A Biographical-Narrative Inquiry to the Transitions of Latin American Immigrant Students: A Collective Case Study in the Context of Chilean Higher Education

Authors

César M. Díaz Pacheco, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. Centro de Investigación para la Educación Inclusiva (SCIA ANID CIE160009)Follow
Juan Llanes Ordóñez, Instituto de Investigación en Educación, Facultad de Educación, Universitat de BarcelonaFollow
María Paz Sandín Esteban, Instituto de Investigación en Educación, Facultad de Educación, Universitat de BarcelonaFollow
María Leonor Conejeros Solar, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso.Centro de Investigación para la Educación Inclusiva (SCIA ANID CIE160009)Follow

Abstract

Chile has positioned itself as an important receiving nation of immigrants in Latin America, which is evidenced by the emergence of foreign students in both universities and professional institutes. The main objective of this article is to understand the inclusion-exclusion factors of a group of Latin American students immersed in Chile’s higher education system. The authors used a biographical-narrative inquiry to conduct eight in-depth interviews and a participatory group methodology in Chile’s Valparaíso Region. The findings show that factors such as the presence of an influential adult figure, institutional welcoming mechanisms, access to work, and expectations of timely graduation and future residence all play a significant role in the educational transitions of these immigrant students who have experienced cultural and spatial changes. The study concludes that these types of elements translate into key protective factors in the successful educational transitions of this group of young immigrants, who have developed the journey from school to the university world.

Keywords

immigration, narratives, transitions, biographical narrative inquiry, Valparaíso Region

Author Bio(s)

Dr. César Díaz Pacheco is a Postdoctoral researcher at the Research Center for Inclusive Education (SCIA ANID CIE160009) of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile. His line of study has been developed around the multimodal perspective and biographical-narrative research methods. Address: Avenida El Bosque 1290, Viña del Mar, Chile. Mail: cesar.diaz@pucv.cl Phone: +569950941958. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5367-7160

Dr. Juan Llanes Ordóñez is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Education of the Universitat de Barcelona, Spain. His line of research is framed in the processes of orientation and insertion trajectories of adults. Address: Passeig de la Vall d’hebron, 171. Llevant building, 2nd floor. Office 211. Barcelona 08035, Spain. Mail: juanllanes@ub.edu Phone: +34658984504. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0059-9741

Dr. María Paz Sandín Esteban is a Professor at the Faculty of Education of the Universitat de Barcelona, Spain. Her line of qualitative research has contributed to the development of narrative inquiry in the field of teaching and learning, resilience, and educational success. Address: Passeig de la Vall d’hebron, 171. Llevant building, second floor. Dpt. MIDE. Barcelona, 08035, Spain. Mail: mpsandin@ub.edu Phone: +34934651701. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1836-6126

Dr. María Leonor Conejeros Solar is a Principal Investigator of the Research Center for Inclusive Education (SCIA ANID CIE160009). Professor at the School of Pedagogy of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Chile. She has developed studies in the field of educational inclusion and high ability. Address: Avenida El Bosque 1290, Viña del Mar, Chile. Mail: leonor.conejeros@pucv.cl Phone: +56992772372. https://orcid.org/ 0000-0001-9725-9753

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID, Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo) through the Program for Doctoral Studies Abroad BECAS-CHILE. We would also like to thank the Research Department (DI, Dirección de Investigación) of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso for their support in the publication of this article.

Publication Date

12-3-2023

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2023.6230

Recommended APA Citation

Díaz Pacheco, C. M., Llanes Ordóñez, J., Sandín Esteban, M., & Conejeros Solar, M. (2023). A Biographical-Narrative Inquiry to the Transitions of Latin American Immigrant Students: A Collective Case Study in the Context of Chilean Higher Education. The Qualitative Report, 28(12), 3592-3608. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2023.6230

ORCID ID

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5367-7160

ResearcherID

13.878.550-5