Introduction
The changing social dynamics in today’s society have led to more diverse backgrounds in the student community. In American universities, four in ten students are of mixed race, while two in five students come from foreign countries (Fossum, 2020). The rising population diversity has created a compelling awareness of inclusion in the education sector (Pit-ten Cate et al., 2018). Toward this end, higher learning institutions are exploring the most effective ways of promoting inclusive education in the diverse student community (Ainscow, 2020). This paper explores how using small collaborative discussion groups is a practical approach to promoting inclusive education for international students in a law school and uses action research to determine the suitability of the approach.
The Purpose of the Study
Inclusive education has become a global issue where political, social, and educational scholars advocate it for various reasons. Zubiri-Esnaola et al. (2020) recommend the theory to support international students adjusting to a new environment while pursuing their university education. According to (Zubiri-Esnaola et al., 2020), international students anticipate an excellent learning experience but encounter challenges adapting to the new environment, impacting their social life, academic performance, and social, emotional, and mental health. Notable studies by Engel and Fritzsche (2019) and Ballakrishnen and Silver (2019) indicate that international students exhibit high-stress levels, identity issues, and social consciousness due to adjustment issues in a foreign land. According to Ballakrishnen and Silver (2019), international students might belong to their minority group needing special assistance for equitable education. Therefore, this research addresses the matter by suggesting the adoption of small collaborative discussion groups to ensure inclusive education among international students in law school and enhance socialization, cultural identity preservation, and mental well-being.
The Potential Impact of the Research
This study substantially contributes to the literature regarding inclusive education for international students, particularly those in law schools. As action research, the investigation might lead to exploring other issues affecting these students. Consequently, it can give rise to more topics for research and practices that create an ambivalent environment for the well-being of the students across numerous educational disciplines. Suitable learning conditions and experiences promote an institution’s supremacy leading to more international enrollments.
Stakeholders of the Research Project
This research was informed by stakeholders interested in international students’ affairs and the institution’s success in achieving a holistic and inclusive learning environment. They include the Dean of the law faculty and Associate Dean (Office of International Law & Policy), who provided guidelines on some critical decisions that affected the research. The steering committee consisted of the Assistant Dean (Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Multicultural Affairs, and Professional Development) and the Director of the Academic Skills Program. Lastly, Professors (assigned by the Associate Dean and Director of Academic Skills Program) and Director of Student Services were part of the research team and assigned specific roles presented in table 3. As institutional research, the law school’s administration sponsored the investigation.
Literature Review
Cultural Identity
Inclusive education is the solution to preserving cultural identity among international students because it involves mutual interactions between students from different backgrounds. According to Li (2021) and Balsam (2019), international students have much pressure learning a foreign language and culture, leading to negligence of their identity. Peng’s (2019) findings from a quantitative study to determine the role of cultural identity in learning languages indicate that identifying with a particular ethnic group inspires learning their culture, lifestyle, and language. Therefore, international students strive to fit in, leading to an identity crisis (Wulansari, 2020). Inclusive education through small group discussions can be the solution since the students can learn and adjust to foreign cultures in a moderate manner that does not risk identity loss.
Social, Emotional and Mental Health Issues
International students in American law schools are vulnerable to psychological issues due to stressful working environments, isolation, and lifestyle differences. Law schools are known for their academic excellence and for providing students with diverse learning experiences and opportunities (Balsam, 2019; Kim, 2018). According to Flynn et al. (2019), the students have less time for social interactions due to the broad and large volume of work. For international students, balancing academics and adapting to a new environment is stressful and can lead to depression.
