Keywords
anti-racism toolkit, instructor practice, internationalization, anti-racist pedagogy, community college, mixed methods
Special Issue
Examining Race, Racism, and Racialization in the Internationalization of Higher Education from Global Perspectives
Abstract
This study examines how instructors in internationalized community college programs engage with a co‑developed Anti‑Racism Curriculum & Pedagogy Toolkit designed to support anti‑racist teaching in highly diverse learning environments. The internationalization of higher education often foregrounds mobility, intercultural competence, and institutional prestige while underexamining racialized power relations and obscuring the racialized hierarchies and colonial legacies that shape knowledge production, pedagogy, and the daily experiences of students and instructors. Drawing on a convergent mixed‑methods design, the study integrates survey data (n=42), interviews (n=15), and focus groups to assess the toolkit’s perceived relevance, pedagogical impact, and institutional conditions shaping its uptake. Findings show that the toolkit catalyzed instructor self‑reflection, increased awareness of bias, and prompted concrete curricular adjustments, yet instructors expressed uncertainty about translating insights into sustained pedagogical practice. Gaps related to discipline‑specific examples, workload constraints, and broader institutional supports highlight the need for scaffolded professional development and structural integration. By centering instructor perspectives, this study contributes empirical insight into how anti‑racist pedagogies can be operationalized within internationalized higher education and identifies strategies for institutionalizing anti‑racist and inclusive pedagogical practice across diverse program contexts.
References
References
Ahmed, S. (2012). On being included: Racism and diversity in institutional life. Duke University Press.
Ash, A. N., Hill, R., Risdon, S. N., & Jun, A. (2020). Anti-racism in higher education: A model for change. Race and Pedagogy Journal: Teaching and Learning for Justice, 4(3). https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/322981548.pdf
Bensimon, E. M. (2007). The underestimated significance of practitioner knowledge in the scholarship on student success. The Review of Higher Education, 30(4), 441–469. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.2007.0032
Blakeney, A. M. (2005). Antiracist pedagogy: Definition, theory, and professional development. Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy, 2(1), 119–132. https://doi.org/10.1080/15505170.2005.10411532
Bragg, D. D., & Durham, B. (2012). Perspectives on access and equity in the era of (community) college completion. Community College Review, 40(2), 106–125. https://doi.org/10.1177/0091552112444724
Browne, S., & Jean-Marie, G. (Eds.). (2017). Reconceptualizing social justice in teacher education: Moving to anti-racist pedagogy. Palgrave Macmillan.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589–597. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
Burke, M., Hanson, C., & Abraham, C. (2021). Addressing Black inclusivity within a Canadian post-secondary engineering faculty: A critical perspective. Canadian Journal of Science, Mathematics and Technology Education, 21(2), 257–272. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42330-021-00155-5
Cox, R. D. (2016). Complicating conditions: Obstacles and interruptions to low-income students’ college “choices.” The Journal of Higher Education, 87(1), 1–26. https://www.jstor.org/stable/i40148948
Creswell, J. W., & Plano Clark, V. L. (2018). Designing and conducting mixed methods research (3rd ed.). Sage.
Cukier, W., Adamu, P., Wall-Andrews, C., & Elmi, M. (2021). Racialized leaders leading Canadian universities. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. https://doi.org/10.1177/17411432211001363
Davis, D. J., & Museus, S. D. (Eds.). (2022). Racism and racial equity in higher education: Theories, frameworks, and practices. Stylus Publishing.
Dei, G. J. S. (1996). Anti-racism education: Theory and practice. Fernwood Publishing.
Denga, B., Bock-Freeman, R., Gallimore, J., George, R., Letendre, D., Bell, J., Shupack, J., Lavy, R., Witherspoon, D., & Stewart, N. (2023). Anti-racism curriculum and pedagogy toolkit. NorQuest College. https://www.norquest.ca/about-us/resources/anti-racism-curriculum-pedagogy-toolkit/
DiAngelo, R. (2018). White fragility: Why it’s so hard for white people to talk about racism. Beacon Press
Eddy, P.L., Garza Mitchell, R.L. (2012). Faculty as Learners: Developing Thinking Communities. Innov High Educ 37, 283–296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-011-9202-z
Eddy, P. L., Hao, Y., Iverson, E., & Macdonald, R. H. (2022). Fostering Communities of Practice Among Community College Science Faculty. Community College Review, 50(4), 391-414. https://doi.org/10.1177/00915521221111474
Elias, A., Ben, J., & Hiruy, K. (2020). Reimagining anti-racism as a core organizational value. Journal of Australian Social Work Education, 19(1), 5–20.
Fakunle, O. (2024). Conceptualizing Centrality in Micro-Level Internationalization Through a Decolonial Approach. Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education, 16(5). https://doi.org/10.32674/9rdmeg58
Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blase, K. A., Friedman, R. M., & Wallace, F. (2005). Implementation research: A synthesis of the literature. University of South Florida/ National Implementation Research Network.
