Loneliness of Chinese International Students in the UK

Loneliness of Chinese International Students in the UK Abstract
Rapidly increasing incomes in China have seen many parents sending their children to study in the UK. However, while numerous studies have investigated the social challenges experienced by Chinese students adjusting to the British education culture, less focus has been given to the psychological difficulties this group experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic. The researcher (code 41157) sought to qualitatively analyze the psychosocial experience of a Chinese international student learning at UCL (code 25033) during the pandemic. The convenient sampling method was used to select a Chinese Master's student at UCL. A zoom interview was conducted where the in-depth semi-structured interview approach was employed. The study determined that loneliness was a shared experience among Chinese international students studying in the UK during the Covid-19 pandemic. Moreover, support mechanisms in UK learning institutions during self-isolation periods are necessary to mitigate feelings of isolation among Chinese studentChinese International Students Studying in Loneliness of Chinese International Students in the UK Introduction
According to the Higher Education Statistics Authority, the number of Chinese students learning in the UK has soared by 50 percent over the last five years to around 144,000 students (Chu, 2022). Most UK universities transitioned overnight from traditional classroom learning to online learning. This drastic departure saw many Chinese students struggling to adjust to the new online learning format (Deng, 2021). Chinese students and other minority learners were at risk of increased social isolation than native students: the aggressive coronavirus safety protocols had a more significant social and psychological impact on Chinese students, given the additional social barriers they experience when learning in the UK (Leal Filho et al., 2021). Even as global universities endeavoured to ensure continued learning by providing inclusive access to digital learning resources, vulnerable students received little socio-emotional support when using these online provisions (Blake et al., 2021). Mandated physical isolation directly cut the few social ties these students had, and the ensuing loneliness adversely impacted mental health and education outcomes (Browning et al., 2021).
Current literature also shows that most international universities failed to include intra-university communications or low Covid-19-risk social activities to mitigate the isolation effects of remote learning (Koo & Nyunt, 2022). Given the importance of providing psychosocial support to vulnerable students in a self-isolating learning environment, this study sought to understand the Covid-19 experiences of code 25033. This study aimed to qualitatively analyse the psychosocial experiences of a Chinese international student learning at UCL during the pandemic. It was hoped that a qualitative research design would provide an in-depth exploration of code 25033's experiences and how well the learner's needs were met to mitigate the isolating effects of distant learning.
Ethics
Observing the ethical principles of respect, competence, responsibility, and integrity when human participants ar...