Despite being one of the largest populations of international students in the U.S., Indian international students have been mostly ignored by scholars. Further, research about international student experiences has mostly failed to take a critical look and rather focused on how students can adjust and assimilate to U.S. culture. Using critical race…

International student recruitment has become a major priority for universities, especially in the United States. With an uptick in international student enrollment expected, higher education institutions are having to compete for international students on a global scale. The current study explores the influence of education agents on Indian…

In the United States, Asian American students in higher education fields are regarded as members of a "model minority" group for their perceived high levels of educational attainment and household income. Even though many scholars have developed a growing interest in understanding and identifying the ever-changing and evolving racialized…

The United States is increasingly populated by first- and second-generation Asian immigrants, while nearly 40% of New York State minors live with at least one immigrant parent. Immigration is a politically-charged topic. There is a persistent lacuna regarding immigration in teacher education, despite the fact that teachers' attitudes about…

The purpose of this research was to understand the influence of family on the educational trajectories of Sikh American college students. I conducted a qualitative study at various research sites and interviewed 30 self-identifying Sikh college students. The theoretical framework and data analysis of this research were guided by Funds of…

A missing component in the current international student literature is how international Indian graduate students adjust academically and socially to a new learning environment and how academic advising influences international Indian graduate students' academic success and social adjustment. This qualitative study addresses this gap in the…

Schools are recognized as sites where raciolinguistic ideologies operate, impacting Spanish- and African American Vernacular English-speaking students' education. However, it is often assumed that Indian American students are unaffected by these ideologies. This is fueled by headlines about Indian Americans excelling at spelling bee competitions,…

This study sought to address the dearth in literature on South Asian fraternities and sororities by exploring the ways in which Desi/South Asian students in Asian American Greek-letter organizations (AAGLOs) experience belonging at AANAPISIs. While Accapadi's (2005) seminal study found that Desi/South Asian fraternities and sororities create…

The United States continues to be the primary country of destination that international students choose for enrollment in American colleges and universities. Indian international students constitute the second largest enrollment among international students in America with over 200,000 enrolled in 2019 (Institute of International Education, 2020).…

Despite the increase in international twinning programs in Indian higher education since the mid-1990s, there is little understanding of how institutions facilitate faculty learning or adopt organizational refinement strategies, or how organizational learning contributes to institutional capacity. The purpose of this study was to understand the…

The number of non-western students migrating to western countries for higher education is increasing every year. They suffer from stereotypes and often perceived as non-critical thinkers. However, it is not the lack of critical thinking skills, rather it is the lack of understanding of the different approaches and different styles of practicing…

This dissertation study utilized Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to understand the acculturation and sojourner experience of undergraduate Indian international students in the U.S. Midwest. Focusing exclusively on the lived experience of these students, this study engaged Berry's "Fourfold Model of Acculturation" (Berry,…

Current research on Asian American college students articulates the impact of different aspects of life on the decision-making and development of Asian American college students. However, Asian Americans are comprised of people of many different ethnicities. Much of the research related to the Asian American population tends to highlight the…

In the summer of 2019, Narendra Modi -- the leader of India's right-wing 'Bharatiya Janata Party' (BJP) -- won a landslide victory in the country's general elections, securing Modi's re-election as the Prime Minister of India. In a victory speech that spoke about the power of the Indian democracy and people, Modi positioned himself as a…

Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) are historically disadvantaged communities that face discrimination on the grounds of their lower social positioning in society. This dissertation comprises 5 Chapters. Chapter 1 provides a brief outline regarding the stratification in India based on Caste and illustrates the importance of studying…