Journal of Education and Learning; Vol. 7, No. 5; 2018ISSN 1927-5250 E-ISSN 1927-5269
Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education

Efforts to Promote Global Education in Japan: The Case of Tottori
University and Overseas Practical Education Programs
Roxana Y. Parada1*, Reiko Ikeda1*, Takayuki Ando1, Masako Hishida1, Hiroshi Takeda1, Dagnachew Aklog1,
Kurie Otachi1 & Kumi Yasunobu1
1

Center for International Affairs, Tottori University, 4-101 Koyama-Minami, Tottori 680-8550, Japan*

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Correspondence: Roxana Y. Parada, Center for International Affairs, Tottori University, Japan. Tel:
81-857-31-5659.
Received: May 9, 2018
doi:10.5539/jel.v7n5p62

Accepted: June 8, 2018

Online Published: June 18, 2018

URL: https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v7n5p62

Abstract
Participation in overseas programs has recently increased as an international strategy worldwide. However,Japan has been the exception, because the number of Japanese students studying abroad has decreased over thelast decade. The Japanese government and universities began efforts to motivate Japanese students to gaininternational experience. However, efforts to measure the impact of overseas programs other than in English
proficiency have been limited. This paper reports the benefits of three types of overseas short-term programs
offered by Tottori University (TU) to support Japanese students in studying abroad through the Global Getaway
Program (GGP), emphasizing practical training in developing countries. Data for this study were collected fromstudents from 2006 to 2011 before the GGP and 2012 to 2016 after its implementation. Students were tested
before and after participating in overseas short-term programs, and results were compared with those who did
not participate. The questionnaire survey carried out revealed significant differences in all global competences
skills between students who attended overseas programs and those that did not. In addition, after participating in
the overseas program, students understood i, why English as a tool for communication will help them grow asinternationally minded future leaders, ii, how foreign languages can lead to overseas practical skills, and iii, theimportance of field practice as opposed to knowledge only acquired in the classroom. The achievement of thisstudy increases the value of overseas training for the younger Japanese generation and their perception ofdeveloping advanced thinking abilities through practical education in developing countries.
Keywords: developing country, global human resources, higher education, overseas short-term programs,
practical education, Tottori University, Japan
1. Introduction
Demographics, economic pressure, and globalization in higher education are the main reasons for students’mobility worldwide. According to The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization([UNESCO], 2013) the number of outbound students has increased from 1.3 million in 1990 to 4.3 million in
2011. In the past, students’ mobility focused on English-speaking countries. However, in recent years, thenumber of students from Asia and the Pacific region has also increased, and 53% of all students enrolled inhigher education in 2011 were from China, India, and Korea (Organization for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment [OECD], 2012; Nam, 2018).
The speed of population decline and aging in developed and developing countries is another relevant issue
affecting higher education worldwide. Japan has a rapidly aging population and low birth rate, resulting in adecrease of the youth and working age populations. The decreasing number of young people and the emergenceof new universities has led to an over-supply of universities in Japan. Therefore, Japan is moving towards
enhancing or cultivating the capabilities of the younger generation through the internationalization of its
universities (Kuwamura, 2009; Shimomura, 2013).
The Ministry of Justice Immigration Bureau and Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology(MEXT) have implemented changes in the education-oriented immigration policy and internationalization ofhigher education in Japan. Notably, the number of international students increased from 10,428 in 1983 to62

