Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

EdD

College

College of Applied Human Sciences

Department

Education

Committee Chair

Erin McHenry-Sorber

Committee Member

Nathan Sorber

Committee Member

John Campbell

Committee Member

Samuel Stack

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative case study is to examine the lived experiences and perceived development of Chinese students within the structured 3+1 cross-cultural international collaborative program. Grounded in Schlossberg’s Transition Theory and Chickering’s Seven Vectors of Identity Development Framework and guided by the four theoretical propositions, this study explores how the Chinese students experience the challenging transition from their home institution to the host institution, how the students participating in the program perceive their developmental growth across multiple developmental dimensions, and how the students perceive the program structures and institutional practices as supporting or hindering their development.

Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interview and analyzed using Merriam & Tisdell’s (2016) constant comparative method and Yin’s (2018) pattern-matching logic approach. Data triangulation was employed to examine the alignment between empirical findings and document analysis. Overarching themes were identified through three cycles of coding, and four propositions were evaluated by comparing them with empirical findings.

The findings of the study reveal that students experienced multiple stages of transition characterized by academic, linguistic, cultural, emotional, and daily life challenges. These challenges created conditions and opportunities that facilitated students’ development across multiple developmental dimensions that aligned with Chickering’s development vectors. The study reveals that the program structure, including the 3+1 model and the bridging courses, played a critical role in supporting student development. In addition, the findings of the study reveal that multiple layers of external and internal support, including faculty, staff, peers, and family, as well as students’ internal resources, are essential in facilitating students’ cross-cultural and cross-border transition and development.

The findings contribute to both theory and practice while revealing areas for improvement in program design and implementation. The study contributes to existing literature by applying Schlossberg’s Transition Theory and Chickering’s framework to a cross-cultural, transnational educational context. The study helps understand how a structured cross-cultural international collaborative program facilitates student development across multiple development dimensions. In addition, the findings provide important implications for theory, practice, and policy, particularly for institutions planning to design and implement structured cross-cultural collaborative programs aimed at cultivating globally competent students. At the same time, the study also indicates that there are notable divergences between formal program design and students’ lived experiences that provide directions for institutional improvement.

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