Applying Terror Management Theory to Explain International Faculty Responses to COVID-19 Control Measures

The paper analyses an institutional approach and international faculty responses to implementation of social-distancing measures during COVID-19 on a residential campus of an international university in Kazakhstan. Terror-Management Theory is used to interpret the behavioral responses of the faculty. The theory predicts three types of international faculty responses to the conscious fear of death from COVID-19 - death avoidance, death acceptance, and death negation. These responses determine the extent of compliance with social distance-control measures. In addition three anxiety-buffering mechanisms proposed by the theory - commitment to particular worldviews, self-esteem enhancement and maintenance of social connections - serve as factors of variation in responses. Implications are drawn from the results about the relevance of the theory to the analysis of campus population responses to COVID-19-control measures on domestic and international campuses. Recommendations for university administrators at international universities are made about managing the three types of responses.

COVID-19 and Expatriate Faculty at an International University in Kazakhstan

This chapter explores the experiences of expatriate faculty at an international university in Kazakhstan. COVID-19 presented a number of challenges for expatriate faculty at the university in terms of teaching, research, and service. Many of these challenges were similar to challenges of the domestic and international faculty employed at established universities in Western contexts. Expatriate faculty also faced some unique challenges in their work determined by the characteristics of their students, the nature of the university, and their location outside their home country. These unique challenges created additional psychological stress and load, which should be taken into consideration and properly addressed by the administration of international universities to maintain the faculty’s organizational commitment and the ability to deliver high-quality teaching, research, and service. © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Chris R. Glass, Krishna Bista, Xi Lin.

Skilled immigrant women's career trajectories during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada

Purpose: Despite immigrant-receiving countries' need for skilled professionals to meet labour demands, research suggests that many skilled migrants undergo deskilling, downward career mobility, underemployment, unemployment and talent waste, finding themselves in low-skilled occupations that are not commensurate to their education and experience. Skilled immigrant women face additional gendered disadvantages, including a disproportionate domestic burden, interrupted careers and gender segmentation in occupations and organizations. This study explores how the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic impacted skilled newcomer women's labour market outcomes and work experiences. Design/methodology/approach: The authors draw on 50 in-depth questionnaires with skilled women to elaborate on their work experiences during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: The pandemic pushed skilled immigrant women towards unemployment, lower-skilled or less stable employment. Most study participants had their career trajectory delayed, interrupted or reversed due to layoffs, decreased job opportunities and increased domestic burden. The pandemic's gendered nature and the reliance on work-from-home arrangements and online job search heightened immigrant women's challenges due to limited social support and increased family responsibilities. Originality/value: This paper adds to the conversation of increased integration challenges under pandemic conditions by contextualizing the pre-pandemic literature on immigrant work integration to the pandemic environment. Also, this paper contributes a better understanding of the gender dynamics informing the COVID-19 socio-economic climate. © 2021, Luciara Nardon, Amrita Hari, Hui Zhang, Liam P.S. Hoselton and Aliya Kuzhabekova.