Why Study Abroad?

An Analysis of Kobe Kaisei Students’ Rationale for Studying Abroad
L’Shawn Howard
expressed an interest in studying abroad andIntroduction
As teachers, we know that studying

most of the students were women (“Interestabroad can increase our students’ proficiency

in study abroad picking up again in Japan”).

levels, and their motivation. However,

The appeal of study abroad programs isstudents tend to have a different idea of whatgetting stronger as the job market is getting

the study abroad experience offers, andincreasingly more competitive and companiestherefore their reasons for going abroad may

like UNIQLO are adopting policies that

not always be academic in nature. In thispromote the use of the English language to dopaper, I report the results of the writtenbusiness, and the government is calling for a

responses of six third year students from themore globally aware population (Yonezawa).

Department of English and Career Studies

University students who express an interest(EC). I explore the various reasons that thein going abroad site becoming more

students decided to study abroad. I will also

competitive in the job market and increasing

discuss some of the reactions the students

their awareness of other cultures as reasons

had to their experiences abroad, and thefor studying abroad (“Interest in study

impact that friendship and their relationshipabroad picking up again in Japan”).

with their host families had on the students’Countries like Australia, Canada, and theattitudes toward their host countries. The

United States have reported an increase ofeffect that the experience had on theirstudents from Asian countries like Japan andattitude toward learning will be discussed as

China in recent years. Many of thesewell.

students are young women (“Interest in study
The study revealed that the reasonsabroad picking up again in Japan”).
Companies in Japan have also

for studying abroad varied and were not areflection of the reasons other university

begun to encourage their employees to learn

students in Japan have given, and that mostEnglish and to study abroad in order tostudents had a positive experience abroad,effectively communicate with people fromand most developed strong bonds with people

other cultures (Yonezawa). The Japanesein their host countries. In addition, thegovernment has also launched an initiative

results show that studying abroad has anto foster Japanese who have a strong sense ofeffect on students’ desire to improve theircultural identity as well as intercultural

language skills.

communication skills (Yonezawa). As Japan
continues to compete with China, South

BackgroundFor decades, Japanese colleges andKorea, and Indonesia for global customers aswell as economic allies, the need for theuniversities have encouraged their students

younger generation to be more globally aware

to study abroad (Yonezawa). Last year saw

and culturally competent is increasing. So, it

an increase in the number of students who

can be argued that encouraging our students− 11 −

3. Do Kobe Kaisei students feel that theirto study abroad could give them thecompetitive edge they need to secure stable

experience increased their motivation toand long-term employment, and to contributelearn English?

to the successful future of Japan.

4. Do Kobe Kaisei students attribute theirexperience in the study-abroad program

Studying abroad also helps motivate
students to improve their language

to a change in attitude toward language

proficiency skills. It also improves theirlearning?

attitude toward language learning and gives
them concrete reasons why English

Methods

proficiency is important (Tanaka and Ellis).

Six third-year students from the Department

Most students who study abroad haveof English and Career Studies participated inpositive experiences, and this strengthens

this study. They were given a prompt which

their bond with people in other countries

asked them to write about their experience

thereby giving them a sense of the global

abroad specifically concerning any challenges

community of which Japan is a part.

they faced, any exciting or interesting events

Making friends and interacting withor experiences, and their feelings about theirmembers of their host family are some of theEnglish language ability at the time ofmost influential experiences for many

responding to the prompt. Students whose

students who have studied abroad (Wada).

answers were incomplete or needed more

These connections tend to last long after theinformation were given an additional set ofstudents return to Japan, and some students

questions to address gaps in their stories andexpress a desire to return to that countryto obtain a clearer picture of their experience(Wada).

abroad. Students’ written responses to theIn this study, six third year EC

students completed written responses about

prompt and to the follow-up questions wereanalyzed for common themes.

their thoughts and opinions concerning theirstudy-abroad experience. Based on theResults

research concerning students’ motivations toThe students chose a variety of

study abroad, this study had the following

destinations for their study-abroad programs.

research questions:

One student studied in Colorado; another

1. Do Kobe Kaisei students study abroad tostudent studied in Britain, two studied inincrease their language proficiency inAustralia, and two studied in Canada. The

order to become more competitive in thestudents who studied in Britain, Australia,

job market or to increase their awarenessand Colorado stayed in their host countriesof other cultures?

for three to eight months. One student

2. Do Kobe Kaisei students attributestudied in Canada in the summer for one

friendships with the locals or othermonth. All of the students studied abroadinternational students to a positive

during the 2013 academic school year.

study-abroad experience?

