Embracing cultures, balancing autonomy, and finding solutions in international student-led campus community gardens: A participatory action research approach
Swayangsiddha Nayak, Lalita Dhal, Sheri Dorn, Julie H. Campbell
Urban forestry & urban greening
Urban Farm DB summary
A longitudinal qualitative participatory action research study conducted between 2023 and 2024 at a Southeastern U.S. university examined how international students engage with an autonomous, student-led campus community garden, using Berry's Acculturation Theory to explore motivations and the physical, social and psychological barriers they encountered. The study found a cyclical acculturation process in which the garden's autonomy fostered belonging through growing culturally relevant produce and intercultural exchange, while limited institutional support generated uncertainty, mistrust and communication barriers that caused students to oscillate between feelings of integration and separation, eventually prompting self-advocacy and co-leadership structures among the students.