Emotionally-Scaffolded Internationalisation at Home in Sino-Foreign Universities: Developing and Piloting a Culturally Responsive Conversational Partnership Model at XJTLU

22,500

This funded research project explores how emotionally scaffolded intercultural dialogue can strengthen global citizenship, participation equity, and students’ sense of belonging in Sino-foreign higher education.
Using a Design-Based Research (DBR) approach, the project develops, pilots, and evaluates the Emotionally-Scaffolded Internationalisation at Home (ES-IaH) Model, integrating Internationalisation at Home (IaH), Critical Interculturality, Emotional Presence, and Culturally Responsive Social-Emotional Learning (CR-SEL).
The project will design and implement structured conversational partnerships, reflective dialogue activities, and emotionally responsive facilitation strategies to support meaningful intercultural engagement among domestic and international students at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU). Outcomes include an evidence-informed ES-IaH Toolkit, practical guidance for educators, and research on how emotional scaffolding can enhance intercultural competence, reduce language anxiety, foster belonging, and promote equitable participation.