: XXX) London, New York & Delhi: Anthem Press
Research Interests:
Tran, L. T. & Nguyen, N. T. (2015, Forthcoming). The cosmopolitan sojourners: Understanding international Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese students' motivations to study overseas using Bourdieu's work. In D. Sharpes. (Ed.). Handbook on... more
Tran, L. T. & Nguyen, N. T. (2015, Forthcoming). The cosmopolitan sojourners: Understanding international Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese students' motivations to study overseas using Bourdieu's work. In D. Sharpes. (Ed.). Handbook on Comparative and International Studies in Education. New Jersey, US: Wiley Blackwell.
Research Interests:
Wall, T. & Tran, L. T. (2015). Learning to be an international work-based learner. In Heyler, R. (Ed) The Work Based Learning Student Handbook, (pp.205-226). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Research Interests:
Wall, T. & Tran, L. T. (2015). The Transcultural Dance: Facilitation beyond culture. In Heyler, R. (Ed). Facilitating Work Based Learning: A Handbook for Tutors. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Research Interests:
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-6209-899-2_4 Tran, L. T. & Nguyen, N. (2014). Teachers’ professional identities in the ‘contact zone’: Contradictions and possibilities in the time of international student mobility. In... more
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-6209-899-2_4
Tran, L. T. & Nguyen, N. (2014). Teachers’ professional identities in the ‘contact
zone’: Contradictions and possibilities in the time of international student mobility. In R. Arber, Blackmore, J. & Vongalis-Macrow, A. (Eds.). Mobile teachers and curriculum in international schooling, (pp.43-62). Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Tran, L. T. & Nguyen, N. (2014). Teachers’ professional identities in the ‘contact
zone’: Contradictions and possibilities in the time of international student mobility. In R. Arber, Blackmore, J. & Vongalis-Macrow, A. (Eds.). Mobile teachers and curriculum in international schooling, (pp.43-62). Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Research Interests:
The broad benefits of international student mobility are now well understood globally and learning abroad is a major focus of most higher education institutions’ internationalisation strategies. The growing recognition of the broad... more
The broad benefits of international student mobility are now well understood globally and learning abroad is a major focus of most higher education institutions’ internationalisation strategies. The growing recognition of the broad individual and national benefits has led many nations with traditionally low rates of outbound student mobility, including Australia, to adopt policies and practices that promote learning abroad.
This report provides an overview of international learning abroad trends, with a focus on intra-degree outbound mobility. It aims to examine different policy approaches – including government and institutional policies and practices – that encourage more students’ engagement in international experience during their higher education programs.
This report provides an overview of international learning abroad trends, with a focus on intra-degree outbound mobility. It aims to examine different policy approaches – including government and institutional policies and practices – that encourage more students’ engagement in international experience during their higher education programs.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Tran, L. T. (August, 2013). Themes, Challenges and Aspirations – Do we really understand the transition experience of today’s international students?. Keynote address at the Developing Practice Conference, State Library of Victoria &... more
Tran, L. T. (August, 2013). Themes, Challenges and Aspirations – Do we really understand the transition experience of today’s international students?. Keynote address at the Developing Practice Conference, State Library of Victoria & Monash University, 6-7 August, 2013.
Tran, L. T. (2010). Which actions can be expected from groups and organizations in the community? Invited Talk at the Racism and the International Student Experience Forum, coordinated by Universities Australia, Australian Human Rights... more
Tran, L. T. (2010). Which actions can be expected from groups and organizations in the community? Invited Talk at the Racism and the International Student Experience Forum, coordinated by Universities Australia, Australian Human Rights Commission and Academy of the Social Sciences Australia, Canberra, 31 March 2010.
Tran, L. T. (2013). The Transformative Sojourners: International Vietnamese and Chinese Students in Australian Tertiary Education. Refereed paper at the American Education Research Association (AERA) 2013 Annual Meeting, San Francisco,... more
Tran, L. T. (2013). The Transformative Sojourners: International Vietnamese and Chinese Students in Australian Tertiary Education. Refereed paper at the American Education Research Association (AERA) 2013 Annual Meeting, San Francisco, USA, 25 April – 2 May, 2013.
Tran, L. T. (2012). Migration, cosmopolitan identity and knowledge enhancement: Asian student mobility. Paper presented at the Panel on Ethnicity matters on higher education mobility at the Asian Conference in Education, Osaka, Japan,... more
Tran, L. T. (2012). Migration, cosmopolitan identity and knowledge enhancement: Asian student mobility. Paper presented at the Panel on Ethnicity matters on higher education mobility at the Asian Conference in Education, Osaka, Japan, 25-29 October, 2012.
Tran, L. T. Internationalising the student experience: Conceptual principles and examples of practices. Access and Equity Conference. Deakin University. Melbourne.
Tran, L. T. (2013). Teachers’ changing professional roles and identity under the impact of internationalisation. AARE 2013 Conference, Adelaide, 1-5 December 2013
Tran, L. T. The Impacts of International Students on Pedagogical Practices in Vocational Education and Training. The 27th Australian International Education Conference 2013, Canberra 8-11 October 2013.
