A Critical Framework: Chinese Students' Perceptions of University Climate and Support During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In Event: Examining Asian American Students' Educational Experiences During the Twin Pandemics of COVID-19 and Anti-Asian Hate

Abstract

Chinese international students have accounted for the largest international student subgroup at US universities for the past 11 years. However, the increase rate of international student enrollment in the US has been declining, and the number has fallen since 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of the lack of an updated empirical study, little is known about how international students perceive the support from US universities during the pandemic. With this focus, we analyzed semi-structured interviews with 15 participants in the summer of 2020 at a southern US research university. The findings showed that racial micro-aggressions and covert/overt discrimination have affected Chinese international students’ experiences abroad and made their campus life more challenging during this difficult time.

Authors

• Xinxin Wang, Fudan University

• Xue Lan Rong, University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill