大分工業高等専門学校紀要

第 53 号(平成 28 年 11 月)

IDEAL PROCESSES FOR STUDYING ABROAD:
AN ETHNOGRAPHIC APPROACH

Tomek ZIEMBA
Dept. of General Education

In recent years, the number of students wanting and going to study abroad has been on the rise.
However, there can be a wide range of differences in what the students bring back from their experiences.
The purpose of this study is to give an overview and reflect on study abroad initiatives from NIT, Oita
College for fourth year internship students going to Singapore Polytechnic. Over three years, various
approaches were taken, such as journal writing and pre-departure orientations. An analysis of what helped
make the students have a more meaningful study abroad experience will be analyzed. Finally, the results
are intended to help enrich the future cohorts from this college, even outside of the internship program.
Keywords : study abroad, journals, ethnography, internship, reflection

1. INTRODUCTION
With the next summer Olympic games coming toTokyo in 2020, Japanese youth have started torealize the importance of being active on aninternational scale. Many have the intention, if notsimply interest, in studying abroad to improve theirlanguage skills and be immersed in the culture ofanother country. Even the Ministry of Education(MEXT) has created a scholarship fund, with thehelp of several corporations, to encourage studying
abroad called Tobitate! Japan.
However, just going overseas for a fixed periodof time is not a guarantee of acquiring language
skills, deepening cultural understanding, nor
ensuring a meaningful experience. These troubles
have been a source of concern for Kosen instructors
who escort students on overseas internships or otherprograms. Students often encounter culture shock,or feelings of despair when realizing their actuallevel of ability in English.
So, what are the proper steps in hopefully
guaranteeing a process for a life-changing study
abroad experience? This study details a three-year
observation period of Japanese student groups in
Singapore, detailing the various attempts at
improving the program, and the effects of thevarious interventions on the personal growth of thestudents participating in this intriguing program.

(1) Oita Kosen internship program in Singapore
The National Institute of Technology, Oita
College (henceforth Oita Kosen) has an internshipsystem set in place for all fourth year students.
Students can choose a domestic or overseasinternship, with often only a handful willing tochallenge themselves overseas. The overseasinternship program is possible due to cooperative
efforts with Singapore Polytechnic (henceforth SP),in which for several years academic exchanges andinternships have taken place between both
institutions.
(2) Incoming internship program at Oita Kosen
In recent years, a reciprocation of internshipactivities has begun at Oita Kosen as well, withparticipants from SP coming in March for a 6-weekprogram. This period is significantly longer thanthat of Kosen students at SP, and the reasoning isthat SP regulations state that internship programs fortheir students must last at least six weeks in length.
(3) Affiliated faculty and staff
The study was mainly conducted and observedby one English teacher who accompanied thestudents throughout their internship program, andacted as an interpreter when needed on location.
Other Japanese professors and office workers, aswell as SP staff worked together for weeks inplanning each internship program.

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2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE

3. ANNUAL PLANS

There are several studies that have been done
over the past few decades on the effects of studying
abroad, some including specifics on Japanese
students. Creamer (2004) did a study about the
expectations of female students in overseas
programs and found that they brought “cultural
baggage” with them overseas, which affected thelevels of immersion in their studies abroad. Ogawa(1998) conducted a study, which showed further
gender differences, with female students being more
open and having higher aspirations as well. Genderdifferences could lead to a source of concern for
Kosen faculty accompanying students regardless of
the low number of female students enrolled.
Another study by Lassegard (2013) detailed how
there is a decrease of Japanese students going tostudy abroad since the mid-2000s with the lack ofscholarships or supplementary funding available as
the main source of hesitation. It is often thought thatstudents are concerned with delaying theirgraduation or low level of interest to begin with, butfinancial reasons were found the be the mostaffecting. The study also detailed that most students
felt that they were not prepared enough in their
linguistic abilities before going overseas.
Finally, one of the most concerning was from astudy by Segawa (1998) about the effects of culture
shock on Japanese students going overseas for study
abroad programs. It was shown that students whostayed together and had little individual interaction
with locals had greater adaptation problems andeven lead to internal conflict between members.
This is a very important point to consider when
taking Kosen students abroad for such programs.

The observations were taken over a period of
three years, with each year having their own varying
forms of provisions implemented with each cohort.
(1) First year of research (2013)
For the annual summer internship program, it
was the first time the researcher accompanied thestudents overseas. Senior faculty members also
accompanied the students and few new provisions
were created throughout the program. The mostsignificant was the addition of daily meetings thatwould be held each night at a set time (curfew).
(2) Second year of research (2014)
The next year of the internship program began toexperiment with further reflective approaches forstudents to ease the sojourner adaptation process.
Students were given journals in which students
would recall their day of activities and describe how
they changed as individuals and their perspectivesof the local culture as well. Journals were conductedentirely in Japanese, for the ease of students toparticipate in this new form of provision. Also, apre-departure orientation session with instruction on
culture shock and local culture were introduced.
(3) Third year of research (2015)
In the third and final year of the study, facultyagreed to increase the number of pre-departureorientation sessions, in which a guidebook createdby staff at Toyama Kosen was used to prepare
students for their studies abroad. Journals
implemented the previous year were made to be
written entirely in English, as well as exit interviews
with each student the night before their departure, toreflect upon their experiences over the program.

