Study Abroad Self-Selection Amongst First-Year Japanese University Students

Abstract

Applying a mixed-methods design, this study aims to generate knowledge regarding decreasing study abroad involvement amongst Japanese students. Based on data collected from a group of first-year Japanese university students, the authors propose six qualities of a predominantly willing, or self-selecting, group of study abroad participants, including 1) achievement in English-proficiency testing; 2) prior international experience and authentic cross-cultural interactions; 3) purpose and meaning connected to international experience, 4) a perception of barriers to study abroad as surmountable; 5) flexible beliefs on job hunting and lifetime employment; and 6) greater international posture. This paper concludes with a discussion on the applicability of our findings to universities across Japan and in the Asia-Pacific region. Furthermore, we discuss the potential of fostering study abroad intent in the second language classroom, thus leading to greater study abroad interest and participation.

The Journal of Worldwide Education 13.2

“…The first theme that emerged was the factor of costs and proximity (see Table 3). Findings from this study corroborate those from the literature that identify costs as both a deterrent to study abroad, but also a benefit of Southeast Asia, compared with the inner circle (Nowlan & Wang, 2018;Kobayashi, 2018b). Undisclosed in prior studies is mention of geographic proximity in the decision to study in Southeast Asia, though it was mentioned by multiple participants as a benefit.…”

“…I suspect this concern derived from a fear of missed job-hunting opportunities, but one would hope that the experience and improved language skills from studying abroad would more than compensate for this. As Nowlan and Wang (2018) found, those students who are willing to delay job-hunting activities are more likely to study abroad. Perhaps creating more opportunities for students to study abroad in their first and second years of study might mitigate this perceived negative affect of study abroad on job-hunting.…”

“…If these societal features currently persist, then they may manifest to the detriment of participation numbers, due to an inner-circle-orbust mentality. With bias towards the inner circle in mind, research reveals that study abroad is perceived by Japanese students as too expensive and requiring high proficiency in English (Burden, 2020;Fukuzawa, 2016;Lassegard, 2013;Nowlan & Wang, 2018). A perceived lack of L2 ability can often be witnessed by English language educators in Japan, as students will claim, ad nauseum, that "my English, not so good," thus leading to self-disqualifying beliefs towards study abroad.…”

“…Bradford found that students' main reasons for studying abroad were to improve their language skills and to learn about another culture. Nowlan and Wang (2018) surveyed 763 students across various majors at a Japanese university and found that financial considerations were the main obstacle to studying abroad. They found that the types of students who were most likely to study abroad included those with prior international experience, students who had attained higher scores in English proficiency testing, and those who were more willing to delay job-hunting activities.…”

“…The vast majority of Japanese students who opt into study abroad choose inner-circle English speaking countries (e.g. the United States of America or the United Kingdom), which has led to a belief that international experiences are expensive, anxiety-inducing, and that they require high proficiency with the English language (Nowlan & Wang, 2018). Currently in the literature, there is a dearth of sources that examine Japanese student perceptions of choosing more affordable destinations in the outer-circle (e.g.…”