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141,747 in 2010 (Japanese Students Services Organization [JASSO], 2010), and the number of Japanese students
abroad has gradually increased from 18,066 in 1983 to 82,945 in 2004 (JASSO, 2015). Nevertheless, by 2010
the number of Japanese students decreased to 58,060 (JASSO, 2015), because the English programs offered atselected universities were mainly used to attract international students, not necessarily Japanese students, among
other factors (Yonezawa, 2014; Bradford, 2015). Therefore, in 2011, the Japanese government initiated new
growth strategy measures to increase inbound and outbound student mobility as well as the “Global Human
Resources Development” strategy (Yonezawa, 2014). In total, 37 universities were selected to participate in the“Top Global University Project”. In addition, three other projects were launched to support theinternationalization of Japanese universities and Japanese students to study abroad, namely the “Global 30
Project,” the “Go Global Japan Project,” and the “Re-Inventing Japan Project” (MEXT, 2014; Rose & McKinley,2018).
In higher education, MEXT stated that the acquisition of knowledge and skills (theory) is as important as theability to practice and apply the knowledge and skills learned (practice) and the development of global skills totackle and solve arising problems. Therefore, MEXT highlights the necessity of developing global humanresources with independent and autonomous thinking abilities, and the capacity to create new products andservices
and
work
with
others
for
a
new
and
more
prosperous
society(htttp://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chukyo0/toushin).
Analyzing higher education in Japan, various initiatives have been implemented to nurture global humanresources by exploiting the characteristics of each university (Lawson, 2012; N. Okada & A. Okada, 2013).
However, efforts in global education in many universities have been equated to English education (Seargeant,2011; Hashimoto, 2013; Phan, 2013; Rose & McKinley, 2018).
Certainly, the focus on English education is one characteristic of educational reform in Japan and other Asian
countries (Kirkpatrick, 2011). Japan has established English as a subject in elementary school and promotes therecruitment of foreign teachers to handle it (Butler, 2007). Indeed, educators must ensure that young peopleacquire English language skills, as it is the most spoken language worldwide, to develop a future global society.
However, we need to understand why it is necessary to prioritize nurturing English comprehension skills as partof communication skills. The reason is that in a global society, we need to share and coexist with people withdifferent cultures or values; therefore, the receiving party of education must understand that improving
communication skills including English language skills will help them become globalized human resources (Ike,1995; Nakamura, 2002; Horiguchi et al., 2015).
In 2012, Tottori University (hereinafter referred to as TU) started the Global Gateway Program (GGP) for the“Promotion of Global Human Resources Development” under the “Go Global Japan Project” (GGJ) from 2012,
which was completed in 2016 (Hishida, 2015). Most of the Japanese universities belonging to the GGJ offer
overseas
programstofosterEnglishcommunication
skillsasthemainsubject(https://www.anesta.co.jp/user/cn10/pg202.html). Conversely, since 2006 TU has promoted its unique overseas
practical education training program “Towards a Framework of Sustainable Society in Harmony with Nature” indeveloping countries as an international strategy to foster students with advanced thinking abilities andcommunication skills, including English. From 2011 to 2016, before and through the implementation of the GGP,TU developed three types of short-term programs, i, Language training programs offered by sister universities in
Canada, the United States and Australia. Students who attend these programs are mainly interested to develop
their practical English skills, ii, Language training and cross-cultural programs offered in Malaysia and Taiwan.
Students who attend these programs, in addition to language skills development, can improve theirunderstanding of culture, tradition and history, and iii, a new overseas practical education program in Uganda
was also launched (Table 1).
The overseas practical education programs in Mexico and Uganda, unlike language programs andlanguage/cross-cultural programs, students who attend these programs enhance their understanding of global
issues such as desertification, food shortage, wildlife conservation, and a wide range of other topics covering thesocio-economic, cultural and historical aspects of each country. All lectures, field research, and other activities
are conducted in English and students can develop their basic ability to identify problems and create new ideas tosolve them. At TU, the three types of programs enable Japanese students to acquire global strength, empower
execution based on autonomy and collaboration in a diverse environment, and encourage global citizens withhigh ethical and social standards, including communication skills in English.
This paper focuses on the results of our three types of overseas short-term programs (from one to three months)
from 2006 to 2016 at TU before and after the implementation of the GGP. The study also stresses the positive63

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impact of overseas short-term programs on Japanese students in developing the global management skills
required for a future global society. In addition, how TU is working towards its international strategy throughoverseas practical education is discussed.
Table 1. Short-term programs offered by Tottori University before (*) and after (**) GGP implementation(FY2006-2016)
Program type
Overseas Practical Education

Language Training and Cross-Cultural
Understanding
Language Training

English level required
BasicIntermediate
Overseas Practical Education in Uganda**

