Influences of Overseas Fieldwork on Students’ Motivations andBehaviors after Returning to Japan and Its factors

Shiho Okada
Kansai University, Japanjupiter.3.shiho@gmail.com

Abstract: This paper clarifies how student’s experiences during overseas fieldwork
affect their school life after returning to Japan. Recently overseas fieldwork for theuniversity students has become more popular in Japan. The purpose of these projects
is to increase cross-cultural understanding and improve language skills. Students
increase motivations in many ways such as develop a greater understanding of othercultures through the fieldwork when they return to college life. However, in fact,
students seem that they do not realize connection between experience in overseas
fieldwork and school life. Nevertheless they find their purpose on the school life andliving. Then, in this paper, the author also attempts to clarify how participants’motivation and behavior changes after fieldwork and its factors based on the casestudy of overseas fieldwork in the Philippines.

Key word: overseas fieldwork, motivation, school life, promotional factor

INTRODUCTION
Today, the necessity of global human resource has been advocated in various media and educationalinstitutions. In this manner, overseas fieldworks, to attract college students, are designed. The purpose of
these programs is often to increase raised intercultural understanding, improve language skills
improvement, and assist career development. In fact, some surveys of the students who participated inoverseas fieldwork show that students better understanding values gap and were more willing to try newexperiences.
To conduct overseas fieldwork as part of a university’s curriculum, universities must develop
environments that encourage and support the pursuit of meaningful experiences. According to Matsuda
and Takigawa such fieldwork has been nothing more than motivation for intercultural understanding
because it is short term. However, in the future, it is necessary to consider the after-the-fact setting that
can assist student in examining their experiences on their own and understand how it can serve them inthe future (Matsuda&Takigawa, 1998). However, it is difficult for some students to learn from theirexperiences after they return to their universities because what they learned in their fieldwork and theirexperiences during overseas fieldwork has no direct connection to their everyday university life.

OBJECTIVE and METHODOLOGY
The research objective of this paper is to clarify if the students’ motivations change, and to clarify
the promotional factors so that participating students can deepen their experiences after the fieldwork andidentify obstructions that make it difficult. In this study, the author interviews seven students who
participated in the overseas fieldwork in the Philippines in 2013 about (1) their change through fieldwork,(2) school life after that and (3) the reason and factors why students chose that way of life. After that, theauthor transcribes and analyzes the interviews.

CASE STUDY: Overseas Fieldwork in Philippines, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies
This fieldwork was conducted in Kyoto University of Foreign Studies in February 2013 for five daysin Davao, Philippines. Eight students and one instructor visited an NGO orphanage, called the House ofJoy (HOJ), the purpose of visiting HOJ was to film a documentary and understand a NGO by observing itfrom various points of view such as operator, children and local staff. The main activity is to go withchildren or staff and film a documentary. In addition, Japanese university volunteers play or go to schoolwith children, help cooking meals and so forth.

Table 1
The schedule of fieldwork in Philippines
DateLocation

Activities

Feb.11.2013

Japan→Manila city

-Departure from Japan and arrival at Manila in Philippines

Feb.12

HOJ, Davao-Transfer to Davao from Manila-Start fieldwork and film a documentary

Feb.13

HOJ, Davao-Fieldwork and film a documentary

Feb.14

HOJ, Davao-Fieldwork and film a documentary

Feb.15Manila→Japan-Transfer to Manila from Davao-Departure from Philippines and arrival in Japan

FINDINGS and DISCUSSION
As a result of the interviews, after they came back to their school life, it seems that students do notnoticed connections between overseas fieldwork and school life. Most of students answered they do notthink that their experiences in overseas fieldwork have influences to their school life. However, overseas
fieldworks provide sparks for students to think their future: what do they want to do, or what they should
do in school life. These further details about findings will be discussed on the day presentation.

REFERENCES- Proceedings references:
MatsudaY & Takigawa K.(1998). Significance and future challenges of short-term overseas training incollege – From the result of the questionnaire of students-. Proceedings of Nagoya Bunri Junior College,
40,-Articles published on the webKinoshita E. Research on Educational Significance of International Exchange Program inHigh School : Through Narrative Approach to the Students who participated International
Exchange Program. master’s thesis. Saitama University, 2009