{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129570"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129570","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"The power of names: Acculturation, belonging, and neo-racism among international students in U.S. higher education","abstract":"Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01","abstract_html":"Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Sun, Shiyu"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Educational Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Ruedas-Gracia, Nidia","Marchand, Aixa","Kang, Hyun-Sook","Pak, Yoon"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-04-24","date_published":"2025-04-24","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:05Z","subjects":["International students","Neo-racism"],"languages":["en","eng"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Shiyu Sun"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129570","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Ruedas-Gracia, Nidia","Marchand, Aixa","Kang, Hyun-Sook","Pak, Yoon"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Sun, Shiyu"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-04-24","2025-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Educational Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["International students","Neo-racism"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Shiyu Sun"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129570"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01","The student, Shiyu Sun, accepted the attached license on 2025-04-23 at 15:57.","The student, Shiyu Sun, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-04-23 at 16:01.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-04-24 at 16:27.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21927 on 2025-10-19 at 19:16:05","International students often navigate complex social and cultural terrains as they pursue higher education abroad. One underexamined yet deeply meaningful aspect of this journey is the experience surrounding their names—how they are perceived, pronounced, adapted, or changed within U.S. academic and social spaces. This qualitative study explores how name-related experiences shape international students’ sense of belonging and acculturation, with particular attention to the role of neo-racism in these processes. Guided by a phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 international students at a large, public, predominantly white institution in the Midwest. Findings reveal that name-related experiences—ranging from mispronunciations and pressure to adopt \"easier\" English names, to feelings of pride in cultural identity—serve as critical touchpoints in students’ identity negotiation. These interactions often reflect subtle forms of exclusion and cultural hierarchies, reinforcing feelings of foreignness and marginalization. Differences in experience between undergraduate and graduate students further underscore how age, academic role, and length of stay influence acculturation and belonging. This study contributes to the growing body of research on international student experiences by centering names as a site of identity, power, and belonging. It calls for more culturally responsive practices in higher education and a deeper awareness of how everyday interactions—such as the use of a name—can either foster inclusion or exclusion."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The power of names: Acculturation, belonging, and neo-racism among international students in U.S. higher education"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Ruedas-Gracia, Nidia","Marchand, Aixa","Kang, Hyun-Sook","Pak, Yoon"],"dc:creator":["Sun, Shiyu"],"dc:date":["2025-04-24","2025-05"],"dc:description":["Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01","The student, Shiyu Sun, accepted the attached license on 2025-04-23 at 15:57.","The student, Shiyu Sun, submitted this Dissertation for approval on 2025-04-23 at 16:01.","This Dissertation was approved for publication on 2025-04-24 at 16:27.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21927 on 2025-10-19 at 19:16:05","International students often navigate complex social and cultural terrains as they pursue higher education abroad. One underexamined yet deeply meaningful aspect of this journey is the experience surrounding their names—how they are perceived, pronounced, adapted, or changed within U.S. academic and social spaces. This qualitative study explores how name-related experiences shape international students’ sense of belonging and acculturation, with particular attention to the role of neo-racism in these processes. Guided by a phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 international students at a large, public, predominantly white institution in the Midwest. Findings reveal that name-related experiences—ranging from mispronunciations and pressure to adopt \"easier\" English names, to feelings of pride in cultural identity—serve as critical touchpoints in students’ identity negotiation. These interactions often reflect subtle forms of exclusion and cultural hierarchies, reinforcing feelings of foreignness and marginalization. Differences in experience between undergraduate and graduate students further underscore how age, academic role, and length of stay influence acculturation and belonging. This study contributes to the growing body of research on international student experiences by centering names as a site of identity, power, and belonging. It calls for more culturally responsive practices in higher education and a deeper awareness of how everyday interactions—such as the use of a name—can either foster inclusion or exclusion."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129570"],"dc:language":["en","eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Shiyu Sun"],"dc:subject":["International students","Neo-racism"],"dc:title":["The power of names: Acculturation, belonging, and neo-racism among international students in U.S. higher education"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Educational Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:05Z"}