Advanced

International Training Program(ITP)**Overseas Practical Education in Mexico*
English/Cross-cultural Program in Taiwan**English/Cross-Cultural Program in Malaysia**
English Programs in Australia**, the United States**, Canada*
Overseas Program on Campus at TU**

2. Methodology, Participants, Data Collection and Analysis
The primary data for this study were collected from 2006 to 2016 from students who participated in the overseas
short-term programs from 2006 to 2011 before the GGP, and from 2012 to 2016 after its implementation.
Quantitative data from two surveys, the Global Human Power Indicator survey (Global Competence Assessment
Method) developed in this study according to the Council of Europe (CEFR, 2011) as well as the International
Communication Skills survey were employed to evaluate the effect of the overseas and domestic short-term
programs on Japanese undergraduate students. In the Global Competence Assessment questionnaire, global
management skills are delineated into 11 levels, and the global literacy and global communication skills into 6
levels. The Global Human Power Indicator survey was distributed via the university homepage, and 257 (GGP
participants and others who participated in overseas programs) undergraduate students who participated inoverseas short-term programs in 2014 and another one in 2015 were asked to complete the questionnaire. The
survey for International Communication Skills was distributed to 579 (GGP and others who participated inoverseas programs) undergraduate students at the time of their graduation in 2016 at the Faculties of Agriculture,Engineering and Regional Sciences. Of these, 142 students participated in overseas short-term programs and 437
did not. A significant difference between the means was determined using the Student’s t-test andMann-Whitney U-test.
3. Findings
3.1 Programs and Japanese Students’ Mobility Before and After the GGP
To promote international training among Japanese students, TU launched two overseas programs. The Overseas
Practical Education Program started in 2006 in Mexico, and The English Language Program in Canada in 2011.
After the implementation of the GGP, English Language Program in the United States and Australia, as well as
the new English Language with Cross-Cultural Understanding programs were launched in 2012 in Malaysia andTaiwan. The most recent program started in 2015, namely the Overseas Practical Education Program in Uganda.
TU currently offers eight short-term overseas programs to Japanese students (Figure 1a). As a result, the numberof Japanese students interested in studying abroad has increased significantly over the last six years (Figure 1b).
Statistical analysis showed the p-value of 0.003 was less than alpha level of 0.01. Therefore, there was asignificant difference before and after the implementation of the GGP (Figure 1c), indicating that theimplementation of the GGP made it easier for students to participate in study abroad programs and, by preparing
more options to study abroad, the GGP had an important role in providing support for students to undertaking
overseas short-term programs. It is worth mentioning that the approach to safety management for students intravelling to developing countries from TU, differs to the activities/policies of other universities in Japan which
offer one-hour long safety seminars provided by a security companies, at TU those who attend overseas
programs are required to take a class called “Overseas Safety Management” as a cumpulsory subject. This classis given by professors of TU and specialists from security companies. This consists of Safety Information,
International Law, Traffic Rules, Health including Mental Health, Money (robbery, theft, credit card, etc.),
Emergencies, Evacuations, and Crisis Communication. Since the GGP started, the number of students who took
this class has reached 1,130 in total.

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Figure 1. Trend of proggrams and outbbound students’ mobility at T
TU from 2006 to 2016. (a) Shhort-term overrseas
programss at TU before and after impllementation off the GGP. (b, c) Trend of Jappanese studentts studying abrroad
bbefore and afteer GGP implem
mentation.
Note. The vaalues represent thee average and stanndard deviation. T
The asterisk indicaates significant diifferences before aand after the impllementof the GGP ((**t-test, p<0.01: Before GGP impplementation X=21.8, SD=8.2; Afteer GGP implemenntation X=90.6, SD=27.7, t-value -5.048,
p-value 0.0033).

3.2 Gendeer, Faculties annd Grades of JJapanese Studeents Participatting in Short-T
Term Overseass Programs
In terms of gender, durinng the period 22006-2011 beffore GGP impllementation, thhere was no siggnificant differrence
mber of females and males ennrolled in overrseas programss (Figure 2a). However, the number of fem
males
in the num
increased significantly afterathe GGPP was implemeented (55.5%)) compared to males (44.5%%). The p valu
ue of
0.048 wass less than thee alpha level oof 0.05, thereffore, there waas a significannt difference bbetween maless andfemales beefore GGP andd after its impleementation (Fiigure 2b).

