Possibilities and Constraints of Fostering Deeper Study Abroad Experiences: The Lived Experiences of 50 Years of US Students in Japan (original) (raw)
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Due to law enrollment from the domestic market, many Japanese universities are facing serious financial hardships that are forecasted to worsen in the coming decade. One potential solUtion to this problem is to offset the declming number of Japanese students with an inerease in international students, and to reinvent the image of Japanese universities as international centers for learning, The creatien ofthe Abraharn Lincoin Commission for Study Abroad in the United States with its goal to quadmple the number of Americans studying abroad arinually by 2017 provides Japan with new opportunities to attract U.S. students. With these opportunities come new challenges, notably finding sufficient means fbr dealing with the many American students that wish to study in Japan but lack sufficient Japanese language skills. [EThis paper outlines enrollrnent issues currently plaguing Japanese uriiversities and introduces the Lincoln Commission and its goals fbr U.S. higher edncation. It then shows how the creation of new Japan-U.S. study abroad partnerships can be of mutual benefit to both nations, Finally) using a case study from the University of Tbkyo, the paper argues fbr the creation of short-term study abroad programs taught in English, and fbr universities to hire more English-speaking faculties, international education specialists, and suppert staffs.
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The potential benefits of undergraduate students studying abroad as part of a degree program have long been touted as central to the social and strategic goals of governments and more recently to an increasing number of universities in the three national case-sites selected for this project – Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Yet, despite the rhetoric, research consistently indicates each year that only a small percentage of the undergraduate student populations in each of the three national case-sites participate in study abroad programs. Given that ‘study abroad’ is often considered a central aspect of the “internationalisation” model projected by many universities, the thesis’ conceptual framework considers the provision and delivery of study abroad programs as a form of experiential learning (Dewey, 1963) focused on the development of cross-cultural and intercultural understanding. In particular, the thesis suggests that to meet this goal, study abroad program...
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