Sanfeng Miao

My name is Sanfeng Miao (she/her). I am a doctoral candidate of Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education (HALE) at Michigan State University. Drawing from my lived experiences as a woman, an international scholar, and a person of color, my work embodies critical, decolonial, and global comparative perspectives. Through my scholarly endeavors, I seek to resist the deficit narratives that surround marginalized individuals and deconstruct the prevailing White and Western-centric paradigms of knowledge in higher education.

My work has been published in Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice, Journal of Studies in Higher Education, Comparative Education Review, Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, among other outlets.

Areas of Research

Global mobility, Identity, and belonging

Global mobility often challenges and reshapes individuals' understanding of themselves and their communities as they engage with diverse experiences, languages, and belief systems. My work delves into the complex process of how international students and scholars negotiate their identities, sense of self, and feelings of belonging in today's interconnected and globalized world.

Women in academia

Globally, women have encountered substantial barriers and discrimination while striving to pursue academic careers, resulting in their underrepresentation in diverse fields and leadership roles. My research investigates the persisting colonial, patriarchal, and racist legacies that perpetuate injustices. I hope to bring about new perspectives for fostering a more equitable academic profession.

Higher Education Internationalization

My research encompasses examining the strategies, policies, practices, and challenges involved in integrating international perspectives into the higher education landscape. My research grapples with several crucial aspects of higher education internationalization such as student and faculty mobility, curriculum internationalization, and global citizenship education.

Humanizing qualitative inquiries

Instead of merely gathering data, I aim to cultivate empathy and connection through collaborative research with the participants. My work employs diverse methodological approaches such as art-based inquiry, ethnography, narrative inquiry, and participatory design, all of which contribute to humanizing the research participants and the overall research process.

Experience

Education

2020-Present

Michigan State University

  • Ph.D. Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education (HALE)
2017-2019

Boston College

  • M.A. International Higher Education
2014-2017

University of Macau

  • B.A. English Studies
  • Minor Translation

Professional

2022-Present
Student Leadership Training Course Coordinator

Michigan State University College of Education

  • Teach one session of EAD 315 Student Leadership Development course during the fall, spring, and summer semester
  • Recruit and train graduate instructors who teach EAD 315 as teaching apprenticeship
2020-2022
Research Assistant

Michigan State University College of Education

  • Involved in quantitative data analysis and reporting of research projects examining undergraduate student engagement with co-curriculum activities in South Africa.
  • Supported USAID Higher Education Career Development Initiative (HECDI) in Mozambique led by Dr. Matthew Warwzynski
2019-2020
Assistant Director of Student Services

University of Vermont College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences

  • Assisted with marketing efforts and coordinated admissions for graduate programs, serving as a liaison with faculty, students, and campus organizations.
  • Developed workshops to support graduate students' career development, provided ongoing support for enrolled students, and analyzed program data for college leadership.
2018-2019
Teaching Assistant

Boston College Lynch School of Education

  • Assisted in curriculum design, organized course materials, and managed the Canvas online course system.
2017-2018
Research Intern

American Council on Education

  • Assisted with secondary research on internationalization policies for university faculty, involving the collection, summarization, and analysis of regional, national, and institutional policies.
2017-2018
Graduate Assistant

Boston College Office of Residential Life

  • Accountable for a 300-student residential community as the second-in-line person.
  • Coordinated bi-weekly social and educational programs and supervised 16 undergraduate residential assistants.

Publications

Journal Articles

  • Miao, S., Baizhanov, S., & Morsi, C. (In Press). Curriculum internationalization in school counseling and related fields: A systematic literature review. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education.
  • Miao, S. (2024). Navigating gender identity: Composite narratives of Chinese international women students studying in the U.S. Higher Education. Available here. 
  • Shahjahan, R., Miao, S., & Baizhanov, S. (2024). Actualizing curriculum internationalization: An integrative review. Comparative Education Review. Available here. 
  • Miao, S. & Wawrzynski, M. (2024). Participation in recreational sports and student engagement in a South African university, Journal of Student Affairs Practice and Research, 61(3), 442–455. Available here.
  • Blalock, A. E., Miao, S., Wentworth, C. (2023). Envisioning future roles: How women medical students navigate the figured world of medical school. The Clinical Teacher, 20(6), e13617. Available here.
  • Miao, S. (2023). Gender disparity in Chinese academia: A conceptual analysis through organizational theory lens. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, 15(3). 126–136. Available here. 
  • Miao, S., & Yang, H. (2021). Foreign-born student affairs professionals’ experiences and contributions: A missing piece in internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education. 27(1), 82–99. Available here.

