Kevin Ottoson, Nagoya Women’s University
Abstract
This study investigated first-year Japanese university students’ perspectives of their intercultural learning from a collaborative online international learning (COIL) project with second-year university students in China. Drawing upon Deardorff’s (2006) process model of intercultural competence, this pilot study used reflections and data from a questionnaire adapted from Ceo-DiFrancesco and Bender-Slack (2016) to monitor students’ perspectives for intercultural attitudes (openness, curiosity, respect), intercultural knowledge (culture-specific information)), and motivation to learn English after participating in an eight-week-long virtual cross-cultural exchange. Following this eight-week virtual cross-cultural exchange with second-year university students in China, self-assessment from participants in Japan (n=39) revealed intercultural attitudes of valuing others, withholding judgment, and curiosity. Additionally, the students described the importance and enjoyment of English. In addition to highlighting the Japanese participants’ perspectives of this COIL project, this paper describes the impetus for setting up the program, the program itself, and implications for various stakeholders in higher education in Japan.
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