Efforts to Promote Global Education in Japan: The Case of Tottori University and Overseas Practical Education Programs

Abstract

Participation in overseas programs has recently increased as an international strategy worldwide. However, Japan has been the exception, because the number of Japanese students studying abroad has decreased over the last decade. The Japanese government and universities began efforts to motivate Japanese students to gain international experience. However, efforts to measure the impact of overseas programs other than in English proficiency have been limited. This paper reports the benefits of three types of overseas short-term programs offered by Tottori University (TU) to support Japanese students in studying abroad through the Global Getaway Program (GGP), emphasizing practical training in developing countries. Data for this study were collected from students from 2006 to 2011 before the GGP and 2012 to 2016 after its implementation. Students were tested before and after participating in overseas short-term programs, and results were compared with those who did not participate. The questionnaire survey carried out revealed significant differences in all global competences skills between students who attended overseas programs and those that did not. In addition, after participating in the overseas program, students understood i, why English as a tool for communication will help them grow as internationally minded future leaders, ii, how foreign languages can lead to overseas practical skills, and iii, the importance of field practice as opposed to knowledge only acquired in the classroom. The achievement of this study increases the value of overseas training for the younger Japanese generation and their perception of developing advanced thinking abilities through practical education in developing countries.Keywords: developing country, global human resources, higher education, overseas short-term programs, practical education, Tottori University, Japan IntroductionDemographics, economic pressure, and globalization in higher education are the main reasons for students' mobility worldwide. According to The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization ([UNESCO], 2013) the number of outbound students has increased from 1.3 million in 1990 to 4.3 million in 2011. In the past, students' mobility focused on English-speaking countries. However, in recent years, the number of students from Asia and the Pacific region has also increased, and 53% of all students enrolled in higher education in 2011 were from China, India, and Korea (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD], 2012;Nam, 2018).The speed of population decline and aging in developed and developing countries is another relevant issue affecting higher education worldwide. Japan has a rapidly aging population and low birth rate, resulting in a decrease of the youth and working age populations. The decreasing number of young people and the emergence of new universities has led to an over-supply of universities in Japan. Therefore, Japan is moving towards enhancing or cultivating the capabilities of the younger generati...

Developing a Short-term Study Abroad Survey

“…For the Cultural Awareness construct, perhaps the staff can reinforce the idea that study abroad broadens not only knowledge of the host country, but also of the home country. These results match other studies (Douglas, 2015;Parada et al, 2018;Pigott, 2011;Yamauchi, 2015) in that students want to broaden their cultural awareness through study abroad. For the Personal Development construct, perhaps the staff can encourage students to use the SA experience within the home society by connecting to diverse groups residing there.…”

“…All of these studies used a mixed-method design in which the survey was used in addition to qualitative data collection, usually interviews. In a quantitative analysis of global competence skills, Parada et al (2018) examined Tottori University's various short-term programs over a decade. They used two questionnaires (Global Human Power Indicator survey and in-house), but neither was included in the article.…”

Then and Now: Review on language policy and practices in Japan and Korea

“…Henceforth, in 2008, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda announced the international student 300,000 plan [39] and targeted to be achieved in 2020 [40]. For that reason, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) cooperated with The Ministry of Justice Immigration Bureau to reform "the education-oriented immigration policy and internationalization of higher education in Japan" [41]. These policies brought a wide opportunity for international students to pursue their study in higher education institutions in Japan.…”

“…Japan is motivated to internationalize their university basically because it is closely related with the attempt of developing "home-grown students into global jinzai (globally-minded human resources)" who are expected to play significant role in economic competitiveness [11]. Nevertheless, Japan has challenges on running the internationalization policy of their university since the number of domestic applicants is not interested in the offered program and less in number because of decline of birth-rate [41,52]. Therefore, overseas students are viewed as potential market to minimize the bankruptcy of universities as well as small number of domestic applicants.…”