Conversely, the students become isolated and self-conscious due to the lifestyle differences, language barrier, and lack of socialization which impacts their psychological well-being. In the book the global commons, Buck (2017) and Khanal and Gaulee (2019) highlight the challenges facing international students in the United States, which have become a norm due to inadequate research and help. Buck (2017) notes that international students seldom interact with American students due to cultural differences and language barriers. As non-English speakers, the students face anxiety interacting with their American peers and might feel social isolation if the problem persists (Sendall et al., 2018; Alharbi and Smith, 2018). Kim’s (2018) and Dovchin’s (2020) research findings confirm that international students suffer from social withdrawal, a sense of non-belonging, low self-esteem, fear, and social anxiety due to lifestyle differences and lack of social interaction with peers. Therefore, providing inclusive education could be the solution to a favorable learning environment.
The Effect of Collaborative Discussion Groups
In collaborative group discussions, students exercise positive interdependence where all members are accountable for the group’s success and academic achievements. To that end, collaborative discussions encourage working together regardless of culture, language, or nationality, ensuring inclusive education for international students (Chikara et al., 2019; Arja, 2020). Moreover, Lubicz-Nawrocka (2018) and Weinberger and Shonfeld (2020) reveal that collaborative discussions create psychological comfort and enhance students’ willingness to socialize. When a group of students collaborates, it becomes easier to solve intercultural issues since the law profession includes a broad field with international problems from different areas.
Likewise, participating in teamwork reduces social anxiety leading to healthy social and communication skills. According to Parris et al. (2021) and Merola et al. (2019), law schools need students who can interact and talk with diverse populations, which builds communication and argumentative skills for practice. Additionally, Yildirim (2017) and Wester (2020) argue that group discussions promote inclusivity and are more adaptable across various disciplines in higher education, including law school. Frykedal and Chiriac (2017) and Fullwood, Rowley, and McLean (2019) indicate that collaborative groups promote academic and social excellence. Thus, international students need to be included in the same academic and social sphere as domestic students to enhance their chances of equitable education and professional qualification.
To ensure this, small-group collaborative discussions were introduced in the project initiative. This was done in a joint effort with the law school’s administration. Participants involved fifty law students of different fields, cultures, and backgrounds. This includes twenty local (American) students. The stakeholders acted as members of the research team. Their roles are as described in Table 3. These small group collaborative discussions were held twice a week for one hour. The selected teaching faculty (professors of law) determined the relevant topics to be discussed in the sessions, and teaching assistants facilitated the discussions. This initiative was completed within one month, as shown in the schedule in Table 1 below.
Table 1: The project schedule
Aims of the Research
- To explore how small group collaborative discussions can preserve the cultural identity of the international law students while being included in the majority group.
- To examine whether working in small groups can contribute to enhanced participation among international law students.
- To examine if small group collaborative discussions improve the international students’ social, emotional, and mental health and their sense of belonging in a new learning environment.
- To examine if the indirect support tool promotes a better outreach effort for promoting social, emotional, and mental health than the traditional counselling sessions.
This investigation seeks to answer the following research questions in line with the aims.
Research Questions
- How can small group collaborative discussions promote the inclusion of international students in law schools?
- To what extent do small group collaborative discussions help promote social, emotional, and mental health among international law students?
Methodology
The study adopted a qualitative design using a RADIO research model. The investigation aims to determine the effectiveness of small collaborative group discussions as practical tools for inclusive education of international students in law school. RADIO research emphasizes collaboration with various parties, including instructors, external stakeholders, the school administration, and students (Cohen et al., 2017). Thus, the research model is suitable for this study because the investigation involves finding appropriate evidence through different steps in the research process and brings positive change in education systems through a qualitative analysis of challenges and opportunities. This research model was adopted to ensure critical analysis and evaluation of the issue under investigation through steps that allow planning, acting, observing, and reflection until the desired results were achieved (Sendall et al., 2018). Table 2 shows the steps that were taken in all phases of the research.
Table 2: RADIO Model Framework – from Timmins et al. (2003)
Sampling Method
Research participants include twenty Juris Doctor (JD) students who were American citizens and thirty Master of Law (LLM) international students. These students were selected using the purposive sampling method since this research targets a particular population in one law school. Teaching assistants, professors, or faculty members were chosen according to availability and interest in the subject under investigation. Table 3 shows the research participants and members who assisted in undertaking the research together with the previously mentioned stakeholders.