Tran, L. T. (2007). International students in higher education: Integrating personal experience into learning practices. Paper presented at the international conference on redesign pedagogy: Culture, knowledge and understanding. N I E,... more
Tran, L. T. (2007). International students in higher education: Integrating personal experience into learning practices. Paper presented at the international conference on redesign pedagogy: Culture, knowledge and understanding. N I E, Singapore.
Tran, L. T. & Nyland, C. (2009). VET international students’ learning practices and institutional responses. Paper presented at the JVET 8th conference: Researching vocational education policy, Oxford. July 3-5th, 2009.
Tran, L. T. (2009). International Vietnamese Students in VET: Study Purposes and Learning Experiences. Paper presented at the Engaging with Vietnam 2nd Conference. Melbourne, November, 2009.
Tran, L. T. (2010). How relevant are Training Packages to teaching international students in the Australian VET sector? Paper presented at the 17th International Conference on Learning. Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong, 6-9... more
Tran, L. T. (2010). How relevant are Training Packages to teaching international students in the Australian VET sector? Paper presented at the 17th International Conference on Learning. Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong, 6-9 July, 2010.
Tran, L. T. (2010). International VET pedagogy: Views from teachers. Paper presented at the Australian International Education Conference. Sydney, 12-16 October, 2010
Tran, L. T. & Nyland, C. (2010). International vocational education and training: The migration and learning mix. Paper presented at the AVETRA conference: VET research leading and responding in turbulent time. Gold Coast, 7-9 April, 2010.
Tran, L. T. (2010). Stereotyping VET international students as ‘mere PR hunters’ and its impacts on their learning and wellbeing. Paper presented at the Australian International Education Conference. Sydney, 12-16 October, 2010
Tran, L. T. (2012). The Ubuntu perspective for VET teaching. Paper presented at the Australian International Education Conference, Melbourne, October, 2012.
Tran, L. T. (2012). Teaching Asian students in Australia: The perspective transformation approach. Paper presented at the Asian Conference in Education, Osaka, Japan, 25-29 October, 2012.
Tran, L. T. (2006). Towards a model for mutual transformations between international students and academics in Australian higher education. Workshop paper at the ISANA conference, Victoria Branch, September 2006.
Tran, L. T. (2007). Demonstrating critical thinking: How international students respond to academic demands in Australian higher education. Paper presented at the 32nd annual congress of the Applied Linguistic Association of Australia.... more
Tran, L. T. (2007). Demonstrating critical thinking: How international students respond to academic demands in Australian higher education. Paper presented at the 32nd annual congress of the Applied Linguistic Association of Australia. The University of Wollongong, NSW.
Tran, L. T. (2006). What dimensions of knowledge are valued in disciplinary practices? International students’ views. Paper presented at the Asia Pacific Week, Australian National University, February 2006.
Tran, L. T. (2005). Weaving the threads of disciplinary conventions, prior literacy practices and personal desires: International students in higher education. (2005). Proceedings of the international conference on Critical Discourse... more
Tran, L. T. (2005). Weaving the threads of disciplinary conventions, prior literacy practices and personal desires: International students in higher education. (2005). Proceedings of the international conference on Critical Discourse Analysis. The University of Tasmania, Tasmania.
This DECRA (Discovery Early Career Researcher Award) project funded by the Australian Research Council investigates the professional learning needs and practices of teachers under the changed circumstances of international education. It... more
This DECRA (Discovery Early Career Researcher Award) project funded by the Australian Research Council investigates the professional learning needs and practices of teachers under the changed circumstances of international education. It examines how teachers can be equipped to effectively address international students’ learning needs and respond to the demands of internationalisation by interviewing 215 staff in both HE and VET, of which 98 are academics and English language and learning skills advisors from 19 universities in Australia. The research also involves participation in teacher professional learning activities.
Our recently published book “Teacher Professional Learning in International Education” (https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319705149) and forthcoming papers on teacher professional learning in higher education arising from this project discussed primary areas of professional learning needed to enhance teachers’ capacity to respond to international students’ needs and internationalisation-related demands.
The research indicates teachers in higher education mediate professional demands and engage in professional learning by: - drawing on their own experience and resources to address the new challenges arising from working with international students. Prior experience and exposure to different cultures through travelling, personal connections, volunteer activities and networks are essential resources. Such kinds of capitals are not always available though. - seeking advice/support from senior colleagues and peers through informal/formal mentoring. - proactively mobilising different resources and seeking learning opportunities at workplaces, including formal training and PD activities as well as informal learning from colleagues and international students. - building relationships and obtaining input from international students, especially through casual conversations outside classrooms and engagement in social events.
Our recently published book “Teacher Professional Learning in International Education” (https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319705149) and forthcoming papers on teacher professional learning in higher education arising from this project discussed primary areas of professional learning needed to enhance teachers’ capacity to respond to international students’ needs and internationalisation-related demands.
The research indicates teachers in higher education mediate professional demands and engage in professional learning by: - drawing on their own experience and resources to address the new challenges arising from working with international students. Prior experience and exposure to different cultures through travelling, personal connections, volunteer activities and networks are essential resources. Such kinds of capitals are not always available though. - seeking advice/support from senior colleagues and peers through informal/formal mentoring. - proactively mobilising different resources and seeking learning opportunities at workplaces, including formal training and PD activities as well as informal learning from colleagues and international students. - building relationships and obtaining input from international students, especially through casual conversations outside classrooms and engagement in social events.