Join an Immigrant Student Participatory Action Research Project!
Are you a student in higher education in the United States with an immigrant background interested in virtually connecting with immigrant college students in Japan and the US and making changes in higher education? You are invited to be a part of a research project entitled, ”Supporting Immigrant College Students in Japan and the United States through Participatory Action Research (PAR).”
About the Project
– Goal: To explore immigrant students’ college experiences and support for students in
Japan and the US; to contribute to research, policies and practices in higher education
to better support immigrant students and foster belonging and inclusion on campus.
-Content: During the workshops, there will be dialogues on immigration experiences, university
experiences, and university support. The workshops will also produce materials such as written reflections and photographs. Finally, you will engage in an online debriefing session on immigrant college
student support and make recommendations to university officials.
Who Can Join
– Students who were born outside of the US and later immigrated to the US.
– No prior research experience required.
-Participants need to be in higher education institutions (as undergraduates or graduate
students) in the US
-Be comfortable in speaking and writing in English
-Be over 18 years old
Benefits
There are no direct benefits from participation, but you may benefit in some or all of the
following ways:
– Connect and collaborate with college students and faculty members in Japan and the US.
– Contribute to meaningful advancements in the field of diversity, inclusion, and belonging in
higher education.
– Gain hands-on research experience and enhance research skills.
Duration and Time Commitment
– December 2023 to March or April 2024 (tentative timeline)
– An initial one hour interview.
– A demographic survey, which will take about 15 minutes.
– About five to six monthly online sessions (using Zoom) with immigrant college students in Japan and the US. Each session will last about two hours.
For the interview and the online group Zoom sessions, you will use a pseudonym and we will
audio and/or video record the session. If you do not want to be recorded for group sessions,
you would not be able to participate in those parts of the study.
Compensation
For the individual interview as well as every group session you attend you will receive a $10
Amazon Gift Card. For example, if you attend the individual interview (1) as well as three group
sessions (3), you will receive $40 in Amazon gift cards.
How to Join
Interested participants, please email bdc1@umd.edu to indicate interest in the study. Participants need to be in higher education institutions (as undergraduates or graduate students) in the United States, be comfortable in speaking and writing in English, over 18 years old, and identify as immigrants or as having an immigration story (meaning you were born in one nation-state and moved to another for the purposes of settling in that location).
Contact Information
IRB Number: 2101395-1
University of Maryland, College Park, DEI Activist in Residence and Faculty Specialist,
Beth Douthirt-Cohen
E-mail: bdc1@umd.edu
University of Tsukuba, Institute of Human Sciences, Associate Professor,
Tomoko Tokunaga
E-mail：tomokot@human.tsukuba.ac.jp
