The UTC Graduate School is pleased to announce that Chasity Drew will present Doctoral (PhD) research titled, Understanding Intersectionality in International Education: Professional Roles, Challenges, and Opportunities on 10/05/2026 at 10:00 am ET in Zoom Meeting ID: https://tennessee.zoom.us/j/81592835845. Everyone is invited to attend.
Learning and Leadership
Chair: Dr. Elizabeth K. Crawford
Co-Chair:
Abstract:
International Education (IE) professionals play a critical role in advancing institutional internationalization and supporting globally engaged campuses; however, limited research has examined the organizational and identity-based factors shaping their workplace experiences and career development. Guided by intersectionality theory and organizational support theory, this mixed-methods study examined how organizational factors, mentoring, othering, and intersecting social identities shape workplace experiences, impostor phenomenon, career navigation, and perceptions of institutional support among IE professionals working in higher education. Quantitative data were collected through an online survey of IE professionals across the United States, with 82 participants included in the final analytic sample. Descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, one-way analyses of variance, Spearman rank-order correlations, and regression analyses were used to examine relationships among study variables. Qualitative data from open-ended survey responses, focus groups, and an individual interview were analyzed using thematic analysis to explore participants’ experiences of mentoring, othering, intersectionality, career navigation, and institutional support. The findings identified diversity climate as the strongest predictor of workplace inclusion, job satisfaction, and perceived organizational support. Othering was positively associated with impostor phenomenon, while qualitative findings demonstrated that mentoring functioned as both a developmental and protective resource, supporting professional growth, resilience, and career navigation. Participants also emphasized that leadership commitment, professional recognition, effective communication, adequate resources, and inclusive workplace practices were essential components of organizational support. Across the quantitative and qualitative findings, organizational environments emerged as more influential than individual characteristics in shaping professional experiences. This study contributes to the IE literature by addressing a gap in research on workplace experiences of IE professionals and demonstrating that those experiences are shaped through the interaction of organizational environments, relational support systems, and intersecting social identities. By integrating quantitative and qualitative findings, the study provides a more comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing professional experiences than either approach could have achieved independently. The findings offer practical, policy, and theoretical guidance for fostering more supportive, inclusive, and equitable workplace environments within higher education.