The Possibility of Culture Training in the English Classes atJapanese NIT- The Case of Culture AssimilatorICHIKAWA Ken*Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibility of introducing culture training,referred to as “Culture Assimilators”, into standard English classes at Japanese NIT. In this trial,
students are supposed to acquire intercultural communication competence as well as English
proficiency when instructors implement this method properly. This trial is predictably effective.
However, there are not many materials on cultural training for the English classes and the teachers
may require considerable preparation for the classes.
This is a comparative controlled study that consists of both quantitative and qualitative parts.
As a result, in the quantitative study, English competence and ethnocentrism scale tests showedstatistically significant differences in each post-test as to the year-round program. On the otherhand, it was proven that there was no difference in improvement as to the half-year period. In thequalitative survey, generally positive and favorable responses were observed on those three
categories: classroom observation, questionnaire survey, and semi-structured interview. Theseresults lead us to the conclusion that this method on English classes would be effective, at least insome parts. A further direction of this study will be focused on the materials; it should be updated
and reorganized to suit current situations.

Keywords: Culture Training, Culture Assimilator, English Education

1. Introduction.
Various pedagogical approaches have been employed by English instructors at the National Institute ofTechnology (referred to as “NIT” from here on). Despite this, few studies have looked into using culture training as
an alternative. If this study proves successful, students will, not only further develop their English competence, butalso improve their intercultural communication skills. The author of this paper uses the quantitative portion of thisstudy in order to report on the results of a comparative controlled study.
2. The purpose of this study
The purpose of this study is twofold: the first is to discern whether a form of cultural training called “CultureAssimilators” (referred to as CA from here on), can be used as a viable teaching approach in Kosen English classes,
while the second is to investigate this method’s potential contribution to English education, in general.
In particular, as CA is currently recognized as only subjectively effective, the author aims to learn whether CA
can provide objective evidence of its effectiveness as an educational approach. I would like to root out any potentialproblems with this method, as well as engage on how such potential problems could be solved. I feel that using CA
in English classes can become very beneficial if it can be developed into an effective teaching methodology.

* 香川高等専門学校高松キャンパス一般教育科

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独立行政法人国立高等専門学校機構香川高等専門学校研究紀要 12(2021)

3. CA in cross-cultural training.
We should first define the meaning of CA. It is a cultural assimilation training method developed by Fred E.
Fiedler, Terence Mitchell, and Harry Triandis in 1971 (Fiedler, Mitchell, and Triandis. 1971). Using this method,students first read stories which consist of misunderstandings and errors which were a result of cultural differences
between two parties. The students must then determine the cause of said misunderstandings and choose anappropriate solution from one of four multiple choice answers. Finally, students discuss among themselves thereason for their answers.
5. Method.
5-1. Participants.
Two different groups of second-year students participated in this study over 2 academic years (2017 and 2018).
The first year of the study (2017) involved 168 students who participated for the whole 10-month academic year.
The second year of the study (2018) involved 172 students who participated in a half-year period of 5 months each.
Each academic year involved different students.
5-2. Method of implementation.
Data was collected from the participants both in and out of the classroom. The students for each academic
year were divided into a control group and an experimental group.
5-2-1. In class.
The control group received standard lessons involving passive learning. The experimental group, on the other
hand, dedicated one third of the class time to using CA materials such as “Culture Riddles” (published by NAN’UNDO) with a more active learning approach. These sessions were conducted carefully so as not to deviate from thesyllabus. The portions which used the CA materials were also observed and recorded.
5-2-2. Out of class (Qualitative study).
A semi-structured interview was conducted by the researcher at the end of each academic year through 15minute interviews for 15~20 students.
5-3. Quantitative study.
For the purposes of determining English ability as well as intercultural communicative competence, pre-tests
and post-tests were conducted at the beginning and end of the school term. Each testing session included threetests: the STEP, Eiken, 3rd grade test, the Ethnocentrism Scale, and finally the International Understanding Scale2000 or “IUS2000”. The STEP Eiken 3rd grade test was used as it was considered appropriate for checking theirEnglish level. The latter two tests were used as the criteria for measuring ethnocentrism and internationalunderstanding. The selected tests are widely viewed as reliable and validated exams for judging the necessary
criteria (Neuliep, J. W., and McCroskey, J. C., 2013, Suzuki, et al., 2000).
The data in the tables below were analyzed using the two-way ANOVA method. Instances of the word
“Experimental” represent results from the CA experimental group whereas “Control” denotes results from thecontrol group. Dependent variables were observed using scores from the STEP, Ethnocentrism Scale and IUS2000
tests. Between-subject designs were split into Experimental and Control groups. Within-subject designs wereobserved through pre and post-tests. The software used to analyze the data presented in the tables below was Bell
Curve for Microsoft Excel.
6. The results.
6-1.Post-test results (Quantitative study):
The results of the quantitative study showed significant differences in the post-tests in regards to English
competence and the ethnocentrism scale with the 10-month (full academic year) program. However, no signs ofimprovement were found in the 5-month (half year) program. On note “ns 1)”, in Table 7, a difference between
groups can be seen in the Ethnocentrism test, however it is difficult at this point to determine whether this was a resultof the effectiveness of the CA method. Further differences between groups can be seen with the IUS2000 test (onnote “ns2)”, in Table 8). As this difference can be seen for both the control group and the experiment group, thedifference is most likely a result of the English lesson itself, rather than teaching methodology.
Regarding the IUS2000 scores over the 2-year experiment, no noticeable effects could be found. This seems
to be a result of the nature of the test itself as the test has limited answer choices which gives students a higher2ICHIKAWA

