Open AccessA Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry at a Canadian University
Author(s) -
Ge Lin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of international students
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.47
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 2166-3750
pISSN - 2162-3104
DOI - 10.32674/jis.v11i3.2218
Subject(s) - psychology , social connectedness , psychological intervention , mental health , psychological resilience , coping (psychology) , competence (human resources) , social psychology , protective factor , interpretative phenomenological analysis , qualitative research , clinical psychology , psychotherapist , medicine , sociology , psychiatry , social science
This hermeneutic phenomenological inquiry explores the lived experiences of Chinese international students at a Canadian university in COVID times with gender comparison. Ten participants between 20 and 30 years of age are interviewed via Zoom meetings and WeChat videos to reveal specific insights they have gained from their experiences. Based on resilience theory as a theoretical framework, the findings display the students’ protective factors, including internal assets and external resources, i.e., perceived competence, coping skills, self-efficacy, family connectedness, parental support, peer support, school connectedness, and community support, and the risk factors the students face during these challenging times, i.e., academic barriers, mental issues, health threats, and racial prejudges. The interactions of protective factors and risk factors are examined, in reducing or avoiding the negative effects of adversity exposure. Special resilience-based interventions are discussed.