Third Space Lab Recruits Research Participants for a Longitudinal Study – Transformative Learning and Third Space Personae Development in Global Education

Dear First-Year Students,

We are looking for incoming first-year students about to study at DKU to participate in a research project conducted by Emmanuelle S. Chiocca, Ph.D., Zhang Xin, Ph.D., co-directors of the Third Space Lab and faculty members in the Language and Culture Center.

Our research project revolves around students’ change as a result of living and studying in a translingual and intercultural environment. This research is being conducted in higher education institutions both in China and in the United States. You were selected as a possible participant because you are about to study at DKU.

We are trying to understand how students make sense of their experiences in a translingual and intercultural environment and we are interested in exploring what they perceive to be contributing to their change over time, if any. We would very much appreciate your support by participating in our survey before you join DKU (before 08/10 for international students and before 08/22 for domestic Chinese students). The survey should take approximately 15 minutes to complete and is voluntary.

After the survey, if you are interested in participating further and are selected for it, there is a second, more in-depth phase with the possibility of compensation for your time. If you opt in, we will contact you to schedule a 30 minute Zoom or in-person interview. Eventually, if selected, we would want to survey you during your first and second semesters at DKU, and interview you again at the end of your first year. If selected, we will also interview you before and after your Duke semester, and we will ask you to record your experience during your time abroad in the form of journaling, videos, and/or photos.

The information collected will be kept confidential (we will be the only one with access to your personal information such as your email address) and will be used for research purposes only. Participants of both the survey and the interview phases of the study will receive a 400 RMB gift card, and the chance of developing a portfolio/signature work out of their Third Space story-building and story-telling guided by the Third Space Lab.

You will find the link to the survey below: https://duke.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_7UnFIo7fdkWuS8Z


Sincerely,

Emmanuelle S. Chiocca, Ph.D., and Zhang Xin, Ph.D.