Figure 2. G
Gender of shorrt-term overseas participantss from TU (a) bbefore GGP annd (b) after GG
GP implementa
ation
Note. The vaalues represent thee average and stanndard deviation. T
The asterisk indicaates significant diffferences betweenn the number of feemalesand males beefore and after GG
GP implementationn (*t-test, p<0.05, n.s=no significannt).

We then aanalyzed the faaculties and acaademic gradess of participatinng students ovver the last tenn years according to
the programm type and inddependent of tthe implementaation of the GG
GP. The Oversseas Practical E
Education Programin Mexicoo originally foccused on the aagriculture field and those iin the third grrade were the target students. As
shown in ffigure 3a, mostt students whoo participated iin this program
m were from thhe Faculty of A
Agriculture (799.5%)
and somee from the Faculties
Fof R
Regional Sciennces (12.5%), Medicine (4.5%), or Enngineering (3..5%).

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Furthermoore, most participants were tthird grade stuudents (78.5%%) (Figure 3b). With the new
w English lang
guage
programs created by the GGP in Cannada, the United States, annd Australia, thhe number off students fromm theFaculties oof Engineerinng (39.7%), M
Medicine and R
Regional Sciennces (18%) inncreased comppared to that from
Agriculturre (24.3%). Thhe number of first (40%) annd second gradde students (37%) also incrreased compared tothird gradde students (155.3%) (Figuree 3b, 3e). Thee same tendenncies in the ffirst (43.6%) aand second grrades(32.3%) w
were found foor the Englishh language wiith cross-cultuural understandding programss in Malaysia
a andTaiwan, w
wherein most participants w
were from thee Faculties of Agriculture ((39%) and Enngineering (322.3%)(Figure 3cc, f). By creatinng three types of overseas prrograms with ddifferent Engliish levels as a requirement ofo theapplicationn, the numberr of first and second gradee students fromm the Facultiees of Engineeering and Regional
Sciences inncreased. Noteeworthy is thatt the small num
mber of particiipants from thhe Faculty of M
Medicine is bec
cause
their curriiculum differs from the othher faculties aand students ddo not have ennough holidayys in the sprin
ng orsummer too participate inn overseas proggrams.

Figure 33. Faculties and academic grades of studennts who particippated in short--term overseass programs at TU
T
The total student population at TU bbefore and afteer the implem
mentation of thhe GGP showeed that there is no
significantt difference between the nuumber of studdents and theiir academic ggrades before GGP and afte
er itsimplementtation (Figure 4a, 4b, Tablee 2). This resuult suggests thhat the particippation of firstt and second gradegstudents inncreased due too the implemeentation of the GGP and not due to demoggraphic differennces. Neverthe
eless,
there was a statistically significant diffference betweeen the numbeer of male and female studennts before and after
the implem
mentation of thhe GGP (Figuure 4a, Table 22), suggestingg that female pparticipation m
may have incre
eased
due to i, ccountries wheere the new prrograms were launched aree close to Japaan, ii, female students are moreinterested in learning English
Eand exxperiencing different culturees than male sstudents or iiii, the demogra
aphic
differences before and afterathe implem
mentation of G
GGP. Further rresearch is neeeded to clarify the reasons foor theincrease oof female studdents in the ovverseas prograams. On the oother hand, thhe number of students fromm theFaculties of Regional Sciences,S
Agrriculture and Engineering w
was not signiificant or signnificantly redu
uced,

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respectivelly (Figure 4c, Table 2), indiicating that thee demographicc differences arre not the reasson for the increaseof studentss who participaated in overseaas programs off these facultiees.