Book Chapters

  • Miao, S. (2023). Research Discourses on Women Academics During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Has a Bad Situation Turned Worse?. In: Chan, R.Y., Lin, X., Bista, K. (eds) Rethinking Hybrid and Remote Work in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. Available here.
  • Gonzales, L., Gong, R., Miao, S., & Surla, K. (2023). Towards meaningful transformation: Confronting identity capitalism and the commodification of women in academia. In L. Leišytė, J. R. Dee & B. J. R. van der Meulen. (Eds.). Handbook on the Transformation of Higher Education. Edward Elgar Publishing. Available here.

Reports and Essays

  • McClure, K. R., Salle, M.W., Ford, J., Gonzales, L.D., Griffin, K., Jenkins, T., Marquez Kiyama, J., Martinez, M. Martínez-Alemán, A.M., Miao, S., Perez, R.J., & Porter, C.J. (2023). The Impact of COVID-19 on Faculty, Staff, and Students: Using Research to Help Higher Education Heal through the Pandemic and Beyond. Association for the Study of Higher Education. Available here.
  • Miao, S. (2021). College behind bars. Comparative Education Review, 65(3), 581-583. Available here.
  • Miao, S., & Cantwell, B. (2021). Higher Education and Globalization. obo in Education. Available here.
  • Tozini, K., Taylor, C., & Miao, S. (2020). Developing club sports students’ intercultural competence: A case study in campus recreation. In H. De Wit & T. DeLaquil (Eds.), CIHE Perspectives (No. 18), Innovative and inclusive internationalization: Proceedings of the WES-CIHE Summer Institute 2020 (pp. 30-33). Available here. 
  • Miao, S. (2019). Internationalization and global engagement in Hong Kong and Macau universities: Under the impact of the One Belt One Road Initiative. In R. Schendel, H. de Wit, & T. DeLaquil (Eds.), CIHE Perspectives (No. 14), Innovative and inclusive internationalization: Proceedings of the WES-CIHE Summer Institute June 19–21, 2019 (pp. 44-47). Available here.
  • Miao, S. (2018). Towards an inclusive approach to internationalization: Collaborative Online International Learning as an alternative to studying abroad. In L.E. Rumbley & H. de Wit (Eds.), CIHE Perspectives, No. 11. (2018). Innovative and Inclusive Internationalization: Proceedings of the WES-CIHE Summer Institute, June 20-22, 2018 (pp. 34-36). Available here. 

Work in Progress

  • Crafting and assembling: Exploring the formation of self and identity of international women academics in the U.S.
  • Doctoral experiences on popular media: What can be learned from “Life as a PhD student” vlogs?
  • A dialogic spiral to conceptualize home among three international doctoral students
  • Chatting up success: ESL international students’ use of ChatGPT in academic writing
Request an Article

Presentations

  • Miao, S. & Xu, Z. (2024). Conceptualizing home: A duoethnography of Chinese international students. [Paper presentation]. Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Miami, FL.
  • Miao, S. (Nov 15, 2023). Navigating gender identity: Composite narratives of Chinese international women students studying in the U.S. [Paper presentation]. Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Minneapolis. MN.
  • Miao, S. (Nov 17, 2023). Is work-life balance a lie? A multi-modal discourse analysis of “Life as a PhD student” vlogs. [Paper presentation]. Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Minneapolis. MN.
  • Miao, S. (Nov 19, 2022). Research discourse concerning women academics during Coivd-19 pandemic: Has a bad situation turned worse [Paper presentation]? Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Las Vegas. NV.
  • Gonzales, L. Gong, R., Miao, S., & Surla, K. (April 21, 2022). Towards meaningful transformation: Confronting identity capitalism and the commodification of women in academia [Roundtable]. American Educational Research Association (AERA). San Diego, CA.
  • Shahjahan, S., Miao, S., & Baizhanov, S. (April 20, 2022). Curriculum internationalization: A comparative review across disciplines and regional contexts [Paper presentation]. Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Puerto Rico. PR.
  • Miao, S. (April 19, 2022). Making space during Covid-19: International graduate students’ experiences [Paper presentation]. Comparative International Education Societies (CIES). Puerto Rico. PR.
  • Miao, S., & Yang, H. (November 20, 2020). Foreign-born student affairs professionals’ experiences and contributions: A missing piece in internationalization [Paper presentation]. NAFSA Research Symposium. Virtual.
  • Miao, S. (March 23, 2020). Financing doctoral education in China: Doctoral students’ financial wellbeing and policy implications [Paper presentation]. Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Miami, FL.
  • Vital, L. M., & Miao, S. (March 23, 2020). The global citizen leader: Addressing the human and non-human condition beyond geographic boundaries [Paper presentation]. Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Miami, FL.
  • Miao, S. (June 25, 2019). The participation of Hong Kong and Macau universities in Europe-Asia partnerships: under the impact of the New Silk Road (NSR) Initiative [Paper presentation]. Shaping Sustainable Futures for Internationalization in Higher Education. Toronto, ON.
  • Miao, S. (May 26, 2019). Developing Global Citizens Leadership Skills: Perspectives from global development professionals [Poster presentation]. Association of International Educators (NAFSA). Washington D.C.
  • Miao, S. (June 20, 2018). Towards an inclusive approach to internationalization: Collaborative Online International Learning as an alternative to studying abroad. Association of International. World Education Service-Center for International Higher Education Summer Institute [Paper presentation]. Boston, MA.

