In our own words: Japanese and

foreign university students and their lessons on life and learning outside

their home cultures

Lee Arnold & Mehran Sabet Seigakuin University

JALT 2015 Learner Development

SIG forum

Introduction• Homestays long popular for Japanese students while

Japanese university study increasing for foreign students

• Such sojourns impact beyond linguistic and into socio-cultural aspects of student lives

• Yashima (1999) shows enhanced international orientation with improved academic success with Japanese homestay returnees

• Hadis (2005) finds expansion of global awareness and personal growth with North American students after study abroad

Psychological & socio-cultural issues

Hofstede’s (1980, 2001) uncertainty avoidance index

Gross’ (1998) concept of reappraisal and suppression

Matsumoto’s (2oo6) role of emotional regulation in goal orientation

Emotional regulationReappraisal

• individuals construe emotional-eliciting situations to change impact on emotional experience

Suppression

• inhibition of emotional expressive behavior

Matsumoto (2006) states most Japanese fall in “suppression” category

Cites John & Gross’ (2004) work on suppression in manifestations of social distancing and inhibition

Other issues

Unrealistic expectations

Homesickness

Pedagogical differences of host educational system

Difficulties with host families and/or living arrangements

Possible retrenchment into ethnocentrism after negative sojourn experience

Foreign students at Seigakuin

Predominantly Chinese

Almost all from Asia

Chinese tend to be slightly older

Generally have somewhat greater L2 proficiency

Homestay/exchange as global-glocal theme

• English program to bring global-glocal content to previously more language-oriented curriculum in line with university initiative

• Project underway for program homepage video interviews with Japanese homestay and foreign students as classroom material

• Interviews may accentuate glocal experience and keep student participant motivation by sharing stories in own words

• Murphey’s (1998) concept of near peer role models lends to personalization of such experience and adds to initiative

Global-glocal video project aim• To promote English, culture, and communication across

borders

• To bring greater awareness and understanding of foreign student presence on Seigakuin campus

• To promote critical thinking

• To present experiences and stories by classmates/near peers

• To break down stereotyping and misperceptions

AnalysisPossible selves are views of the self that often have not been verified or confirmed by social experiences (Markus and Nurius, 1986)

Yui’s interview• I realized that I need to re-evaluate my way of thinking and

adjust to the new environment better. The change has to start with me.

• I need to find out more about who I am as an individual and a Japanese citizen.

• We can overcome inhibition and fear of making mistakes by being open and seeking advice of people around us.

Kyosuke’s interview• Being shy is not an option for me when it comes to

communicating with strangers.• Next time, I would make a list of goals to accomplish before

going overseas.

AnalysisIn similar fashion differing viewpoints may initiate expansion of socio-cultural awareness within students

Some Japanese student comments to Julia’s interview

• We were surprised to learn that there are different ways of refusing invitations, and it can be misunderstood by people from other cultures.

• We thought it was natural to be greeted politely when entering a store, but we learned that it could be more casual in other countries.

• It is great that a foreign student can express her opinion so clearly.

Such reactions may begin developing greater global-glocal sense with empathy when seen through individualized experiences of near peers

Conclusion• Impact of homestay/study abroad comprise processes

involving whole person over solely linguistic

• Changes within participants can involve deep-seated reflection as much as incidental or situational adjustment

• Participants’/returnees’ voices may humanize “glocal” in global-glocal experience as learning material for near peers

• Such voices can aid homestay/study abroad administrators how future participants may more effectively be briefed prior to departure/involvement

Thank you for listening!

Gross, J.J. (1998). Antecedent- and response-focused emotional regulation: divergent consequences for experience, expression, and physiology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 74(1), 224-237.

Hadis, B. (2005). Gauging the impact of study abroad: how to overcome the limitations of a single-cell design. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 30(1), 3-19.

Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture’s consequences: international differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.

Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s consequences: comparing values, behaviors, institutions and organizations across nations (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

John, O., & Gross, J.J. (2004). Healthy and unhealthy emotional regulation: personality processes, individual differences, and life span development. Journal of Personality 72(6), 1301-1334.

Markus, H., & Nurius, P. (1986). Possible selves. American Psychologist, 41(9), 954-969.

Matsumoto, D. (2006). Are cultural differences in emotion regulation mediated by personality traits? Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 37(4), 421-437.

Murphey, T. (1998). Motivating with near peer role models. In B. Visigatis (Ed.), JALT 1997 International Conference: On JALT97: Trends & Transitions (pp. 201-205). Tokyo: JALT.

Yashima, T. (1999). Influence of personality, L2 proficiency, and attitudes on Japanese adolescents’ intercultural adjustment. JALT Journal 21(1), 66-86.

References