Transborder Identity Development: A Photovoice Constructivist Grounded Theory Study of Transfronterizx Students in Postsecondary and Higher Education at the San Diego-Tijuana Border Region

The purpose of this photovoice constructivist grounded theory study is to illustrate the intersections and developmental processes of a transborder identity among Transfronterizx students in postsecondary and higher education institutions at the San Diego-Tijuana border region by examining the psychosocial and cognitive-structural factors that influenced their social identities. To generate the findings of this study, I conducted 11 photovoice focus groups and 20 one-on-one photovoice interviews in three grounded theory data collection and analysis phases, consisting of 691 photos with 32 current and former Transfronterizx students in postsecondary and higher education institutions at the San Diego-Tijuana border region. The intersections and developmental processes of a transborder identity are illustrated in a model grounded by the thoughts, feelings, and experiences participants shared about their academic trajectories, transborder performances and salient social identities at the San Diego-Tijuana borderlands. Transborder identity is defined by five in-vivo themes representing the meanings Transfronterizx students ascribed to themselves in relationship to others and their environment at the San Diego-Tijuana borderlands: (1) "We Speak English, We Speak Spanish, We Speak Spanglish," (2) "Soy De Aquí y Soy de Allá" (3) "Building Bridges, Not Walls," (4) "We Have to Adapt to Live in these Situations" and (5) "Las Ganas de Salir Adelante." The findings also illustrate the current realities lived by Transfronterizx students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for future research, practice and policy centered on fostering the development and success of Transfronterizx students in postsecondary and higher education institutions at the San Diego-Tijuana border region are addressed.