Open AccessInternational Student Experience at US Community Colleges at the Onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Author(s) -
Melissa Whatley
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.v12i1.3359
Subject(s) - pandemic , covid-19 , focus group , work (physics) , international community , political science , psychology , pedagogy , sociology , international education , medical education , higher education , public relations , medicine , mechanical engineering , disease , pathology , politics , anthropology , law , infectious disease (medical specialty) , engineering
This study’s purpose is to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on international students who were studying at US community colleges at the onset of this public health crisis. While previous work has explored the impact of the pandemic on international students generally, we argue that community college international students deserve focused attention due to their potentially marginalized status on their campuses. Using a mixed-methods research approach, we analyze survey and focus group data provided by 17 randomly-selected community college educators. Our results speak to two overarching themes: the supports provided to students at the onset of the pandemic (and educators reasons for providing these specific supports) and the unique impact of the pandemic on community college international students due to their citizenship or residency status. These findings have important implications for community college leaders and international educators as they work with international students during future times of crisis.