Table 3: The Research Team
Data Collection
Data collection tools comprised open-ended questions (see Appendix 1), which were sent via email to the teaching faculty members after the project initiative ended. By the time it was done, these faculty members had the opportunity to observe the sessions to provide their thoughts and views about the project. Since the use of Socratic methods in law schools are much more popular than a form of interlocution, their presence in the sessions was crucial. This is because their perspectives and judgment could determine the success of this project and its future implementation and development in the law school.
Additionally, there were also focus group discussions consisting of student participants. These were also held at the end of the project. The focus group discussions included feedback from two groups. The rationale for having such a divided batch was that participants might feel more comfortable, open, and honest in providing their opinion or answering questions related to inclusion if they were placed in their group. There were opportunities for those who wished to seek counselling services if they felt overwhelmed by the project initiative, as this was crucial to ensure that the participants’ well-being was retained and supported. Feedback from these focus groups was needed because they helped shape the project for improvements in the long run. Sample questions (see Appendix 1) guided the focus group discussions.
Table 4: Focus Groups Discussions Information
The main themes from these data collection tools were identified and summarized the key findings of the project.
Ethical Considerations
This investigation met all ethical considerations of credible research. All students selected to participate in this research received an email asking for voluntary consent to be part of the investigation. However, each participant’s confidentiality and anonymity were guaranteed according to their terms. The research team sent an email listing the confidentiality details of participation and how their information was safe in case they wanted to remain anonymous.
Data Analysis
Data analysis involved interpreting and analyzing data from the research methods stated above, which include gathering responses from the set of questions sent to the teaching faculty members and evaluating feedback from the focus groups. They were read through, re-read and actively observed for meanings and patterns. The data were then transcribed and coded to identify the main thematic areas. To identify these themes, Braun & Clarke’s (2006) six-phase guide was used to conduct the analysis.
Table 5: Braun & Clarke’s six-phase framework
Early impressions or rough notes were keyed in on a separate spreadsheet according to types of data collection tools so that the research team would become familiar with the data. In the second phase, each segment (the ‘before intervention’ segment and the ‘after intervention’ segment) of the questions in the data collection tools was organized and coded. Relevant codes were highlighted to help identify themes while working through the data in the spreadsheets. In the next stage, the codes are examined, and those fitted together are classified into one theme. By the end of this step, the codes were organized into broader themes relevant to the research questions. All other codes were fitted into the ‘miscellaneous’ theme. The themes were then reviewed and modified to develop preliminary themes. Comparisons were made to ensure that the data supported each theme. The final refinement of the themes was done and reported and shared with all the stakeholders.
Results and Analysis
The current research was conducted to explore the importance of using small group collaborative discussions to promote the inclusion of international students in a law school in the United States of America. Students have different backgrounds due to the constant change in the social dynamics of society. About 40 percent of the American University students are of mixed race, while 40 percent are from foreign countries. This increase in the student population diversity led resulted in the need for creating awareness of inclusive education. Therefore, the current study explored the impacts of using small discussion groups to promote education among the diverse student population in law school. The action research method was thus adopted to determine the suitability of the approach. The following research questions led the study:
- How can small group collaborative discussions promote the inclusion of international students in law schools?
- To what extent do small group collaborative discussions help promote social, emotional, and mental health among international law students?
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The results obtained from the data collected are used to answer each of the two research questions above.
Impact of Small Groups Collaborative Discussions in Promoting Inclusion of International Students in Law School
Measuring the impact of small group collaborative discussions in promoting the inclusion of international students in law school is a complex task that requires multiple individual approaches. The current study explored the learners’ cultural awareness, confidence, and motivation. The research revealed that collaboration among students made them feel included, which was evident in understanding that although they were from different backgrounds and cultures, they were comfortable and interacted freely. The learners did not show prejudice against any race, culture, or ethnicity, which made the group discussions smooth and rewarding. The study also shows that the confidence level of the students related closely to the learners’ enhanced participation. Students’ confidence may have been linked to their shyness as opposed to other factors. The involvement of the students in their small discussion groups also improved their social, emotional, and mental well-being, which is closely attributed to their improved confidence and motivation. This made them eager and comfortable when expressing their views and discussing various concepts with their fellows. Figure 1 below shows the results of the survey and the analysis of the data.