4. POINTS OF DISCUSSION

Fig.1 Culture Shock Timeline (emotion over time)
taken from the “Overseas Study Program
Guidebook” created by Toyama Kosen.

(1) Daily Meetings
The idea of daily meetings was inspired byexperiences of the researcher from the study abroadplans of a local university, in which each night thestudents would have to gather for at least ten
minutes and reflect on the days activities anddiscuss how they are feeling in the new culture.
These meetings also doubled as a fixed curfew time
for students and were followed without complaints.
Although not all students would share the same―12―

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amount of personal information, each student wasmade to say at least one comment. With not all
students on the same page, and varying levels ofcomfort, an unbalance between the spoken
reflections of students was seen. This lead to theimplementation of journal writing.
(2) Journal Writing
Students were told to keep track of their daily
activities in pocket-sized journals that were
submitted to the accompanying professors by theend of each daily meeting. It was found that students
were able to detail more about their personal
feelings and things that were not mentioned
previously in meetings on several occasions, whichlead to easier group control by accompanying staff.
a) Writing Journals in JapaneseIn the second year of the study when journals
were implemented, students were allowed to write
their journals in their native language. English wasconsidered initially, but postponed to ensure thatstudents would make the most of the journal writing
process and be able to reflect more clearly.

b) Writing Journals in English
In year three of the study, students wereencouraged from the beginning to write theirjournals in English, and add further explanation in
Japanese if absolutely necessary. Grammar andspelling mistakes were corrected, and it was foundthat over time, students were able to write entirely inEnglish with very little need for corrections. Not
only were students able to reflect clearly as in theprevious year, but also improve written English.

Fig.3 Journal Entry in English by a student

Fig. 2 Journal Entry in Japanese by a student(3) Pre-Departure Orientation
After the success of an initial pre-departureorientation session in the second year of research,
the third year lead to a more robust and detailed
program, which included dealing with culture shock,introducing students to Singaporean culture andtraditions before going overseas, as well as giving
the students time to prepare for introductions to bedone overseas. In previous years, students would
stay up late into the night preparing PowerPoint
slides to introduce themselves and their departmentof study at their welcome ceremonies in Singapore,
however it was found that by giving students moretime to prepare, students were able to present withgreater confidence and develop higher quality―13―大分工業高等専門学校紀要

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materials. The use of an “Overseas Study Guide
Book” was also implemented as a suggestion by aformer accompanying professor of the internshipprogram, and students were encouraged to write
information and research material in advance of
their departure, as shown in Fig.4 below.

hour. These interviews were not cut short, so thatstudents could have an outlet and speak their minds
clearly and fully before returning back to Japan.
These interviews lead to students having lower rates
of reverse culture shock, which is still a concern.

Fig.4 Table of contents of the “Overseas Study
Guide Book” used in pre-departure orientation
The students were intrigued and interested in thecontents and filling out the guide book, but it was
found that the students were not using it while in
Singapore, as some even lost it during theirinternship. It would be suggested to complete thecontents as much as possible pre-departure, andhave students finish their final reflections upon
return and submit it to supervisory staff upon return.
(4) Final Reflection Journals and Exit Interviews
Students were finally encouraged to reflect once
more on their internship programs upon return at the
points of one day, one week, and one month after.
This final reflection was started in the second yearof observation with students writing it directly into
their journals and submit them to the accompanying
faculty upon return. Like the use of the guide book,some students lost their journals and did not submit
final reflections. To counter this, during the thirdyear, an exit interview was set in place where theresearcher would conduct one-on-one interviews
with the students. General questions such as what
were the highs and lows of their internshipexperience, as well as reflecting on what they hadlearned and how do the students feel they havegrown were also asked. Gradually throughout theexit interview, students began to share thoughts andinformation that was not previously shared injournal entries or daily meetings, and the plannedten minute time limit per student was over extended
to several minutes, some lasting longer than half an

Fig.5 Reflection journal sample by student
Comments made by students in their exit
interviews were recorded and it is hoped that thesecomments can be used anonymously for futurecohorts to go on study abroad internship programs.
Some of the things mentioned by students include: “I came here confident, but realized how
low my actual level of English ability was.” “I was not courageous enough throughout
the program, and it made me want to change
myself as a person.” “My listening comprehension in English
improved but I still want to have a greater
vocabulary so I can communicate better.” “I was ashamed of being shy and holdingback at several times in the program.
Reflecting through journals and daily
meetings made me realize what I needed tochange about myself and my actions.”
Another addition was that of a scavenger on one
free day of the itinerary during the third year ofobservation. Students were instructed to go acrossthe city to find historical sights and local cuisine.
Students found it to be an entertaining learning―14―大分工業高等専門学校紀要

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experience through fun, but some complained theyneeded the rest from an already busy itinerary.

