“It is not my fault”: Exploring experiences and perceptions of racism among international students of color during COVID-19.

Abstract

Using neoracism (Lee & Rice, 2007) as a theoretical framework, this study explored international students’ experiences, challenges, and perceptions of racism and racial discrimination during COVID-19 in the U.S. By conducting three virtual focus group interviews with 18 international students in total, we identified three key themes that encapsulated participants’ challenges and experiences of perceived racism: perceptions of racism—explicit discrimination and fear of threats, feelings of being unwelcome and unsafe, and two faces of quarantine—navigating tensions of relief and isolation. Implications for research and practice to support international students are discussed.

A Phenomenological Study on the Positive and Negative Experiences of Chinese International University Students From Hong Kong Studying in the U.K. and U.S. in the Early Stage of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The issue of discrimination and stigmatization against those of Chinese or East Asian descent would also be detrimental to the wellbeing of Chinese international students. Indeed, the uprising of racial prejudice toward people of Chinese or East Asian descent throughout the pandemic has been frequently reported in the literature (38)(39)(40). Racist stigmatization of ethnic and racial minorities are identified as a strong predictor of early onset of mental and psychiatric disorders in adolescents and young adults that significantly associated with elevated incidences of feelings of isolation, depression, substance abuse, and self-inflicting behaviors (29,41), and affect career development (42).…”

Navigating the “Dual Pandemics”: The Cumulative Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Rise in Awareness of Racial Injustices among High School Students of Color in Urban Schools

“… Cheah et al (2020) found that COVID-19 experiences of racial discrimination were associated with high levels of general anxiety disorder and depressive symptoms in both children and their parents. Koo et al, (2021) explored experiences and perceptions of racism among 18 international students from six different countries using virtual focus group interviews. The participants described explicit discrimination and fear of threats, feelings of being unwelcome and unsafe, and balancing the tension between relief and isolation during quarantine.…”

New Voices from Intersecting Identities Among International Students Around the World

“…In many cases, international students are those who were academically high achievers in their home countries and highly proficient in English, and many of them are selected as government-funded scholars from their home countries (Koo, Km et al, 2021). However, those with the excelled English skills and academic competence are not considered as good in their host country as they were in their home countries and many international students immediately get frustrated that they cannot understand the lectures, class activities, and class discussions in their host universities (Koo, Yao et al, 2021;Koo, Kim et al, 2021). This bitter and frustrating experiences impacts international students' first impressions in their host countries as first-year international students.…”