George Brown College – Anti-Racism Strategy & Action Plan. https://www.georgebrown.ca/anti-racism/strategy-and-action-plan
Guskey, T. R. (2002). Professional Development and Teacher Change. Teachers and Teaching, 8(3), 381–391. https://doi.org/10.1080/135406002100000512
Harlow, R. (2003). “Race doesn’t matter, but …”: The effect of race on professors’ experiences and emotion management in the undergraduate college classroom.” Social Psychology Quarterly, 66(4), 348–363. https://doi.org/10.2307/1519834
Henry, F., Dua, E., James, C. E., Kobayashi, A., Li, P., Ramos, H., & Smith, M. (2017). The equity myth: Racialization and indigeneity at Canadian universities. UBC Press.
Hoyos Ensuncho, M. (2023). Decolonial Practices in Higher Education from the Global South: A Systematic Literature Review. Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education, 15(5), 12–26. https://doi.org/10.32674/jcihe.v15i5.5299
Jaafar, R. (2026). “From Participants to Leaders: Reflections on Faculty Development for Equity-Minded Leadership and Data Coaching in a Community College.” New Directions for Community Colleges, 213, 5–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.70025
Jaeger, A. J., Maldonado, L. G., Burleson, S., & Wolfe, C. (2024). Applying What We Know About Student Success to Creating a Model for Faculty Success. Community College Review, 52(4), 501-524.
Joseph-Salisbury, R., & Connelly, L. (2021). Anti-racist scholar-activism. Manchester University Press.
Kendi, I. X. (2019). How to be an antiracist. One World.
Kezar, A. (2018). How colleges change: Understanding, leading, and enacting change (2nd ed.). Routledge.
Kishimoto, K. (2018). Anti-racist pedagogy: From faculty’s self-reflection to organizing within and beyond the classroom. Race Ethnicity and Education, 21(4), 540–554. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2016.1248824
Kumashiro, K. K. (2015). Against common sense: Teaching and learning toward social justice (3rd ed.). Routledge
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465–491.
Lee, J. J., & Rice, C. (2007). Welcome to America? International student perceptions of discrimination. Higher Education, 53(3), 381–409.
Levin, J. S. (2007). Nontraditional students and community colleges: The conflict of justice and neoliberalism. Palgrave Macmillan.
Matias, C. E. (2016). Feeling White: Whiteness, emotionality, and education. Sense Publishers.
McNair, T. B., Bensimon, E. M., & Malcom-Piqueux, L. (2020). From equity talk to equity walk: Expanding practitioner knowledge for racial justice in higher education. Jossey-Bass. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119428725
Ohito, E. O., & LaGarry, A. E. (2023). An intersectional framework for anti-racist pedagogy in uncertain times. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 29(7-8), 663–679. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2023.2172392
Ontario Human Rights Commission. (2023). Anti-Black racism in education: Compendium of recommendations. https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/anti-black-racism-education-compendium-recommendations
Phillipson, R. (1992). Linguistic imperialism. Oxford University Press.
Rissler, H. (2026). Exploring how community college faculty developers can promote equity-minded teaching practices despite anti-DEI legislation. New Directions for Community Colleges, 2026(2013), 27-32. https://doi.org/10.1002/cc.70020
Santos, B. de S. (2014). Epistemologies of the South: Justice against epistemicide. Routledge.
Sensoy, Ö., & DiAngelo, R. (2017). Is everyone really equal? An introduction to key concepts in social justice education (2nd ed.). Teachers College Press.
Shafi, A., & Nagdee, I. (2022). Race to the bottom: Reclaiming antiracism. Pluto Press.
Shahjahan, R. A., Estera, A. L., Surla, K. L., & Edwards, K. T. (2021). “Decolonizing” Curriculum and Pedagogy: A Comparative Review Across Disciplines and Global Higher Education Contexts. Review of Educational Research, 92(1), 73-113. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543211042423 (Original work published 2022)
Stein, S., & da Silva, J. 2020. “Challenges and Complexities of Decolonizing Internationalization in a Time of Global Crises.” ETD Educação Temática Digital 22(3): 546–566.
Stein, S., Andreotti, V., Bruce, J., & Suša, R. (2016). Towards different conversations about the internationalization of higher education. Comparative and International Education / Éducation comparée et internationale, 45(1), Article 2.
Stein, S. (2016). Rethinking the ethics of internationalization: Five challenges for higher education. InterActions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies, 12(2), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.5070/D4122031205
Stein, S. & McCartney, D. M. (2021). Emerging conversations in critical internationalization studies. Journal of International Students, 11(S1), 1–14.
Verma, A., Webster, M., Smith, D., & Sam, L. (2022). Anti-racism in higher education: An action guide for change. Policy Press
Recommended Citation
Denga, Benjamin; Chell, Wanda; and Kreller, Caylee R.
(2026)
"Implementing Anti-Racism Pedagogies in Internationalized Higher Education: Instructor Perspectives from a Community College,"
Journal of Comparative & International Higher Education: Vol. 18:
No.
5, Article 4.
DOI: 10.64899/2151-0407.1924
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.lib.uconn.edu/jcihe/vol18/iss5/4

