Recruitment posters for Indigenous student programs at Taiwanese universities are framed as gestures of educational equity, yet the visual and rhetorical choices embedded in such materials may inadvertently reproduce the very stereotypes they aim to redress. Drawing on Sue’s framework of racial microaggressions and Pierce’s foundational conceptualization, this study examines how Taiwanese higher education institutions visually and textually represent Indigenous students in their admission outreach. We conducted a systematic content analysis of 121 admission posters issued by 22 universities for Indigenous-track programs across academic years 2020–2025. Each poster was coded along three dimensions—visual design, textual content, and curriculum positioning—and classified by microaggression layer (visual, instructional, curricular, interpersonal, or composite) and by type (microinvalidation, microinsult, or microassault).
Findings reveal that 83.5% of posters contained microaggressions: 55 (45.5%) exhibited clear instances, and 46 (38.0%) showed milder forms; only 20 posters (16.5%) were free of identifiable bias. Visual design accounted for the largest share (n=48), followed by institutional-curricular framing (n=32) and composite forms (n=15). Five recurring patterns emerged across institutions: traditional dress used as the default signifier of Indigeneity; curricular narrowing toward athletics, agriculture, and caregiving; decontextualized use of Indigenous geometric motifs as decoration; tribal service framed as the sole legitimate purpose of study; and economic subsidies foregrounded as the principal recruitment appeal. These findings suggest that well-intentioned outreach inadvertently sustains a narrow vision of Indigenous futures. We propose a critical design rubric for recruitment materials and call for institutional review processes that center Indigenous voices in visual and rhetorical decision-making.

Authors:
Wei-Lin Chen, National Sun Yat-sen University, Taiwan
Jen-Hao Chen, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Wei-Lin Chen is an associate professor in the Center for Teacher Education at National Sun Yat-sen University. His current projects focus on adverse experiences and disadvantaged conditions occurring within family or educational settings.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Tuesday Schedule

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