Abstract:
The educational risk factors of Indian students pursuing postgraduate studies from host countries have often gone unnoticed due to the prevailing model minority stereotype that is ascribed to their ethnic identity. Indian female students, moreover, embrace a uniquely nuanced gender identity that has been historically subject to marginalisation, yet larger numbers of these students are expected to arrive in New Zealand to pursue their doctoral studies. Despite the growing population of Indian and Indian female doctoral students, research on their specific lived experiences of education are scarce. Responding to the gap in the literature of stereotype threat research on this particular population, the current thesis brought to light the perceived ways in which the chosen sample have experienced the phenomena of stereotype threat, identity safety and double identity. A phenomenological methodology was used to understand the perspectives of six Indian female doctoral students in order to supplement the knowledgebase of the constructs and to derive meaning behind their lived individual experiences. The findings revealed that though Indian female students did not report to experiencing stereotype threat, they expressed an awareness of the negative stereotypes associated with both of their ethnic and gender identities. Further, Indian female students reported both positive and negative experiences of identity safety at their university that impacted upon their social and psychological wellbeing. Academic performance, however, was not found to be impacted by experiences of stereotyping, identity safety or double identities that were discussed as attributed to the self-protective characteristics reported by the Indian female doctoral students. The present study not only extended several aspects of the research on stereotype threat, but also raised awareness of the significance of improving universities to better accommodate students from diverse backgrounds in an attempt to enhance their experiences and reduce the negative influence of stereotyping.
