US-based international students' resilience, well-being, and academic performance during the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectiveDrawing on social cognitive theory (SCT), this study examined the relationship between international students' resilience, well-being, and academic performance during COVID-19. We also explored the differences among these variables by home continent.ParticipantsInternational students (n = 186) from 53 countries studying in the United States participated in the study.MethodsData were collected through an online survey in Spring 2021 and analyzed using a mediation analysis and MANOVA.ResultsResilience was positively associated with both students' well-being and increased study hours. Resilience was also indirectly and positively associated with a better grade through an increase in study hours. However, well-being had no direct or indirect association with either the change in study hours or grades. We also found between-continent differences in some of the hypothesized variables.ConclusionsConsistent with SCT, these findings highlight the importance of international students' resilience during a crisis and offer practical implications for university administrators during a future crisis.