Figure 4. Average off total student ppopulation at T
TU before GG
GP (2006-2011)) and after its iimplementation(2012-20116). (a) Averagge number of tootal student annd gender, (b) A
Average numbber of studentss in each facultty (c)Average numbernof studdents by academ
mic grades (*tt-test, p<0.05, nn.s=no significcant)Table 2. T
T-test analysis ofo total student population att TU before GG
GP and after itts implementattion

Population
GenderFaculty

Academic
Grade

Variable
All students
Male
FemaleReg. Sci.
Medicine
Engineering
Agriculture
First
SecondThird
FourthBefore GGP
P (2006-2011)
XSD
5292.029.93433.5
12.8
1858.5
17.9
860.8
20.6
1213.012.9
2132.017.7
1103.817.6
1197.016.1
1180.317.9
1184.718.9
1471.526.8

After GGP (20112-2016)
XSD
5286.25.8
3320.049.8
1966.2
48.9
879.0
8.2
1300.637.0
2028.634.6
1072.09.4
1189.27.6
1192.012.2
1191.416.9
1441.427.9

Note. p<0.055.

67

t-value
0.442
4.679
4.400
-1.878-5.505
5.963
3.608
0.999
-1.21
-0.5841.725

pp-value00.67600.00900.00700.10200.00200.00100.00600.35000.25500.57300.118

Sig.
No
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No

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3.3 Positive Effect of Short-Term Programs on Japanese Students
To investigate if students acquired the global education skills proposed by our university as part of the Global
Human Resource Development program in 2012 (http://www.jsps.go.jp/j-gjinzai/data/shinsa/h24), we developed
a global competence assessment method according to the Council of Europe (CEFR, 2011). The results from 257
undergraduate students who participated in overseas short-term programs during 2014 and 2015 revealed anincrease in self-perceived abilities (Table 3). In addition, a significant difference in all global abilities wasobserved in the students before and after participating in the overseas programs, indicating the positive impact ofshort-term overseas programs on Japanese students.
Furthermore, at the time of graduation in 2016, we assessed the growth of global communication skills through asurvey of 579 undergraduate students from the Faculties of Agriculture, Engineering and Regional Sciences, ofwhich 142 participated in the overseas and 437 did not. The items measured in survey were progress in a foreign
language (Figure 5a), confidence to make friends with foreign people (Figure 5b), understanding of different
cultures (Figure 5c), understanding of global issues (Fig. 5d), and confidence to challenge the globalized society(Figure 5e). Significant differences were observed between students who participated in one or more overseas
programs and those who did not, indicating that short-term overseas programs positively affect on Japanese
students. In addition, they gained experience in international travel, personal confidence, and the ability tocommunicate in a different language.
Table 3. Comparison of global competences abilities before and after students’ participation in short-term
overseas programs
Overseas study
BeforeAfter
Global competences abilities*5.3
6.6
Global human potential
4.5
5.8-Self development capacity
5.3
6.3-Self management ability
4.9
6.2-Solving problem
4.6
5.6
Global literacy
5.2
6.5-Culture and social dissemination ability
4.5
5.8-Global issues understanding
5.7
6.3-Intercultural understanding
6.4
7.6-Intercultural empathy
5.2
6.4
Global communication
4.3
5.9-English skills
3.7
5.2-Multilanguage awareness
2.0
3.1-Presentation skills
5.5
6.0-Debate ability
5.2
5.8-Teamwork and teambuilding skills
5.1
6.3
Note. *Global Capability Assessment Method based on the Common European Framework of Reference Languages (CEFR) (Ando, 2017)(p<0.01) (n=257).

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Figure 5. Growth of gloobal competencce at the time oof graduation iin 2016 of TU students. (a) P
Progress in forreign
language aability, (b) Connfidence to maake friends witth foreign peopple, (c) Undersstanding of diffferent culturess, (d)Understandding of global issues, and (e)) Confidence too challenge thee globalized soociety
Note. Data w
were analyzed usinng the Mann Whitnney U-test p＜0.01 (n=579).

