Intercultural Competence Development Through Cocurricular and Extracurricular At-Home Programs in Japan

Abstract

The rapid development of international education has occurred alongside a growing demand for higher education institutions to educate globally competent graduates. Yet, mobility remains a distant opportunity for most students, and Japanese undergraduate students often cite financial, safety, and job-hunting concerns as obstacles to studying abroad. Internationalisation-at-home has emerged as a viable alternative to mobility in Japan through government-funded internationalisation programs. This article will discuss the impact of co-curricular and extracurricular programs on the development of intercultural competence among 164 first-year Japanese students at two Top Global universities in Japan. Results from a one-year longitudinal, mixed methods study reveal that while formal programs positively affect intercultural competence development, informal intercultural contact on campus negatively affects students’ intercultural attitudes. Findings also indicate that student perceptions of intercultural competence at the pre-intervention stage affect engagement with intercultural opportunities on campus, suggesting the importance of introducing interventions prior to higher education.

Projek Penguatan Profil Pelajar Pancasila sebagai Program Kokurikuler: Studi Analisis Persepsi Guru

“…Pelaksanaannya pun cenderung spontan dan tidak terencana (Primasatya dan Imron, 2020). Padahal program kokurikuler dapat mengembangkan tanggung jawab sosial, potensi, kompetensi, dan prestasi siswa (Sukadari & Huda, 2021;Morogo, 2022;Hofmeyr, 2021).…”

Analisis Persepsi Guru Sekolah Dasar terhadap Projek Penguatan Profil Pelajar Pancasila di Kabupaten Sumedang

“…Pelaksanaannya juga kurang terencana dan lebih bersifat spontan (Primasatya & Imron, 2020). Padahal kegiatan kokurikuler memiliki potensi untuk meningkatkan tanggung jawab sosial, kemampuan, dan prestasi peserta didik (Hofmeyr, 2023;Morogo, 2022;Sukadari & Huda, 2021).…”

Exploring the impact of intercultural competence education on students’ adaptability and success in culturally diverse environments

“…While many studies explore several themes of IC in the context of HE, most research focuses on specific applications such as conceptualization and assessment (Deardorff, 2009;Griffith et al, 2016;Luo & Chan, 2022), foreign immersion experience (Behrnd & Porzelt, 2012;Chédru & Ostapchuk, 2023;Czerwionka et al, 2015;Dehmel et al, 2011;Goldstein, 2022;Hanada, 2019;Hofmeyr, 2021;Mu & Yu, 2023) and virtual exchange (De Hei et al, 2019;Hackett et al, 2023;Villar-Onrubia & Rajpal, 2015). However, little is known about other areas of study such as the effects of IC on students' ability to adapt and succeed in different situations during and after having completed their study programs.…”