scholarly journals Development of Intercultural Competence as a Result of Internationalization-at-Home Initiatives in Japan's Top Global Universities

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (Winter) ◽  
pp. 114-117
Author(s):  
Ana Sofia Hofmeyr
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
Japanese Students ◽  
Internationalization At Home ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Meaningful Interaction ◽  
At Home

The internationalization of higher education institutions has grown parallel to an increasing need to foster an interculturally competent workforce. In Japan, efforts to internationalize have focused primarily on mobility programmes, often neglecting the impact of internationalization-at-home initiatives. Yet, while numbers of incoming international students continue to increase, the number of Japanese students going abroad in mid- to long-term programs is decreasing. This article describes a PhD project aiming to address gaps in the literature by investigating the impact of at-home strategies on domestic students’ intercultural competence, ultimately contributing to the optimization of programs that promote meaningful interaction between domestic and international students.

Intercultural Programming without Intercultural Competence

2016 ◽  
pp. 143-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Spitzman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Competence Development ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
Culture Learning ◽  
Specific Nature ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Conversation Partner

While there are many studies pointing to the need for international students to interact with domestic students for language and culture learning, there are very few studies exploring these interactions across cultures and how to best facilitate them. The author of this chapter provides an overview of the literature on intercultural competence development in higher education, and then explains a research study exploring a Conversation Partner Program, pairing international and domestic students together for weekly conversations. Through analysis of interviews and conversations between partners, it became clear that intercultural competence was not likely to develop between the partners. Unique to this study are the discursive features of this lack of intercultural competence as well as the situated, relational and discourse-specific nature of the exploration of interaction.

scholarly journals The future of internationalization of higher education in challenging global contexts

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 538-545 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans De Wit
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Political Context ◽  
Internationalization Of Higher Education ◽  
Institutional Policies ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Future ◽  
Internationalization At Home ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

Internationalization has been over the past three decades one of the key focus points of (inter)national and institutional policies for higher education, with two related components: internationalization abroad, and internationalization at home. The 'abroad' component: mobility of students, faculty and programs, has been more predominant than the 'at home' component: internationalization of the curriculum and learning outcomes, perceived as a neoliberal and western paradigm. What will be the future of internationalization? Do we see a return from competition to cooperation?  What will be the impact of the changing global economic, ecological and political context? These questions will be addressed in a critical analytical way in this paper, taking into account the impact of Covid-19 on the internationalization of higher education.

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

2021 ◽  
pp. 102831532110701
Author(s):  
Dr. Ana Sofia Hofmeyr
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Education ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Competence Development ◽  
Studying Abroad ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

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.

Intercultural Programming Without Intercultural Competence

2020 ◽  
pp. 880-901
Author(s):  
Emily Spitzman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Competence Development ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
Culture Learning ◽  
Specific Nature ◽  
Language And Culture ◽  
Conversation Partner

While there are many studies pointing to the need for international students to interact with domestic students for language and culture learning, there are very few studies exploring these interactions across cultures and how to best facilitate them. The author of this chapter provides an overview of the literature on intercultural competence development in higher education, and then explains a research study exploring a Conversation Partner Program, pairing international and domestic students together for weekly conversations. Through analysis of interviews and conversations between partners, it became clear that intercultural competence was not likely to develop between the partners. Unique to this study are the discursive features of this lack of intercultural competence as well as the situated, relational and discourse-specific nature of the exploration of interaction.

scholarly journals Internationalization initiatives in U.S. institutions of higher education : the impact observed by a school of music

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Brooke A. DeArman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
International Students ◽  
Intercultural Communication ◽  
Institutions Of Higher Education ◽  
Critical Approach ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
School Of Music ◽  
Intellectual Abilities ◽  
Emerging Themes ◽  
The Impact

This qualitative study was designed to evaluate the impact internationalization initiatives in U.S. institutions of higher education have had on a school of music. The critical approach of intercultural communication served as the conceptual framework to guide understanding of internationalization initiatives or efforts within higher education institutions toward preparing students, in particular music graduates, for the global society (Issa, 2015). Data collected from questionnaires and interviews with various stakeholders, organizational documents and the institution's website provided a more thorough understanding of the approach to, and challenges and benefits of internationalization initiatives in a school of music. This data was coded for consistencies and emerging themes in terms of approaches to, challenges, and benefits. The results of this study could create social change for society and communities in better understanding the impact of internationalization initiatives implemented within higher education music departments toward enhancing the artistic and intellectual abilities and contributions of individuals, institutions, and the field of music as a whole. Findings from this study will also inform practices of administrators of music departments within higher education toward attracting and preparing international students as well as preparing current domestic students for a globalized society.