3.4 Positivve Effects of Shhort-Term Oveerseas Practicaal Education P
Programs on L
Language Skillss
The overseas practical educatione
proggrams in Mexxico and Ugannda are brandeed under the slogan: “Fusio
on ofeticalKnowledgge and Practicce.” Students participating in these proggrams are traiined to integrrate the theore
knowledgee obtained in lecturelrooms with practice in the field. T
The programs are offered in collaboration withother interrnational instittutions worldw
wide. For bothh countries, sttudents are sellected accordinng to their TO
OEIC(Test of E
English for Inteernational Com
mmunication) and grade point average (GGPA) scores. F
For the progra
am in
Mexico, seelected studennts spend three months in Laa Paz Baja Caliifornia Sur undder the supervvision of instru
uctorsfrom the A
Autonomous University
Uof B
Baja Californiaa Sur, Mexicoo (UABCS); C
Center for Biollogical Researc
ch ofNorthwestt Mexico, S.C
C. (CIBNOR); and the Univversity of Caliifornia, Daviss (USA). Lectuures are relate
ed tovarious fieelds in Englishh; however, Sppanish and Ennglish classes are also offereed by professoors of the UAB
BCS.
Following this, students complete a onne-month imm
mersion/homesttay with a Mexxican host fam
mily to practice their
Spanish annd learn about Mexican cultuure (Ando, 20009).
To evaluatte the effects of the programm in Mexico on English lannguage skills, students weree asked to take the
TOEIC tesst after returniing to Japan. T
TOEIC is a popular Englishh test in Japann, operated byy ETS (Educattional
Testing Seervice) which provides TOE
EFL as well. M
Many Japanesse universities use TOEIC tto measure En
nglishproficiencyy of students. The results ffor the ten yeaars of the proogram indicateed a significannt difference inn the
TOEIC scoores after returning to Japann (Figure 6). W
While the TOEIC score remaains low, after returning to Ja
apan,
students’ ppractical know
wledge in varioous fields suchh as agro-envirronmental studdies, social sciience, health, Latin
L
culture, annd communicattion skills impproved.
The Oversseas Practical Education
E
Proggram in Ugandda is the most recently impleemented program, started in 2015.
Students sspend three weeks at the Coollege of Agriicultural and E
Environmental Sciences, M
Makerere Unive
ersity(Kalemelaawa, 2017a). Preliminary rresults obtaineed in 2015, after just onne year of stuudy, demonsttrated

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improvem
ment in studentts’ global hum
man capital deevelopment, gglobal knowleddge and globaal communica
ationsskills (Kallemelawa, 2017b). However,, because the pprogram only llaunched recenntly, we are meeasuring the im
mpact
of this program on Japannese students to strengthen thhe statistical annalysis.

Figure 66. Average score for the TOE
EIC of studentss who attendedd the overseas practical educcation programm in
Mexico. The values reppresent the aveerage and standdard deviation. The asterisk indicates signiificant differennces
before andd after GGP im
mplementation (**t-test, p< 00.01)
3.5 TU Onn-Campus Engglish Courses SStimulate the FFirst Step Towaards Travellingg Abroad
Other thann the overseas programs offeered by TU, a number of dom
mestic program
ms are also avvailable to Japa
anesestudents too improve theeir language aand global coompetence skiills on-campuss. The most iimportant of these
programs stimulates thee interest of neew students w
who enter university or, studdents who have no experience ofoverseas sstudy. These programspincluude language ssupport coursees, domestic E
English immerssion programs, andglobal eduucation coursess taught by forreign teachers.
To assess the effect of thhese domestic programs, we analyzed the TOEIC scoress of each facultty from 2012 whenw
the GGP w
was implemennted and againn at the time of graduation in 2016 when the GGP w
was completed. The
results inddicated that thee percentage oof Japanese stuudents with a T
TOEIC score oof more than 6600 increased from
3.6% in 20012 to 8.1% inn 2016 (Figurre 7). This empphasizes the ppositive effect of the GGP oon TU studentss andtheir intereest in improviing English skkills as a com
mmunication toool. While partticipation in ooverseas short--term
programs and the TOEIIC score is still low, studennts who study abroad for evven a short perriod can shapee andchange theeir perceptionss, which is a biig step for the T
TU internationnal and global understandingg strategy.