Teaching

Teaching Statement

"Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other"

Paulo Freire

Teaching and learning serve as transformative spaces, enabling critical exploration of higher education policies, practices, and individual experiences at local, national, and global levels. In line with my research and scholarship, I challenge the dominant White and Western-centric paradigms of knowledge in my teaching. I intentionally infuse international comparative perspectives, critical theories, and decolonial viewpoints into course materials, discussions, and assignments.

As well, I embrace the belief in individual agency, rejecting deficit narratives often imposed on marginalized students. Each student is approached as a unique individual, and I invest time in understanding their personal and learning identities, motivations for joining the class, as well as their academic and career aspirations. This understanding enables me to create a more meaningful and customized learning experience for every student.

In my role as an educator, I see myself as a facilitator of conversations and a collaborator in the knowledge creation and dissemination process. Inspired by Paulo Freire, I believe instructors and students as human beings can pursue inquiry "in the world, with the world, and with each other" inside and outside of the classrooms. Drawing from my research methodologies, I find Art-Based Pedagogy (ABP) particularly valuable for teaching abstract theories and concepts. ABP encompasses a diverse range of creative, cognitive, and practical processes, such as conceptualization, creation, performance, observation, utilization, integration, and reflection on art. This approach offers valuable insights into various domains of knowledge and human experiences.

In one of my classes focused on "Curriculum and Contexts: Disciplinary and Geopolitical," I utilized an artful technique called "found poetry." During this activity, students assembled quotes from the readings and visual elements they discovered online as poetries to represent their understanding of the reading materials. By incorporating this artistic approach, I encouraged students to explore alternative ways of thinking and analysis beyond traditional methods.

 

Teaching Interests

  • Foundations of Higher Education
  • Diversity and Equity in Higher Education
  • Comparative and International Higher Education
  • The Academic Profession
  • College Student Development
  • Qualitative Methods in Higher Education Research
    • Introduction to Qualitative Methods
    • Art-based Inquiry
    • Narrative Inquiry
    • Humanizing Qualitative Inquiries

Awards

2023-2024
Michigan State University Lyman Briggs College

Scholarship of Undergraduate Teaching & Learning (SUTL) Fellowship ($5,000)

2023-2024
Michigan State University College of Education

Dr. Robert N. Coffey, Jr. Memorial Scholarship ($2,050)

2023-2024
Michigan State University College of Education

The Sheldon Cherney Endowed Scholarship in Graduate Studies in Education Overseas ($1,000)

2023
Michigan State University College of Education

Summer Research Fellowship ($7,000)

2022-2023
Michigan State University the Graduate School

Leadership Development Fellowship ($1,000)

2022-2023
Michigan State University College of Education

Sheldon Cherney endowed scholarship in graduate studies in education overseas ($2,250)

2022
Association for the Study of Higher Education

ASHE Graduate Student Travel Scholarship ($400)

2022
Michigan State University College of Education

Summer Research Fellowship ($6,000)

2021-2022
Michigan State University the Graduate School

Leadership Development Fellowship ($1,000)

2021-2022
Michigan State University Office of Studies in International Education

Global Curriculum Fellowship ($3,000)

2021
Michigan State University College of Education

Summer Research Development Fellowship ($6,000)

2021
Michigan State University Asian Studies Center

Shao Chang Lee Best Paper Competition (1st place) ($1,500)

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