Ken ;The Possibility of Culture Training in the English Classes at Japanese NIT- The Case of Culture Assimilator -probability of scoring high on the test resulting in a ceiling effect in the short run. The lack of noticeable effects
could also be due to needing more time than what this current experiment allotted before we could see significant
results from the test.
Table 1
Post-Tests Results 2017 (STEP)
Test-1: STEPGroup
Experimental
Control

N83
83

M
75.33
78.86

SD
16.64
14.53

p.001< .05.000< .05

d.36 Small.75 Medium

Test-2: Ethnocentrism Scale
SDp
6.61.002 <.05
9.09.316> .05

d.42 small.12 Little

Table 2
Post-Tests Results 2017 (Ethnocentrism Scale)GroupExperimental
Control

N
83
83

M
35.87
38.43

Table 3Post-Tests Results 2017 (IUS2000)
Test-3: IUS2000
GroupExperimental
Control

N83
83

M
117.31120.86SD
17.76
20.16p.357 > .05.894> .05d.08 Little.01 Little

Table 4Post-Tests Results 2018 (STEP)
Test-1: STEPGroup
Experimental
Control

N8983

M
70.10
69.42

SD
17.33
15.49

p.191> .05.000< .05

d.13 Little.55 Medium

Test-2: Ethnocentrism Scale
SDp
9.17.819 >.05
10.38.887> .05

d.03 Little.02 Little

Table 5
Post-Tests Results 2018 (Ethnocentrism Scale)GroupExperimental
Control

N8983

M
37.07
37.80

Table 6
Post-Tests Results 2018 (IUS2000)
Test-3: IUS2000
GroupExperimental
ControlN8983

M
124.25125.48

SD
18.48
22.92

2p.199 > .05.077> .05d.11 Little.15 Little独立行政法人国立高等専門学校機構香川高等専門学校研究紀要 12(2021)

Table 7
Results of Inferential Statistics in 20172017
English Proficiency(Full-Year)
Normal**English**Proficiency
Upper half
English*Proficiency
Lower half

Ethnocentrism Scale

IUS2000**ns1)

nsns

**

ns

Table 8Results of IUS2000 in 20172017
(Full-Year)
Items 1-6 (sensitivity to people other nations)
Items 7-12 (sense of equality)
Items 13-18(interesting sympathy to other cultures)
Items 19-24(interesting to common challenges of humankind)
Items 25-29(showing a cooperative attitude to international cooperationagency)
Items 30-35 (Understanding of and interested in foreign language)
Table 9Results of Inferential Statistics in 20182018
English Proficiency(Half-Year)
Normal△English△Proficiency
Upper half
English△Proficiency
Lower half

IUS
2000
nsnsnsnsnsns2)

Ethnocentrism Scale

IUS2000

nsns

nsnsnsns

Table. 10
Results of IUS2000 in 20182018
(Half-Year)
Items 1-6 (sensitivity to people other nations)
Items 7-12 (sense of equality)
Items 13-18(interesting sympathy to other cultures)
Items 19-24

IUS2000nsnsns
ns

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ICHIKAWA

Ken ;The Possibility of Culture Training in the English Classes at Japanese NIT- The Case of Culture Assimilator -(interesting to common challenges of humankind)
Items 25-29(showing a cooperative attitude to international cooperationagency)
Items 30-35 (Understanding of and interested in foreign language)nsns**：p<0.01 *：p<0.05 (Only if there are significant differences of Interaction effect and Effect size)
ns: not significant
6-2. Results (Qualitative study):
The results showed positive and favorable responses on these three categories: classroom observation,questionnaire survey, and semi-structured interview. The students tended to deliver their opinion more actively
when using the CA method, and they felt that they learned how their opinions were not always considered standard
when encountering different cultures. Some students expressed how they gained more confidence in speaking withpeople of different cultures.
7. Conclusion
The results revealed that the CA method can prove effective if we employ the method over the course of morethan one year. This is especially true in regards to reducing the feeling of ethnocentrism among students. The
qualitative data shows that students showed higher levels of cross-cultural tolerance than predicted. A verysignificant discovery from this experiment was how employing the CA method didn’t interfere with the goals of theEnglish lessons.
Further studies on this subject should delve into materials used for the CA method. Currently, the materials
used for CA training is simple enough for both instructors and students. The materials, however, should be updatedto align itself with the changing times. A more detailed qualitative study should also be conducted using KJ andgrounded theory approaches.

Notes:
1. This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP19K00843.
2. This paper was presented at the 3rd NIT-NUU Bilateral Academic Conference 2019, Miaoli, Taiwan, on 5
September, 2019.
3. This survey went through the 8th and 9th Shikoku regional Kosen bioethics committee.

References
Fiedler, E. F., Mitchell, T, and Triandis, C. H. The culture assimilator: An approach to cross-cultural training. Journalof Applied Psychology, 55, pp.95-102. (1971)
Neuliep, J. W., and McCroskey, J. C.. Ethnocentrism Scale. Measurement Instrument Database for the Social
Science. (2013) Retrieved from http://www.jamescmccroskey.com/measures/ethnocentrism_scale.htm
Shaules,J and Katsura,H Culture Riddles-International.Tokyo:NAN’UN-DO. (2005).
Shaules,J and Katsura,H. Culture Riddles-America.Tokyo:NAN’UN-DO. (2007).
鈴木佳苗、坂元章、森津太子、坂元桂、高比良美詠子、足立にれか、勝谷紀子、小林久美子、橿淵めぐ
み、木村文香「国際理解測定尺度 (IUS2000)の作成および信頼性・妥当性の検討」『日本教育工学会論文誌』23-4、pp.213-226.（2000）

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