Rethinking Student Wellbeing through a Decolonial Lens
Insights from International Students’ Experiences in Cairns
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25120/jre.5.2.2025.4302Keywords:
International Students, Resilience, Social Capital, Informal Solidarity, Thematic Analysis, Decolonial ResilienceAbstract
International students in Australia encounter numerous challenges, including financial insecurity, social isolation, and cultural adjustment. While resilience research often emphasises individual psychological coping, such approaches are grounded in Western-centric frameworks that overlook collective and relational dimensions. This study examines how international students in Cairns, Australia’s major regional study hub, develop and sustain informal networks of solidarity that enhance resilience in everyday life. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through an online survey conducted via Google Forms, which featured open-ended questions that encouraged participants to share stories about social support, belonging, and coping mechanisms. Responses from participants from diverse cultural backgrounds were analysed thematically to identify patterns of mutual support and collective adaptation. The findings reveal that informal networks, such as friendship groups, cultural associations, faith-based communities, and digital platforms, serve as vital sources of emotional, social, and practical resilience. These networks foster reciprocity, trust, and shared responsibility that transcend institutional limitations. By situating resilience within communal and culturally grounded contexts, this study contributes to decolonial resilience scholarship and offers insights for universities and policymakers seeking to strengthen inclusive support systems in regional education settings.
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