International students in crisis times: Exploring the experiences of international students studying in Saudi Arabia during the Covid-19 pandemic
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47750/pegegog.11.04.25Keywords:
International students, Saudi Arabia, Covid-19 pandemic, ScholarshipsAbstract
The purpose of this qualitative research is to explore the experiences of international students studying in Saudi Arabia during the Covid-19 pandemic. By focusing on a sample of international students at different Saudi universities, the researcher generated data through semi-structured individual interviews with the participants via Zoom due to Covid-19 circumstances. The overall findings of this research revealed three themes that emerged from the interviews: the challenges of international students, their benefits and, support services offered to them in Saudi Arabia during the Covid-19 pandemic. The challenges include educational, economic, technical, social, health, and religious challenges. The benefits include educational, economic, technical, social, and religious benefits. The various support services offered to international students include support from universities, community charitable institutions, and individuals. Finally, implications of the findings and directions for future research are provided.
Downloads
References
Alsulami, N. (2021). Services and facilities provided to international students in Australian and Saudi universities: A comparative study. Journal of Education Sohag University, 2(81), 128–154.
Anandavalli, S., Harrichand, J. J., & Litam, S. D. A. (2020). Counseling international students in times of uncertainty: A critical feminist and bioecological approach. Professional Counselor. The Professional Counselor, 10(3), 365–375.
Bilecen, B. (2020). Commentary: COVID19 pandemic and higher education: International mobility and students’ social protection. International Migration, 58(4), 263–266.
Boyatzis, R. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.): Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Crawford, J., Butler-Henderson, K., Rudolph, J., Malkawi, B., Glowatz, M., Burton, R., ... & Lam, S. (2020). COVID-19: 20 countries' higher education intra-period digital pedagogy responses. Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching, 3(1), 1–20.
Demuyakor, J. (2020). Coronavirus (COVID-19) and online learning in higher institutions of education: A survey of the perceptions of Ghanaian international students in China. Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies, 10(3), 1–9.
Firang, D. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on international students in Canada. International Social Work, 63(6), 820–824.
Gallagher, H. L., Doherty, A. Z., & Obonyo, M. (2020). International student experiences in Queensland during COVID-19. International Social Work, 63(6), 815–819.
General Authority for Statistics in Saudi Arabia (2020, June 10). Chapter four: Education and Training. Retrieved from https://www.stats.gov.sa/ar/1010-0
Gomes, C. (2020). Living in a parallel society: International students and their friendship circles. Journal of International Students, 10(1), xiii–xv.
Guest, G., MacQueen, K. M., & Namey, E. E. (2012). Applied thematic analysis. London: Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage Publications.
Hari, A., Nardon, L., & Zhang, H. (2021). A transnational lens into international student experiences of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Global Networks, 1–17.
Hassan, I., BaraU Gamji, M., Yahaya Nasidi, Q., & Latiff Azmi, M. N. (2021). Challenges and benefits of web 2.0-based learning among international students of English during the Covid-19 pandemic in Cyprus. Arab World English Journal, 12(1),295–306.
Islamic University. (2020, May 10) Main page. Retrieved from https://www.iu.edu.sa/site_page/20234
Johnson, B. (2014). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (5th Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications
Jeffrey, C. (2020). Students are the generation most affected by Covid-19: Universities must respond. Available online at: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/blog/students-are-generation-most-affectedcovid-19-universities-must-respond (accessed 17 July 2021).
Knight, J. (2015). Internationalization: Unintended consequences? International Higher Education, (54).
Kumar, R. (2014). Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. London: Sage Publications.
Li, W., Gillies, R., He, M., Wu, C., Liu, S., Gong, Z., & Sun, H. (2021). Barriers and facilitators to online medical and nursing education during the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspectives from international students from low-and middle-income countries and their teaching staff. Human Resources for Health, 19(1), 1–14.
Lichtman, M. (2013). Qualitative research in education: A user's guide (3rd Ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Litam, S. D. A. (2020). “Take your Kung Flu back to Wuhan”: Counseling Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders with race-based trauma related to COVID-19. The Professional Counselor, 10(2), 144–156.
Ministry of education in Saudi Arabia, (2020, May 13). Scholarships portal for non-Saudis. Retrieved from https://scholarship.moe.gov.sa/#
Ministry of education in Saudi Arabia, (2021, May 13). Statistics of the Ministry of Education during a year of distance education. Retrieved from https://www.moe.gov.sa/ar/mediacenter/MOEnews/Pages/rm1442-t3.aspx
Mok, K. H., Xiong, W., Ke, G., & Cheung, J. O. W. (2021). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on international higher education and student mobility: Student perspectives from mainland China and Hong Kong. International Journal of Educational Research, 105(101718),1–11.
Nguyen, O. O. T. K., & Balakrishnan, V. D. (2020). International students in Australia–during and after COVID-19. Higher Education Research & Development, 39(7), 1372–1376.
Novikov, P. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 emergency transition to on-line learning onto the international students’ perceptions of educational process at Russian university. Journal of Social Studies Education Research, 11(3), 270–302.
Nurfaidah, S., Tambunan, A. R. S., Yonata, F., Kurniawati, D., & Lestariyana, R. P. D. (2020). International Students' perceptions of virtual service-learning program amidst covid-19 pandemic. Journal of International Students, 10(S3), 198–208.
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th Ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.
Qianqian Zhang-Wu. (2020). Teaching hybrid online college composition classes to international students during COVID-19: Equity, diversity, inclusiveness, and community building. English Leadership Quarterly, 43(2), 9–13.
Stake, R. E. (2005). The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications
Susanto, G., & Rahayu, E. Y. (2020). The emotional geography of international students in online Bahasa Indonesia learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of International Students, 10(S3), 161–179.
Umm Al-Qura University. (2020, June 15). University statistics. Retrieved from https://uqu.edu.sa/main/1072
Wang, X., Hujjaree, K., & Wang, F. (2020). Mental health impacts for international students during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Research Square,12(2), 1–13.
Wen, J., Aston, J., Liu, X., & Ying, T. (2020). Effects of misleading media coverage on public health crisis: A case of the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak in China. Anatolia: An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research, 31(2), 331–336.
Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods (5th Ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage Publications.
Zhai, Y., & Du, X. (2020). Mental health care for international Chinese students affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The Lancet Psychiatry, 7(4), E22.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