Figure 7. Number of stuudents per facuulty at TU withh a TOEIC scoore of 600 or m
more at the tim
me of graduation in2016
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4. Discussion
The human being is a social creature that cannot live by itself. People always experience problem relating toothers to maintain their lives (Baumeister, 2005). Herein lies the foundation of education. The concept ofcollaboration has been defined in various fields thus far. Ikeda and Tateoka (2007) contended that Japanese
language education should develop a multicultural symbiotic society, highlighting equality, dialogue, process,creation, and reciprocity as key concepts of collaboration. As such, the goal of TU is to create comprehensive
short-term overseas programs to develop global human resources based on English communication, intercultural
understanding and basic practical education skills. By dispatching students overseas, TU is enabling self-growth
based on experience and awareness through multiple exposures to the ACT cycle (Awareness→Change→Trial)
proposed in our project in 2012 (http://www.jsps.go.jp/j-gjinzai/data/shinsa/h24).
Participating in overseas programs has recently become popular as an international strategy and is growing
exponentially (Cisneros-Donahue et al., 2012). However, in Japan the number of students going overseas has
continued to decline since the mid-2000s (Lassergard, 2013), and it was reported that 44% of Japanese people
were not interested in traveling abroad. According to the Recruiting Experts Worldwide (Hays) 2013, the mainconcerns reported were language, communication, and, as well as that young people are trying to avoid changes
in their lives (Katori, 2016). Therefore, to increase the interest of Japanese students, newly entered to university,
in going overseas, English immersion programs on campus and overseas English language programs were
established through the GGP. The English overseas programs enable students to participate in local language
courses to improve their ability to communicate in English. This has become a long-term task in Japan (Sasaki,
2007; Morita, 2010; Kimura, 2011; Nishikawa, 2013). In addition, to further increase the interest of Japanese
students in travel outside of Japan, English language with cross-cultural understanding programs were launched.
These new programs have increased the number of participating students from all facilities and academic grades.
Our results for gender are similar to those of other authors, who reported that females are more likely to study
abroad and have more positive intercultural attitudes than men (Kim & Goldstein, 2005; Pope et al., 2013).
However, further research is needed to clarify whether the increase in female students in overseas programs at
TU was due to the implementation of the GGP and not due to demographic differences.
Participation in language programs or language/cross-cultural programs is the first step towards obtaining a
global mindset, because students become aware of the significance of understanding the world and themselves,
which encourages them to participate in overseas practical education programs in developing countries, the final
goal of TU. However, why is TU promoting overseas practical education in developing and emerging nations?
In the past, practical education in Japan referred to “practice” or “training,” in other words, the term “practicaltraining education” was used as a form of education through existing teaching methods that focus on existingknowledge and skills (Suzuki, 2017). However, the skills needed in a global society extend beyond the skills andknowledge effective in the past. Nowadays, practical education should be conducted as the practical ability tolive socially and discover and solve problems, because relationships with others are changing alongside changing
education needs and the environment (Ikeda & Tateoka 2007). Therefore, the receiving party of education must
understand that improving communication skills including English skills will help them become globalized
human resources. As such, we are trying to cultivate English skills through our practical overseas programs indeveloping and emerging nations.
Through practical education, TU exposes students to continuous stimuli through which they put into practicewhat they learned in the classrooms. However, most important is their exposure to several problems related to
culture, food, the environment and communication, to which they must provide solutions. As far as possible, realsituations students might encounter outside the classroom are used. Through these experiences, students
understand the importance of field practice in addition to knowledge acquired in the classroom, as well as how tobehave in societies with different beliefs, cultures, and languages and why English as a tool for communication
will help them develop as internationally-minded future leaders for our rapidly changing global society.
In this study, we found that the TOEIC scores after attending overseas programs increased to between 550 to 600,
which is still considered low compared to the scores at other Japanese universities. As TOEIC score only shows
language proficiency, we do not focus on the TOEIC score itself for global education. The reason why we asked
the student to take the TOEIC test after returning to Japan is that TOEIC score motivate students to improve theirglobal awareness, as well as a TOEIC score is a convenient tool for students to evaluate themselves subjectively.
In other words, we consider a TOEIC score as the start point of subjective and autonomous global education forstudents. As a matter of fact, students may set the goal of improving their TOEIC score. As it is common forstudents to use TOEIC scores under conventional education circumstances, it should not be removed but it71

