Belonging as a Resource of Resilience: Psychological Wellbeing of International and Refugee Students in Study Preparation at German Higher Education Institutions

Grüttner, Michael

doi:10.5204/ssj.v10i3.1275

Cited by 15 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…A social approach to resilience shifts from an internal characteristic to something both produced by and acting on social connections. This aligns to Grüttner's (2019) research where wellbeing is enhanced by students' sense of belonging. We can see this in how international students prepare for studying in Australia by building and relying on social networks prior to coming to the university, as well as how they "give back" to others through their academic career.…”

Section: Conclusion: Resilience and Finding Belonging In A Pandemicsupporting

confidence: 84%

“…This social approach shifts resilience from an internal or individual characteristic to a social quality or a relational capacity. For example, survey research of German international and refugee students in higher education suggests that wellbeing was compromised by social exclusion, whereas feeling a sense of belonging within a course cohort was a source of resilience (Grüttner, 2019). This mirrors research with other population groups, such as studies of medical education students, refugee children, and participants of youth adventure education, where belonging is found to enhance resilience (McKenna et al, 2016;Pieloch et al, 2016;Scarf et al, 2016).…”

Section: Resilience Belonging Connection and International Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Higher Degree Students (HDR) during COVID-19

Gomes¹,

Hendry

Souza

et al. 2021

jis

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The wellbeing of higher degree research (HDR) students, or postgraduate students during the COVID-19 pandemic has been of concern. In Australia, international students have queued for food parcels, while headlines report stark drops in international enrolments and the financial bottom line of universities. We undertook a pilot study using ethnographic interview methods to understand the lived experiences of current international and domestic HDR students at an Australian university in Melbourne, from June to August 2020 (n=26). In this paper, we discuss domestic and international students’ experiences during the pandemic. International HDR students faced similar challenges to domestic students, but experienced further stressors as temporary migrants. We discuss their experiences in relation to resilience, understood as a relational and collective quality. We suggest that institutions develop policies and programmes to address resilience and build students’ sense of belonging and connection, informed by how students cope with challenges such as COVID-19.

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Section: Conclusion: Resilience and Finding Belonging In A Pandemicsupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Resilience Belonging Connection and International Studentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher Degree Students (HDR) during COVID-19

Gomes¹,

Hendry

Souza

et al. 2021

jis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…I will now take the liberty of making one last comment for the current occasion of the Covid-19 pandemic: Prospective refugee students particularly benefit from experiences of social integration, which goes hand in hand with social recognition and appreciation in study preparation programmes (Grüttner, 2019). Existing educational inequalities are likely to be exacerbated in the course of the pandemic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study Preparation of Refugees in Germany: How Teachers’ Evaluative Practices Shape Educational Trajectories

Schröder¹

2021

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Recent research shows that a remarkable share of refugees who have arrived in Germany over the past few years is highly qualified and has strong educational and academic aspirations. Preparatory colleges (Studienkollegs) and language courses of higher education institutions are the two main organisations providing obligatory study preparation for non‐EU international study applicants in Germany, including an increasing number of refugees. So far, research on conditions for refugees’ successful transitions into and through study preparation, and eventually into higher education, is scarce. The article fills a research gap on the organisational level by considering the established norms and rules of study preparation organisations and the key role of teachers in shaping successful pathways into higher education. Based on central concepts deriving from the sociology of valuation and evaluation, categorisation, and evaluative repertoires, the article aims to illustrate the organisational norms and rules in play shaping teachers’ experiences and perceptions of their students’ ability to study. The qualitative analysis of seven expert interviews shows how teachers differentiate between students with and without a refugee background in terms of performance and reveals opportunities and constraints to take refugees’ resources and needs in study preparation programmes into account.

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“…There are also some studies on the effects of social belonging with a focus on ethnically diverse student samples. A cross-sectional study on international students and refugees in Germany showed that a sense of belonging to the study preparatory course was positively associated with subjective well-being and buffered the negative effect of xenophobia (Grüttner, 2019). In an intervention study with African-American and white students in their first study year, Hausmann et al (2007) showed that a sense of university belonging predicted the intention to persist beyond other predictors in both groups.…”

Section: A Sense Of University Belonging and Psychological And Academic Adaptationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Importance of a Sense of University Belonging for the Psychological and Academic Adaptation of International Students in Germany

Yildirim

Zimmermann

Jonkmann

2021

Zeitschrift für Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psycho

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Abstract. Although a sense of university belonging has been established as a crucial factor for students’ academic success and subjective well-being, little is known about its importance regarding the adaptation of international students in Germany. Likewise, few studies have addressed the long-term reciprocal relations of a sense of university belonging and psychological and academic outcomes. To close this research gap, we analyzed data from N = 3,837 international students with a set of cross-lagged panel models. The results showed that a high sense of belonging is beneficial for international students’ adaptation in Germany as it is related to better well-being, higher study satisfaction, and lower drop-out intention. Furthermore, these indicators of psychological and academic adaption predicted the development of a sense of university belonging across the study entrance period, which points to the dynamic relationship between both kinds of constructs. We discuss the theoretical implications and the implementation of interventions that promote a sense of university belonging to increase the psychological and academic adaptation of international students in Germany.

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Belonging as a Resource of Resilience: Psychological Wellbeing of International and Refugee Students in Study Preparation at German Higher Education Institutions

Cited by 15 publications

References 19 publications

Higher Degree Students (HDR) during COVID-19

Higher Degree Students (HDR) during COVID-19

Study Preparation of Refugees in Germany: How Teachers’ Evaluative Practices Shape Educational Trajectories

The Importance of a Sense of University Belonging for the Psychological and Academic Adaptation of International Students in Germany

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