JAOS Study Abroad Impact Assessment Test
What is the purpose of this test?
To analyze how your behavioral characteristics and capabilities have changed
after your study abroad.

To visualize the accomplishments of your study abroad.

Five features


A simple test, completable in around 20 minutes over the web

Understand your own behavioral characteristics



Learn about the skills and practices necessary for studying abroad

Make your own strengths and difficulties with studying abroad more clear



Visualize your progress by measuring before and after your study abroad.

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What you can learn from this test

Understand your own behavioral characteristics
 Recognize behavioral traits that you exhibit without realizing, enhancing
self-understanding

Understand the skills and practices necessary for study abroad 1. Determine the practices expected of you in classes overseas. 2.
Determine the skills you wish to acquire during your study abroad. 3.
Determine the negative practices that could cause you to fail in studyabroad.

Understand your strengths and difficulties
 Make best use of your strengths and weaknesses.

Understand what you accomplished from your study abroad Express your personal growth objectively and come to better understandthe effects of your study abroad.

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Test UsesFor study abroad program administrators
Offer appropriate study abroad counseling based on objective data
By objectively understanding your counselee’s behavioral traits and skills,
you will be able to offer appropriate counseling to enable a successful study
abroad experience without relying excessively on your personal experiences
and abilities.

Analyze the results of the study abroad program and compare to otherprograms
By visualizing the effectiveness of the study abroad program as an elementof a broader education, you will become able to analyze the results andcompare them to other programs.

Represent study abroad program improvement and revisions in the form ofobjective measures.
By examining and comparing the respective results of your analysis of eachprogram, you will be able to deduce problem areas and areas forimprovement, which can form a basis for further reform and revision offuture programs.

3For students studying abroadAchieve self-analysis/self-understanding and prepare yourself for studyabroad
By coming to recognize your behavioral characteristics and current abilities
that you may not have noticed, you will be able to more adequately prepare
yourself for study abroad.

Acquire goals to improve the effectiveness of your study abroad
By getting to grips with your strengths and problem areas, how you should
prepare for your study abroad, and how you should conduct yourself whenstudying abroad, will become clear. You will then become able to consciously
engage in practices to increase the effectiveness of your study abroad.

Visualize and sum up the progress you made as a result of your study abroad
By visualizing the relationship between the skills you improved and the way
your practices changed during your study abroad, you can summarize yourexperience. Also, based on that summary, you can establish future goals, andbe able to explain the specific ways in which your study abroad experience
was productive when, for example, searching for a job.

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Analysis of changes in behavioral characteristics and abilities before and after studyabroad
The JAOS Study Abroad Impact Assessment Test is based on analysis of behavioral
characteristics.
Behavioral profile
Human behavior consists of both behaviors we are conscious of and those we areunconscious of. The JAOS Study Abroad Impact Assessment Test analyzes examinees’
behaviors by dividing them into four domains, each domain further subdivided into fivefor a total of 20 measures. Behaviors rated highly (close to 10) indicate behaviors which
regularly appear in daily life. However, a complete behavioral profile consists of thecombination of all measures, not any one measure in insolation. The test does not lookat behavioral characteristics in terms of value judgments like “good” and “bad,” butrather aims to help foster self-understanding and self-improvement by looking at
behavioral traits from the perspective of how they can be best utilized.
The four domains
Self-awareness (the ability to understand oneself)Relatability (the ability to understand people and surroundings)

Responsiveness (the ability to respond to circumstances and incidents)

Expressiveness (the ability to create and execute)5Fundamental Skills for Global Participation 1Communication
Communication is the foundation of all human relationships. Strong communicativeabilities should enable a person to have positive interpersonal relations, andsatisfactorily demonstrate their acquired abilities. A high number of points in thiscategory (close to 100) constitutes a strong measure. Use this as a hint regarding whether
you should try to further improve your communicative ability.
Communication
Measures
The ability to take in all of someone else’s words, to the end, without
Listening abilityinterrupting.
The ability to be there for someone else’s thoughts and feelings, andEmpathy
genuinely empathize.
The ability to agree to someone else’s opinions and ways of thinking
Receptivenesswithout being critical.
Openness
AssertivenessThe ability to actively communicate what you are thinking and feeling.
The ability to clearly convey your thoughts and opinions.
The ability to present materials and data in an easy-to-understandPresentation abilityway.

6Fundamental Skills for Global Participation 2Global Problem Solving
The following six measures of the skill of problem solving, essential to achievement ofgoals and elimination of problems, are broken down according to the PDCA (Plan, Do,Check, Action) cycle. Whether at home or abroad, this is a universally fundamental skill
for being active in society. A high number of points (over 80) constitutes a strong measure.
Use this as a hint regarding whether you should try to further improve your problem
solving ability.

Global Problem Solving
The ability to form a short or long-term plan towards
Plan drafting ability
the achievement of a goal
The ability to establish an information network andInformation gathering ability
gather information from various sources.
The ability to turn an idea into a plan, putting together
Plan proposal ability
information and data to form a proposal.
The ability to quickly make up one’s mind and act inFast execution ability
response to a problem.
The ability to flexibly deal with changes in theAdaptability
environment or other people.
The ability to complete projects without leaving
Completing ability
problems or goals half-finished.