From Figure 1 above, the interventions used resulted in notable changes regarding students’ feelings on their cultural awareness, inclusion, confidence, and motivation. Regarding cultural awareness, Juris Doctor (JD) students improved from 47 before the intervention to 88 after the intervention. This represented a percentage increase of 87 percent, indicating that one out of every 20 students enhances their cultural awareness among the JD learners, as shown in Figure 2. On the other hand, the number of Master of Law (LLM) students increased from 68 in the pre-intervention period to 73 in the post-intervention period, representing a 7 percent increase. The intervention used also helped in improved students’ attitudes towards feeling included. The number of the students who felt included rose from 95 to 100 among the JD learners, representing a five percent increase. On the other hand, the number of LLM learners who felt included improved from 45 to 86, representing a 91 percent change. The LLM students felt more included than the JD learners, revealing the difference in the outcomes among students’ learning levels.
The number of JD learners who felt confident after the intervention remained at 88, indicating that their confidence remained constant despite the approaches used to help them improve. However, the number of LLM learners who felt confident after the intervention enhanced from 55 to 67, representing a 22 percent change. Thus, the LLM students were more responsive to the interventions regarding their effect on confidence than their counterparts in the JD category. Moreover, the JD students who felt motivated increased from 82 to 95, indicating a 16 percent rise. Similarly, the LLM students motivated due to the intervention rose from 86 to 100, representing a 16 percent increase. Therefore, there was an equal effect of the intervention used on the motivation of the learners in the JD and LLM categories.
The data collected and analyzed regarding the impact of small group collaborative discussions in promoting the inclusion of international students in law school in the U.S. indicate that the interventions used had overall positive effects. The learners’ cultural awareness, inclusion, confidence, and motivation improved due to the intervention used. While the J.D. students indicated that their confidence remained the same after the intervention, the overall outcome of the study suggests that the threshold was not reached in increasing their confidence. Since the confidence level of the LLM learners improved significantly, it reveals that the intervention had a positive impact on the learners.
The Extent to Which Small Group Collaborative Discussions Help Promote Social, Emotional, and Mental Health among International Law Students
Small group collaborative discussions play crucial roles in promoting learners’ social, psychological, and mental health. As noted earlier regarding the impact of such groups, they help improve confidence, motivation, cultural awareness, and feeling of inclusion. Learners who feel included, motivated, confident, and culturally accepted in their learning environments gain better social, mental, and emotional stability. Therefore, it is crucial to determine how these factors help diverse student populations collaborate and achieve better outcomes in their learning process.
The investigation of these elements requires understanding individual students’ views regarding several factors in their learning environment. The current research explored how small group collaborative discussions help the learners improve their social, mental, and emotional well-being by investigating their personal views toward their peers in the different degree programs. The researcher sought how the students would likely recommend having this type of small group collaborative discussions in law schools to promote inclusive education. Tables 6 and 7 below show the responses received on these two questions to inform how the learners viewed different issues around their learning space.
Table 6: Student Views towards Their Peers in Different Degree Programs
The study surveyed a total of 17 JD and 22 LLM students. The students’ views of their peers in different degree programs were measured before and after the intervention. The outcomes of the two scenarios were divided into three, including positive views, normal views, and negative views. During the pre-intervention phase, the number of those reported to have positive views was 9, neutral was 7, and negative was 1. The post-intervention numbers increased to 15 for those with positive views and reduced to 2 for those with neutral views and 0 for those with negative views. The intervention successfully swayed most students to have more positive views of their peers in other degree programs. The pre-intervention numbers for the LLM students were 13 for those with positive views of their peers, 7 neutral views, and 2 negative views. The number increased after the intervention was used to 20 for those with positive views and reduced to 2 among those with neutral views towards their peers and 0 among those with negative views.
