Institutional and Agentic Mechanisms of Educational Mobility Justice in Study Abroad

This qualitative study investigates the pathways that first-generation, low-income, ethnoracially minoritized college students create and navigate to access and sustain their presence in study abroad. Using a counter-storytelling approach and semi-structured interviews, the study reveals the significant role of campus TRIO Student Support Services programs in expanding students’ perceptions of what is possible. By applying the theoretical framework of educational mobility justice, this research demonstrates how these supportive efforts, combined with students’ agency, enable them to creatively navigate structural barriers like class that often limit their mobility imaginaries. The study critically engages with the broader landscape of U.S. higher education, highlighting the complexities and inequalities inherent in study abroad. It challenges deficit-oriented narratives that have traditionally explained the underrepresentation of historically marginalized students in study abroad, instead emphasizing the strengths and agency of these students in shaping their educational journeys. This research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of mobility in the context of international education.