The BCcampus Research Fellows program provides support for B.C. post-secondary educators to conduct research on improving student learning and to share their results and experiences with peers in B.C. and beyond.
Project Lead/Fellow: Glory Ovie and Joann Anokwuru
Institution: University of British Columbia
Project Title: Exploring Black International Graduate Students’ Development of Learner Agency
Research Focus: Black international graduate students contribute to Canadian universities through their academic research, diverse perspectives, active campus engagement, and advocacy for systemic change. However, when these students begin their graduate studies in Canada, they often encounter unfamiliar norms, values, culture, and academic expectations. As they adapt to this new environment, they learn to navigate the learning space, adjust to evolving classroom dynamics, and develop learner agency. Learner agency is the experience of having access to or being empowered to act through personal, relational, and participatory resources, allowing the learner to engage in purposeful, intentional, and meaningful action and learning.
This study explores and will provide valuable insights on how Black international graduate students in three B.C. post-secondary schools develop learner agency. It will also suggest recommendations for policy and faculty supports to foster a more inclusive academic environment to address systemic barriers, cultural isolation, and micro-aggressions. Finally, it advances scholarship by addressing the lack of research in this area.
Biographies:
Dr. Glory Ovie is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Studies at the Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Her research interests include crisis management in schools and equity, diversity, inclusion and decolonization. Glory’s research seeks to disrupt the status quo in teacher education, making practices more inclusive, equitable, and anti-racist.
Dr Joann Anokwuru (she/her) is a special/inclusive educator, advocate, and author with over 28 years’ experience in teaching and school leadership. She holds a BEd and MEd in special education from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, and an MEd in curriculum and pedagogy, leadership, and administration from the University of British Columbia (UBC), as well as an advanced diploma in inclusive education from Queen’s University Belfast and a PhD in curriculum studies from UBC. Additionally, she is a certified educational assessor with Real Training U.K. and a member of the British Psychological Society, U.K. Joann is a district resource teacher for the Urgent Intervention Process, supporting teachers and families with children who have complex needs within the Vancouver School District. She is also a sessional lecturer in the department of counselling psychology and special education at UBC.