Taking Advantage of a Multicultural Campus: Impact of At-Home Intercultural Initiatives on Japanese Students’ Skills and Future Goals

2020 ◽  
pp. 102831532090615
Author(s):  
Ana Sofia Hofmeyr
Keyword(s):  
Human Resources ◽  
Role Models ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Domestic Students ◽  
Japanese Students ◽  
Future Goals ◽  
Global University ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact ◽  
At Home

In 2014, 24 Type B universities were selected as part of the Top Global University Project to act as institutional role models of internationalization in Japan and as gateways for the development of global human resources, that is, globally competent human resources. The increasing pressure to internationalize, perceived as a major solution to Japan’s aging population, declining birthrate, and economic slump, is set against broader concerns regarding the emphasis placed by policy makers on quantitative goals. This research study aimed to explore the impact of six at-home initiatives developed to promote intercultural interaction at a highly diverse Japanese university and, ultimately, foster the development of global human resources. Online survey results of 355 Japanese students of English as a foreign language were used as data to analyze participation and interaction rates, as well as skill development and pertinence to postgraduation goals. Results show that despite the emphasis placed by the university on intercultural exchange, participation in noncompulsory activities that support language and cross-cultural competence acquisition is still relatively low. In addition, a significant number of students who participated in the initiatives admitted to only interacting with Japanese peers or perceived little impact on their skills. Suggestions are made to improve the discussed initiatives so as to maximize the impact of the multicultural campus on domestic students’ skills.

scholarly journals Virtual exchange contributions to the development of intercultural competence: A Brazilian higher education institutions’ perspective

2022 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Lourdes Evangelina Zilberberg Oviedo ◽  
Jan Krimphove
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Exchange Programs ◽  
Internationalization At Home ◽  
At Home

This article presents the results of a study conducted in the Brazilian higher education system aiming at analyzing the contributions of virtual exchange programs to the development of intercultural competence in students. The unprecedented study assists to enrich the limited body of knowledge about virtual exchanges in Brazil. The units of analysis consisted of member institutions of the Brazilian Association for International Education (FAUBAI) that were already running virtual exchange programs in 2020. The study follows an exploratory qualitative research approach based on semi-structured interviews with international office administrators of the institutions analyzed. What stands out among the study’s main findings is the fact that, Brazilian international office administrators consider virtual exchanges as an important tool for Internationalization at Home, and thus, a path toward a more inclusive internationalization model. Even with all the difficulties, such as: major technical issues, low level of language proficiency in faculty and students, lack of commitment and the disadvantages deriving from lack of a deeper and more intense cultural immersion when compared to real-life experiences, there is a consensus that virtual exchanges do contribute toward the development of intercultural competence in students. Therefore, it seems important to promote more Internationalization at Home initiatives to create more circumstances of proximity with other cultures and second-language learning opportunities.  

scholarly journals KUALITAS PELAYANAN SEKOLAH TTERHADAP KEPUASAN MAHASISWA DAN PENCIPTAAN BRAND IMAGE

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lusiah
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
High School ◽  
Brand Image ◽  
Good Service ◽  
Good Image ◽  
New Students ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

The development of higher education in Indonesia is increasingly evident. It is characterized by many private colleges are spread all over Indonesia. But in recent years the government did not give permission to those who want to establish a college. One reason is the government not only menginginkankan development in terms of quantity alone, but must be accompanied by good quality of any existing college.The number of colleges that exist today is already growing its own competition. The high level of competition among private universities is happening now requires every college has the right strategy to attract the interest of new students. Each college offers the advantages of each. However, not all universities have a particular brand image compared with other universities.One of the determining factors of brand image is the satisfaction of its customers. While satisfaction itself arises as a result of service perceived by the customer.College is not only required to provide a good quality education, but they also must be able to provide good service to students as well. Good service is expected to provide satisfaction for students. Of course in the long term, the impact of satisfaction that will form a good image for the college concerned anyway.STIE IBBI Medan is one of the private high school that has a good image in the city of Medan. However, STIE IBBI still have to further improve the quality of services provided to students. It is necessary to maintain the good image that has been owned STIE IBBI today.The plan of the research will be conducted in STIE IBBI Medan. The population is all students STIE IBBI. The long term goal of this research is to STIE IBBI to increase public confidence in higher education that will take in high school applying good quality excellent service. Expected from the results of this study, STIE IBBI can also implement appropriate marketing strategies to improve the quality of service to students. In addition, the results of this research can be a good reference for prospective new students who will pursue higher education in the STIE IBBI Medan.

scholarly journals Pursuing goals of sustainable development and internationalization in higher education context

2021 ◽  
Vol 296 ◽  
pp. 08024
Author(s):  
Elena Makarova
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
International Students ◽  
Extracurricular Activities ◽  
Intercultural Competence ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Cross Cultural Communication ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Internationalization In Higher Education

The article concerns internationalization of higher education as a factor for pursuing sustainable development goals by developing university students’ global competences. A review of modern research on internationalization processes in different national contexts allowed to highlight the main challenges of interaction between domestic and international students as well as discuss possible solutions. Analyses of survey results, aimed at identifying the factors preventing effective cross-cultural communication in a non-linguistic Russian university, confirm the demand for students’ development of intercultural competence, which is considered to be most effective through the study of a foreign language. The paper shows significance of involvement of Russian and international students in joint classroom and extracurricular activities, which can become the basis for their future international cooperation in the field of implementation of innovative technologies and foster sustainable development goals. The leading role of university foreign languages departments in tackling issues of university internationalization is emphasized.

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