The students’ views of their peers in different degree programs reveal that the intervention significantly shifted the learners’ attitudes towards their peers taking other courses. The shift in perspective was mainly positive because there were more numbers of those who appreciated their fellows. The number of neutral views reduced because the students developed positive opinions toward each other because of the intervention they used.
The participants were also asked to indicate how likely they would recommend having the kind of small group collaborative discussion in law school to promote inclusive education. The scoring scale was set between 1 and 10, and the JD students scored a mean of 7.41 with a standard deviation of 1.37. This indicates that the participants were likely to recommend the intervention to their peers. This further revealed that the students were satisfied with the interventions and outcomes, promoting their social, emotional, and mental health. On the other hand, the teaching faculty scored a mean of 6.4 with a standard deviation of 0.84, as indicated in Table 7. This also reveals that the faculty was less willing to recommend the intervention to their peers. The difference between the learners and the teaching faculty was because the teaching faculty did not have an experience with the other outcomes realized by the students.
Table 7: Likelihood for JD students and teaching faculty to recommend the program
Discussion of Findings
The current study explored how small group collaborative discussions can preserve the cultural identity of international law students while being included in the majority group. It was also meant to examine whether working in small groups can contribute to enhanced participation among international law students. Moreover, the research was conducted to determine if small group collaborative discussions improve the international students’ social, emotional, and mental health and their sense of belonging in a new learning environment. Furthermore, it was supposed to examine if the indirect support tool promotes a better outreach effort for fostering social, emotional, and mental health than the traditional counselling sessions. The findings from the present research have managed to meet the study’s aims, pointing out each element investigated.
The current study’s findings indicate that cultural diversity and identity are crucial in settings with diverse populations, such as law schools in America. The results suggest that students from different backgrounds want to feel that the learning environment provides an all-inclusive setting, where individual learners are not judged based on their cultures and ethnicities. This outcome agrees with the findings by Peng (2019) and Balsam (2019) that international students are under pressure to learn foreign languages and cultures, leading to negligence of their identity. This makes them strive as much as they can to fit in, hence experiencing cultural identity crises, as discussed by Wulansari (2020). The learners subjected to the intervention became more culturally aware, indicating that the presence of such programs was the driver of cultural misunderstanding. Therefore, this study’s findings reveal that inclusive education through small group discussions provides the needed solution for students to be more aware of their cultural differences.
The present study’s findings also reveal that small group discussions play a crucial role in the learners’ social, emotional, and mental health issues. By extension, the current research affirms Flynn et al. (2019) ‘s notion that learners need some time to interact with their peers to help them deal with their psychological issues. The current research agrees with Buck (2017) that international students in the U.S. who feel isolated often have cases of depression and often need help from their peers. Therefore, the small group discussions provide a way for them to address their social isolation, especially when they feel isolated from their fellows. The present study found that providing inclusive education could be the solution to a favorable learning environment.
The present research also found that small-group collaborative discussion has a crucial impact on the learners’ cultural awareness, inclusion, confidence, and motivation. The study revealed that the learner’s collaboration helps foster collective thinking, which allows the learners to have mental comfort and be willing to socialize with diverse students in their school environment. Therefore, the current research’s findings agree with Chikara et al. (2019) and Arja (2020) that collaborative discussions encourage working together in cases where the learners have diverse cultures, languages, and nationalities. Learners who collaborate also engage in teamwork, which helps them to reduce their social anxiety, thus improving their communication and social skills.
Conclusion
The primary goal of this research was to fulfill the aims stated in the paper and to answer some of the questions related to the inclusion of international students particularly those in law schools. There are a few studies that have been conducted in this regard, which calls for developing an initiative that can help ensure that these students feel included and have a sense of belonging in their school. The findings in the current research have indicated that that such feelings of inclusion are crucial in helping international students improve their social, emotional, and mental health in an intense and demanding field of studies. The present study introduced small group collaborative discussions because it plays a major role in contributing significantly to improved social, emotional, and mental health of the learners.
