Work

Visualising the Fluidity of Multilingual and Intercultural Identities of Australian University Students Studying Abroad in China

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This study explores the fluidity of multilingual and intercultural identities among Australian university students participating in a study abroad (SA) program in China. It pilots a structured analytical framework to analyse visual metaphors created by the participants, examining how Chinese language learners depict their evolving identities, thereby uncovering their fluid nature. An analysis of three case studies of Australian students—one of Chinese heritage, one Australian-born of Serbian heritage, and one Japanese-born who moved to Australia in childhood—illustrates their unique trajectories of identity formation. Multimodal data reveals that while the visual metaphors of all three students point to fluidity, with sub-themes of dynamism, blending, and layeredness, the SA experience triggers diverse individual processes of identity negotiation and transformation. This study contributes to the fields of multilingual and intercultural education and SA through its innovative use of a visual metaphor analysis approach, which effectively captures and decodes the complexities of intercultural development among language learners in an SA environment. The study advocates visual metaphor as a valuable tool for both researching and understanding how multilinguals, especially those whose first and home language is not English, reflect on their multilingual and intercultural identity and experiences.

Source: Education Sciences

DOI: 10.3390/educsci15121608

Authors: Peiru Tong, Irene Shidong An, Xin Zhang

Institutions: Wuhan University, The University of Sydney, Duke Kunshan University

Language: English

Topic: International Student and Expatriate Challenges

Subfield: Communication

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,172