" Who Am I Here?" Exploring the Racial Identity Development of Chinese Adolescent International Students in Canada: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Approach

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Social Work (DSW)

Department

Social Work

Program Name/Specialization

Studies in Social Work Practice

Faculty/School

Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work

First Advisor

Dr. Ann Curry-Stevens

Advisor Role

Chair

Second Advisor

Dr. Maryam Khan

Advisor Role

committee member

Third Advisor

Dr. Charles Gyan

Advisor Role

committee member

Abstract

Abstract

This dissertation explores the racial identity development and associated mental health challenges of Chinese Adolescent International Students (CAIS) in Canada, a population navigating complex intersections of race, age, migration, and belonging. Despite their growing presence in Canadian secondary education, CAIS remain understudied in both educational and mental health research, particularly in relation to racial identity development within Western, multicultural societies. Using a Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology, this study draws on in-depth interviews with twenty-five CAIS participants, including ten current high school students, three returnees to China, and twelve who remained abroad in post-secondary education or employment.  The study is theoretically grounded in Critical Race Theory, Ecological Systems Theory, and Camara Phyllis Jones’ framework on the levels of racism, offering a nuanced understanding of how systemic, interpersonal, and internalized forms of racism shape racial identity and mental well-being.

The core contribution of this research is the development of the Multi-Directional Model of Racial Identity Development, a four-stage, non-linear framework that captures the complexity and contextual variability of CAIS identity trajectories:

The racial identity development of Chinese Adolescent International Students unfolded through a multi-directional, four-stage process, shaped by a number of factors such as shifting contexts of migration, cultural expectations, adolescence developmental challenges, and varied forms of racism.

In the pre-arrival stage, participants often carried with them a naïve sense of identity. Before leaving China, racial identity was rarely considered a salient category, yet many had already internalized global hierarchies that privileged whiteness without consciously recognizing them as racialized.

The early-arrival stage was characterized by the collision of expectations with reality. Upon arriving in Canada, students encountered linguistic barriers, cultural alienation, and implicit racial hierarchies masked by the rhetoric of multiculturalism. In navigating these challenges, many expressed a desire to align with whiteness, perceiving it as a pathway to belonging in what appeared, on the surface, to be an inclusive society.

As adolescence and migration pressures deepened, participants entered a double crisis stage, a critical juncture marked by intensified racial discrimination, cultural dissonance, and mounting mental health struggles. It was here that the sense of profound homelessness emerged most acutely, as students questioned who they were and where they belonged, caught between their Chinese heritage and a Canadian environment that alternately praised and excluded them.

From this crisis point, students’ trajectories diverged into multiple, and sometimes disrupted, pathways of racial identity development. For some, identity was shaped through negotiation, where rejection and adaptation coalesced into the formation of a racialized international student identity. Others pursued integration, embracing a hyphenated Chinese Canadian identity that sought balance between home and host cultures. Still others leaned toward continuity, envisioning themselves as global citizens beyond national and racial boundaries. Yet, for some, development was disrupted — with unfinished, stalled, or even reversed trajectories, reflecting the lasting challenges of racism, dislocation, and unfulfilled aspirations.

This dissertation highlights that racial identity development among CAIS is neither linear nor uniform but shaped by age, place, institutional power, and transnational movement. The Multi-directional Model of Racial Identity Development for CAIS offers a critical lens for understanding how diasporic youth negotiate race and mental health in a globalized yet racially stratified world. This dissertation calls for culturally responsive, anti-racist educational and mental health interventions tailored to international youth. By centering the voices of CAIS, it contributes original insights to racial identity theory, transnational youth studies, and critical mental health research.

Convocation Year

2026

Convocation Season

Fall

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