The impact of COVID-19 on the social and cultural integration of international students: a literature review
Abstract This systematic literature review summarises the state-of-the-art evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on the integration of international students in their host countries and institutions. Conducted between January and May 2022, it analyses the responses to COVID-19 of the key actors involve...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Comparative Migration Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-025-00425-3 |
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| author | Cristina Sin Orlanda Tavares Elina Apsite-Berina Judith Borràs Betül Bulut-Sahin Martina Chrančoková Karolina Czerska-Shaw Anne Marie Devlin Sybille Heinzmann Suvi Jokila Anita Kéri Ivana Lešević Annarita Magliacane Anna Nicolaou Neslihan Onder-Ozdemir Adriana Perez-Encinas Natassa Raikou Maria Victoria Soule Deimantas Valančiūnas Ana Iolanda Voda Merve Zayim-Kurtay |
| author_facet | Cristina Sin Orlanda Tavares Elina Apsite-Berina Judith Borràs Betül Bulut-Sahin Martina Chrančoková Karolina Czerska-Shaw Anne Marie Devlin Sybille Heinzmann Suvi Jokila Anita Kéri Ivana Lešević Annarita Magliacane Anna Nicolaou Neslihan Onder-Ozdemir Adriana Perez-Encinas Natassa Raikou Maria Victoria Soule Deimantas Valančiūnas Ana Iolanda Voda Merve Zayim-Kurtay |
| author_sort | Cristina Sin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract This systematic literature review summarises the state-of-the-art evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on the integration of international students in their host countries and institutions. Conducted between January and May 2022, it analyses the responses to COVID-19 of the key actors involved in international student mobility: national/regional authorities, higher education institutions, and students. Findings reveal that governmental action and institutional measures were decisive in shaping international students’ integration experiences. Regarding governmental action, criticism of the policies adopted by Australia and the USA in relation to immigration and/or support stand out, in contrast to policies adopted by the Canadian authorities. Higher education institutions played an important role in mitigating the negative effects of COVID-19 on international students’ integration. These targeted different needs– material, well-being, and social– through different types of support: logistical and financial support, psychological support, and the provision of platforms for ongoing social interaction and exchange. Most studies, however, focus on the students themselves, the challenges they faced during the pandemic and their coping strategies. Common to international students’ lived experience was (dis)connectedness, with the following themes emerging as obstacles to their social and cultural integration: distress during lockdown periods, disruption of their social life and support networks, mental health issues, discrimination and racialised prejudice, and language barriers. The review concludes by proposing recommendations and by identifying avenues for future research. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8874cbf1fa84436e934250f1678fa6ab |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2214-594X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Comparative Migration Studies |
| spelling | doaj-art-8874cbf1fa84436e934250f1678fa6ab2025-02-02T12:12:46ZengSpringerOpenComparative Migration Studies2214-594X2025-01-0113112110.1186/s40878-025-00425-3The impact of COVID-19 on the social and cultural integration of international students: a literature reviewCristina Sin0Orlanda Tavares1Elina Apsite-Berina2Judith Borràs3Betül Bulut-Sahin4Martina Chrančoková5Karolina Czerska-Shaw6Anne Marie Devlin7Sybille Heinzmann8Suvi Jokila9Anita Kéri10Ivana Lešević11Annarita Magliacane12Anna Nicolaou13Neslihan Onder-Ozdemir14Adriana Perez-Encinas15Natassa Raikou16Maria Victoria Soule17Deimantas Valančiūnas18Ana Iolanda Voda19Merve Zayim-Kurtay20Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Education and Development, Lusófona UniversityResearch Centre on Child Studies, Institute of Education, University of MinhoUniversity of LatviaUniversitat de LleidaDepartment of Educational Sciences, Middle East Technical UniversityInstitute for Forecasting - Centre of Social and Psychological Sciences, Slovak Academy of SciencesInstitute of European Studies, Jagiellonian UniversitySchool of Languages, Literature and Culture, University College CorkSchool of Education, University of Applied Sciences and Arts NorthwesternDepartment of Education, University of TurkuFaculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of SzegedFaculty of Applied Management, Economics and Finance, University Business Academy in Novi SadDepartment of English, University of LiverpoolDepartment of French and European Studies, University of CyprusSchool of Foreign Languages, Bursa Uludag UniversityUniversidad Autonoma de MadridUniversity of ThessalyDepartment of French and European Studies, University of CyprusInstitute of Asian and Transcultural Studies, Vilnius UniversityFaculty of Economics and Business Administration, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of IaşiDepartment of Educational Sciences, Middle East Technical UniversityAbstract This systematic literature review summarises the state-of-the-art evidence on the impact of COVID-19 on the integration of international students in their host countries and institutions. Conducted between January and May 2022, it analyses the responses to COVID-19 of the key actors involved in international student mobility: national/regional authorities, higher education institutions, and students. Findings reveal that governmental action and institutional measures were decisive in shaping international students’ integration experiences. Regarding governmental action, criticism of the policies adopted by Australia and the USA in relation to immigration and/or support stand out, in contrast to policies adopted by the Canadian authorities. Higher education institutions played an important role in mitigating the negative effects of COVID-19 on international students’ integration. These targeted different needs– material, well-being, and social– through different types of support: logistical and financial support, psychological support, and the provision of platforms for ongoing social interaction and exchange. Most studies, however, focus on the students themselves, the challenges they faced during the pandemic and their coping strategies. Common to international students’ lived experience was (dis)connectedness, with the following themes emerging as obstacles to their social and cultural integration: distress during lockdown periods, disruption of their social life and support networks, mental health issues, discrimination and racialised prejudice, and language barriers. The review concludes by proposing recommendations and by identifying avenues for future research.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-025-00425-3International studentsIntegrationCOVID-19National policiesInstitutional support |
| spellingShingle | Cristina Sin Orlanda Tavares Elina Apsite-Berina Judith Borràs Betül Bulut-Sahin Martina Chrančoková Karolina Czerska-Shaw Anne Marie Devlin Sybille Heinzmann Suvi Jokila Anita Kéri Ivana Lešević Annarita Magliacane Anna Nicolaou Neslihan Onder-Ozdemir Adriana Perez-Encinas Natassa Raikou Maria Victoria Soule Deimantas Valančiūnas Ana Iolanda Voda Merve Zayim-Kurtay The impact of COVID-19 on the social and cultural integration of international students: a literature review Comparative Migration Studies International students Integration COVID-19 National policies Institutional support |
| title | The impact of COVID-19 on the social and cultural integration of international students: a literature review |
| title_full | The impact of COVID-19 on the social and cultural integration of international students: a literature review |
| title_fullStr | The impact of COVID-19 on the social and cultural integration of international students: a literature review |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of COVID-19 on the social and cultural integration of international students: a literature review |
| title_short | The impact of COVID-19 on the social and cultural integration of international students: a literature review |
| title_sort | impact of covid 19 on the social and cultural integration of international students a literature review |
| topic | International students Integration COVID-19 National policies Institutional support |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40878-025-00425-3 |
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