%T Integration between Dutch and International students: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
%X The main topic of this research is integration between international and Dutch students and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on this. Social integration can be defined as the level on which students adapt to the student culture at the University of Groningen, but also how students adapt outside of the learning setting. The goal of this research is to discover in what ways the pandemic influenced integration in Groningen. The study is based on a qualitative research method using interviews and a critical literature review. The sub-topics covered are the factors that influence integration in general, difficulties with integration before and during the pandemic, online education, and the future of integration when the pandemic will come to an end. From the results, we can conclude that mixed housing with Dutch and international students can be beneficial for integration, but also has a downside as we see a divide between Dutch and international students. Another result is that integration is not dependent on the language proficiency of Dutch or international students, but the insecurities of Dutch students to speak in English. Furthermore, the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic made integration harder than it was before the pandemic because of the online and hybrid education, the lack of face-to-face contact and the closure of public places. Recommendations for future research is to discover on which level the lack of social integration during the COVID-19 pandemic affected the mental health condition of students.
%L theses_frw3934
%D 2022
%A Marit ten Tusscher