Maybe they want to learn specific trade skills fortheir future? Catering to these needs on a national
scale can help increase participation and motivation.

5. FUTURE CONSIDERATIONS
6. CONCLUSION(1) Application and Selection Process
The process of selection of students continues tobe a problem for the accompanying faculty. Students
fill out an application form, which includes a shortessay in English to test their English ability. It was
found that most students would seek help from theirseniors, other English staff or exchange students tohave a more native-like written passage.
Also, most applicants were accepted regardlessof academic status or record, due to the low numberof general applicants. In the third year ofobservation in particular, TOEIC or TOEIC Bridge
scores were set for participation and the number ofstudents who cleared these requirements were
extremely low in number. A second application
period was implemented, which then accepted any
applicant as in previous years. This was especially aconcern in the third year due to multiple students
who went on the internship returning only to havefailed their grade and repeat the year again.
Limiting participation based on high level ofEnglish ability is understandable, but notrecommended due to the limitations of increase inability that can be measured. A study by Taguchi(2013) showed that students with previous
experience in studying abroad or higher levels of
language ability showed lower levels of
improvement compared to first-timer participants.
Tsuneyoshi (2005) also states that these English
based study abroad programs can actually help
students gain confidence and ability in their use of
the target language. These studies as well as theexperiences observed show that limitations based on
linguistic ability of participants is not ideal.

Through a review of literature and over three
years of observation with testing various provisions
to help increase the personal growth of students,
these study abroad opportunities need further
refining. Effective pre-departure orientateons canhelp prepare the students for what is ahead of themand prevent culture shock, journal writing can help
give students an outlet to communicate and test theirwritten ability, and exit interviews and reflections
can help generalize and lead the students to aholistic interpretation and greater appreciation for
the value of their study abroad experience.
Further observation and testing on various
provisions should be continued in study to help
contribute to a kosen-friendly program, as theenvironments of the students vary quite differently
from regular high school and university programs.
Our Kosen students are expected to become
future engineers able to contribute and participate ona global scale – and it is through study abroad
programs that they can test their abilities and pave
the way to their own unique future upon return fromtheir overseas study abroad sojourn.

(2) Continuation and Regulation of InternshipDue to continuous budget constraints and also
manpower of Oita Kosen staff, a fourth year ofobservation was not possible. With the current statusof the internship program in limbo, andrecommendations for students to participate in other
Kosen-related internship programs, there is a risk of
the independent study abroad experience to be
replaced by more general programs run nationally.
Jackson wrote in their book (2008) that programs
should be customized and cater to specific learningneeds of students. Does a particular student want tofocus on improving their language ability? Or dothey want to simply have a new cultural experience?

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Fig.6 English reflection in a student journal

大分工業高等専門学校紀要

第 53 号(平成 28 年 11 月)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: I would like to thankthe staff of Oita Kosen that helped with eachinternship program, the students that I had thepleasure to work with and let me share their journalreflections over the course of this study, the staff(especially Mrs. Hope Lee Hooi Meng) and students
from Singapore Polytechnic, in particular Prof. Siew
Lan Ng and Prof. Jiat-Loong Chua from the
Department of Mechanical and AeronauticalEngineering, for allowing us to collaborate withthem on several occasions, as well as Toyama Kosen
for the development of their “Overseas Study
Program Guidebook”.
REFERENCES
1）Creamer, J. M., (2004), Facing Japan while living in the
United States: The study abroad experiences andexpectations of Japanese women (Doctoral dissertation),
University of Illionois at Urbana-Champaign, Proquest
Dissertations Publishing.
2) Jackson, J., Studies in Applied Linguistics: Language,
Identity and Study Abroad: Sociocultural Perspectives (1),Equinox Publishing Limited, October 2008.

3) Lassergard, J. P. (2013), Student perspectives on international
education: an examination into the decline of Japanesestudying abroad, Asia Pacific Journal of Education, 33(4),365-379.
4) Ogawa, A., (1998), A study of Japanese ryugakusei(students abroad) in American universityes as agents ofJapan’s globalization in the twenty-first century (Doctoral
dissertateion), University of Cincinnati, Proquest
Dissertations Publishing.
4) Segawa, M., (1998), The cultural adaptation of Japanesecollege students in a study abroad context: an ethnographic
study (Doctoral dissertation), The University of British
Columbia, Proquest Dissertations Publishing.
5) Taguchi, N., (2013), Production of routines in L2 English:
Effect of proficiency and study-abroad experience, System
41, 109-121.
6) Tsuneyoshi, R., (2005), Internationalization strategies inJapan: The dilemmas and possibilities of study abroad
programs using English, Journal of Research inInternational Education, 4(1), 65-86.
7) Winkelman, M., (1994) Cultural shock and adaptation,
Journal of Counseling and Development, 73(2), 121-126.

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