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should be used initiatively. Katori (2016) reported that short-term studies abroad do not have a statisticallysignificant effect on English proficiency. However, participants reported positive changes and improvement in arange of skills including global and cultural awareness, confidence, and interpersonal, and interculturalcommunication skills. The questionnaires completed by undergraduate students who participated in overseas
programs at TU revealed that all felt they had become aware of global issues and most had acquired a solid set ofglobal competence abilities.
We revealed the significance of the English overseas programs as a communication tool, and how foreign
languages can develop practical skills to use overseas. Our final goal is to foster students with “tough andpractical global talent” who at the time of graduation are equipped with the three global competences: global
human potential, global literacy and global communication skills, which are required in a global society.
Furthermore, they must be ready to challenge the world or work for Japanese companies with requirements for
global human resources.
We can report various examples of TU students who attended their first English immersion programs on campus,
English programs or English with cross-cultural understanding programs abroad and then an overseas practicalprogram in Mexico or Uganda. After attending one or more of our three types of programs, students wereconfident enough to apply to the Young Ambassador Program (Tobitate Ryugaku Japan- “Leap for tomorrow”),
a public-private partnership launched in 2014 that promotes Japanese students studying overseas. The program issponsored by MEXT and public-private Japanese companies (http://www.tobitate.mext.go.jp/about/english.html).
Some were not successful in their applications, but remained motivated to train overseas. One student who
participated in overseas practical education in Mexico in 2011, after returning to Japan and graduating from a
Master’s program, started to work at the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and is now employed at
NTC International Co., Ltd in Japan.
An excellent example of achieving the TU goal is one student who attended the domestic English immersion
program during the first year in 2013, English program in Taiwan during the second year in 2014, overseas
practical education in Mexico during the third year in 2015, partnership program Japan-Mexico sponsored by the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs during the fourth year in 2016, and who was finally selected by the Tobitate programin 2017. Many other cases can also be described in which students mentioned their satisfaction for being able toexpress their own ideas in public. Most important is that these students are now potential human resources with aset of global competences who can contribute positively to Japanese society.
TU also offers an International Training Program (TU-ITP) in the Arid Land Center where Master’s students aredispatched in Jordan, Italy and China to develop their graduate research plan followed by field research. The aimof the program is to contribute to a global pool of professionals who can address challenges in arid land areas.
Nakamura (2002) noted that globalization does not mean westernization. Participation in overseas programs does
not mean that Japanese students will lose their own culture or Japanese spirit. In contrast, after attending
programs abroad, students will better understand their own culture and be proud to have been born in Japan.
Furthermore, they will have the necessary skills to live in a multicultural society.
TU is now moving towards recruiting new Japanese students and providing them with the opportunities tochallenge the world through the overseas programs as part of global education. We are also focusing on
developing new strategies to increase the number of foreign students and create mutual education throughcollaborative learning. In addition, we are in the process of transforming our existing English and cross-cultural
understanding programs into a more practical offering, combining language learning, lectures and fieldwork
based on the local characteristics of each country. In these programs, students will have the opportunity topractice what they learned in the classroom.
5. Concluding Remarks
We described the positive effect of short-term domestic and overseas programs on TU Japanese students, and theimportance of “practical type” training programs as a part of TU international strategy in developing countries.
The questionnaires completed by students reveal their satisfaction with participating in overseas programs.
Specifically, the enhancement of English skills contributed positively towards better understanding the culture ofothers and global issues, and improved their confidence to express themselves in public. We do not deny that thedevelopment of English communication skills and foreign languages is very important in the development of
global human resources. However, in addition to the educational aspect, students must understand what
communication skills are and why these will empower them in the future.

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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the “Go Global Japan” Project for the Promotion of “Global Human Resources
Development” type B for Tottori University supported by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Sciences andTechnology (MEXT) FY2012-2016.
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