The research revealed that small group collaborative discussions help in preserving international student’s cultural identity when they are learning in environments comprising of majority. The study also found out that working in small groups contribute to enhanced participation among international law students. In addition, the research revealed that small group collaborative discussions are crucial in improving the international students’ social, emotional, and mental health and their sense of belonging in a new learning environment. Moreover, the study also indicated that indirect support tool promotes a better outreach effort for fostering social, emotional, and mental health than the traditional counselling sessions.
The findings made by the present study are crucial for helping policymakers and educators with the best approaches to help international students feel accepted and part of their classrooms. The frustrations the learners face due to their cultural differences are mainly associated with prejudices they experience from the majority groups. The past research revealed that collaborative learning environments provide opportunities for social interactions, which help the students share their experiences. Moreover, such settings are also handy in integrating international students into their new society, thus making them psychologically fit to undertake their studies. Consequently, the current research provides further insights on the importance of collaborations in classrooms, especially with the primary intent of helping diverse students.
Most importantly, the current study focused on small discussion groups. The past research has dwelt mainly on discussion groups and their importance in academic improvements. However, the present research reveals that having small discussion groups help in academic excellence and the mental health status of the learners. The study suggests that the improved performance associated with learning groups results from mental health benefits. International students perform well because they feel accepted and have a way to share their frustrations or concerns with their fellows and find solutions where possible.
Recommendations
Based on the present study’s findings, the following recommendations may help achieve outcomes similar to those found in the interventions used in the study. Firstly, it is the role of individual classroom teachers to understand their classes and to divide the students into small groups of up to a maximum of five to help foster relationships and trust among the learners. Secondly, institutions should create a policy that allows the integration of international students into the institution and society. Thirdly, the curriculum should be designed to encourage small group discussions and capture cultural diversities in the country of the learners. Implementing these recommendations will help international students cope easily in their classrooms and thus perform in their academics.
Reference List
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Appendices
Appendix 1. 4-Week Project/Intervention Schedule
Appendix 2. Focus Group Discussions Approach
Two focus groups were conducted. Group 1 consists of LL.M. students and group 2 consists of J. D students.
Focus group discussion questions:
- Introduction
- Let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves. Please tell us what year you are, and your law major or what you’re thinking of majoring in?
- The project initiative
- For group 1:
- Describe how you feel before and after the intervention. Are there any changes that you saw happen?
- Can you describe (with examples) any particular improvements or declines happening after the intervention?
- Think how likely you would be raising your hands volunteering to answer your professor’s questions in larger classrooms, how about your confidence level, your (American) peers, etc., your feelings of being included in the class…
- What did you learn about your American peers as a result of taking part in this project? Have your views about them changed?
- For group 2:
- Describe how you feel before and after the intervention. Are there any changes that you saw happen?
- How do you feel about your international peers? What did you learn about them as a result of taking part in this project? Have your views about them changed?
- Will you do anything differently now that you have experienced working closely with your international peers?
- Does this project help you in any way, or does it have no effect on you?
- How likely would you recommend having this type of small group collaborative discussions in law schools to promote inclusive education?
- For group 1:
- Ending questions
- Do you have any other advice7suggestions to help improve the project? Is there anything we missed? Is there anything that you would like to say?
Appendix 3. Questions for Teaching Faculty (sent through an email)
Before intervention
- How would you describe the college/school’s environment for inclusion?
- In your experience, what are the challenges faced by faculty members dealing with international students?
- What strategies have you used to address these challenges, and how successful were those strategies?
After intervention
- Any changes that you saw happen after the intervention?
- How likely would you recommend having this type of small group collaborative discussions in law schools?
- Do you have any other advice7suggestions to help improve the project? Is there anything we missed? Is there anything that you would like to say?