Assessing Intercultural Competence: A Comparative Study of Japanese Students in Study Abroad Programs

Abstract

This study explores the elements of study abroad programs that contribute to cultivating intercultural competence in Japanese students. Through an empirically based quantitative and qualitative examination of 344 Japanese students on short and medium-term study abroad programs in Canada and the United States, the research attempts to gain an understanding of the factors that enhance the development of intercultural competence. The primary findings show that the impact of study abroad programs can be heightened by arranging pre-departure orientations for all students according to specific student and program factors. Sending students abroad without carefully designed institutional arrangements to facilitate the development of intercultural competence is shown to be ineffective. This study looks at three student factors - gender, prior international experience and prior foreign language proficiency and five program factors - program duration, program type, stay type, destination and pre-departure orientation. The findings clearly demonstrate the importance of providing students with pre-departure orientations and both foreign language training and intercultural education. Furthermore, understanding studentsâ intercultural competence in the pre-study abroad period is essential to determine program duration. This study indicates that both short and medium-term study abroad programs are effective for students whose intercultural competence is at the lower level prior to departure, while medium-term programs are more effective for students whose intercultural competence is at a higher level. At the national level, the Japanese Ministry of Education is advised to encourage universities to develop guidelines to increase the effectiveness of study abroad programs and a policy on developing appropriate personnel for cultivating studentsâ intercultural competence. The study has not only identified concrete empirical factors in study abroad programs that impact changes in studentsâ intercultural competence, but also elaborated policy implications at the institutional and national levels that would enhance the development of intercultural competence for Japanese students in study abroad programs.