Reconceptualising ‘agency in mobility’: Agency for becoming and other forms of agency in study abroad

Abstract

Study‐abroad programs are increasingly adopted and supported by institutions and governments as a strategic tool for deepening internationalisation and public diplomacy through people‐to‐people, institution‐to‐institution and country‐to‐country connections. Yet, the agency of study‐abroad students who are engaged in outbound mobility as part of their study program in their home institution has long been neglected. This article draws on a study of the New Colombo Plan (NCP) to explore how Australian students exercise agency during their experiences in China. The article is based on 44 in‐depth interviews with Australian students learning abroad in China. It uses a theoretical framework combining Sen's capability approach, Marginson's notion of student self‐formation and Tran and Vu's conceptualisation of ‘agency in mobility’. The article analyses student agency in developing ethno‐relative perspectives, comparative curriculum‐specific knowledge, empathy, intercultural competence and professional skills. The research unpacks and conceptualises the five main forms of agency that Australian students exercise to navigate their experiences in China: agency for becoming, needs‐response agency, agency for connecting, agency for disrupting and agency for contributing . The article highlights how reverse student mobility, such as Australian student mobility to China, and cross‐border student agency in this process can be a powerful mechanism to disrupt coloniality in international education.