7Global Initiative
Initiative, essential for making your study abroad experience a success and for achieving
personal growth, is broken down into five measures. Points exceeding 50, approaching
100, represent a strong level of commitment. Through your study abroad, try to further
improve the areas you score highly in, and overcome problems in the areas you score lowin.
The five measures

Challenging oneself: Continuing to strive for higher goals rather than being
satisfied with the current situation.

Ambition: Remaining ambitious and succeeding in accomplishing tasks even indifficult circumstances.



Independence: Setting your own goals and carrying them out while remaining
conscious of others.

Acceptance of diversity: Accepting a wide variety of cultures and values.

Inquisitiveness: Taking in a wide variety of information, maintaining an interest
in and pursuing various ways of thinking.

Global Behavior
The specific behavior expected while you are studying abroad classes, activities,
interactions with others, etc., is broken down into five measures. Active observance of
these behaviors during your study abroad will lead to making your experience a success.
Try to devise a plan of action for any areas in which your points are low, and improvethem as much as possible before you leave.

8The five measures
Active questioning: Actively asking questions in order to make clear things you
don’t understand, and deepen your understanding of topics.

Participation: Endeavoring to interact with a variety of people and cultures, andproactively attending parties, events, etc.

Persistence: Continuing to make your best effort and tackle challenges in orderto acquire new skills.

Receptiveness to criticism: Accepting criticism from others for the sake of yourpersonal growth and improvement of your skills.

Hospitality: Contributing while remaining considerate of others, in order to build
trusting relationships.

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Negative practices to be aware of and adaptation to a new environment
Derailment“Derailment” refers to the negative practice of allowing your relationships with others todeteriorate after the first meeting. Categories in which you score highly may be a botherto your acquaintances and host family. In contrast to the competency graph, here, scoringhighly represents a negative practice. Categories in which you score over 80 points will
require particular improvement.

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Stressful situations
Check the numerical values of your stress during examinations and your stressresistance, and use these as a means of measuring your stress during your study abroad.
Stress resistanceIn stressful situations during your study abroad, try not to overreact to stress, but
understand the causes and make use of your stress resistance.

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Development Letter
You will be offered advice based on the strengths and problem areas indicated by theresults of this test.
1. Skills that stand out as strengths
From the behavioral analysis results, two measures will be held up as particularly strong.
Examinees should try to best use of these skills to achieve further personal growth.
2.

Challenges to growth

From the behavioral analysis results, four points will be shown as challenges to proper
personal growth. Examinees should not attempt to improve each of these, but choose theone they see as most important, and, through daily life, try to change their behaviour

11Study abroad effectiveness visualization: Growing from your study abroad experience
Before leaving: Blue
After returning: Red
1. Behavioral changes
Your study abroad experience and study practices will result in your behavior changing
in the period between when you leave the country and when you return. Observe inwhich measures you showed the largest and smallest changes, think about whatpractices during your study abroad led to those results, and use that knowledge to growfurther in future.

2. Changes in communicative and problem-solving ability
A positive change is a representation of your proactive attempts to get to grips with thatskill. A measure with a negative change represents a skill you were not able to improve
during your study abroad. Look back on why you were unable to improve that skill, andtry to tackle the problem after returning home. Actively trying to tackle a problem will
result in improvements from before you left for your study abroad.

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3. Changes in Global Mind and Global Behavior
Look back on your study abroad experience, recognize what practices resulted in changes
to your Global Mind and Global Behavior, and utilize them in your future activities.

Established in 1991, our mission is to promote the healthy development of the study
abroad industry in Japan by establishing ethical best practice guidelines fororganizations, educating and training study abroad counselors and advisors, andengaging in various other promotional activities to increase awareness of, and further
the development of a safe and rewarding environment for Japanese study abroad
students.
Recognized by the Japanese government as a General Incorporated Association in 2008,
JAOS membership consists not only of private companies but also includes publicorganizations such as the Australian Embassy Marketing Office and the British Council,
as well as various trade-related associations. As of 2014, total membership now exceeds
60 organizations. JAOS is also an active member of the international association FELCA(The Federation of Education and Language Consultant Associations). By representing
Japan through this membership, JAOS is able to educate and promote Japanese market
needs to industry providers and assist them in developing the optimal study abroad
environment for Japanese study abroad students.

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The Institute of Behavior Traits is an organization that straddles the neuroscienceand psychology fields, conducting research into human behavior.
Founder and test developer: Hiroshi Hoshi
Philosophy graduate from Hokkaido University, Master of Philosophy from WesternMichigan State University.
Affiliated academic societies/research publishing organizations: Japanese Association ofIndustrial Counseling, Japanese Association of Applied Psychology, Japan Society of
Human Resource Management, General Incorporated Association of the Waseda
Institute for Transnational Human Resource Management, Institute of Behavior Traits

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