The results of the study will bediscussed in terms of the research questions.

− 12 −

They will be addressed in the following

and helpful they were and how they hoped tosections: Reasons for Studying Abroad,return to the country someday to visit their

Friendships and Host Family Relationships;

host family again.
Most of the students befriended

Learner Motivation, and Language Learning
Attitude.

other international students. One student,
who stayed in Canada, became great friends

Reasons for Studying Abroad
Most of the students wrote that theywith her fellow host student, a Chinese girl
who was staying with her host family at thechose their particular destination andtime. Another student made friends withstudy-abroad program because of the cost,

students from South Korea, China, Brazil,

their interest in the country, and what theyand France. The student who stayed in

had heard about the program. The student

Britain made friends with other Japanese

who studied in Colorado said she chose thestudents, and was surprised how her fellow

program because she believed it would

study-abroad students strived to speak

improve her English language proficiency.

English despite the fact that they were all

None of the students mentioned anything

Japanese. This impressed the student and it

about how studying abroad would improve

influenced her attitude toward language

their chances for employment, so that does

learning and using English.

not seem to be a motivating factor for these

Overall, the students seem to havestudents. Most of the students expressed asimilar experiences concerning friendships

desire to see historical and natural sites inand host family relationships as otherthe country where they would study. None ofstudents in universities in Japan. It would

the students mentioned an interest in

appear that making friends and having ainteracting with the locals as a reason for

close relationship with one’s host family canstudying abroad, so it would appear that forhave a great impact on one’s experience

these girls, the reasons for studying abroad

studying abroad.

are different from those of other university
students in Japan.

Learner Motivation
All of the students expressed a need

Friendships and Host Family Relationships

to increase their English language ability as

All of the students mentioned thata result of studying abroad. One student, whomaking friends with other international

studied English in Canada for five months,students, fellow Japanese students, or thesaid that she was shocked when her

locals enhanced their study-abroadplacement test resulted in her being placed inexperience. Five out of six students stayed

the first of six proficiency levels. This

with host families, and they all mentioned

motivated her to work hard and within athat their ability to bond with their hostmonth she progressed to the second level.

family influenced their feelings about theAnother student said that being around otherexperience. All but one of the students whoAsian students whose proficiency levels werestayed with host families remarked how kindmuch higher than hers encouraged her to− 13 −concentrate on her studies and improve her

expressed a change in their attitude toward

skills. The student who studied in Colorado

language learning concerning theirsaid that the amount of homework andconfidence in their ability. Now, many of theopportunities to produce language in thestudents have increased confidence in theirclassroom helped increase her skills andability to listen to and communicate inmotivated her to put forth more effort thanEnglish. Their experience abroad has

she did when she was studying at Kobedemonstrated to them that they can get along

Kaisei before. She said that since shein English. The student who studied inreturned, her desire to continue to hone her

Colorado wrote that she is now confident

skills has increased, and she has benefited

about expressing her opinion, and wants togreatly from her experience studying abroad.

do so as much as possible in the future.
As with many university students inJapan who have studied abroad, theLanguage Learning Attitude

language learning attitudes of the students

All of the students expressed achange in their attitude toward languagein this study have been positively influenced

learning. Many said that before they wentby their experience studying abroad whether

abroad, they did not put much effort into

it be from their need to improve their course

increasing their language skills, but thatlevel, or a desire to emulate the study habits

after studying abroad they had become more

and attitudes of their fellow language

aware of the necessity to improve theirlearners. It would appear that studying

language learning ability. The reasons forabroad is beneficial for creating positive

this change are varied.

attitudes toward language learning.

The student who studied abroad in
Britain was influenced by the attitudes of her

Discussion

fellow students. She said that she was

For the most part, the students insurprised by their motivation to volunteer

this study had positive opinions aboutanswers in class. She was inspired by them tostudying abroad. Two of the respondents

adopt this practice in her own study habits.

wrote that they would definitely go back to

She expressed concern about her proficiency

their host countries, and five out of six of thelevel decreasing since returning, andstudents said that they enjoyed theindicated a desire to create opportunities toexperience. The student that did not enjoy

speak English with people from otherthe experience, wrote that she benefited fromcountries and to learn about different

the experience nevertheless. So it can becultures as well. Another student wasargued that for these students, studying

motivated by her desire to be better than she

abroad was beneficial.

was when she began the program. She also

Making friends, a good relationshipfelt more motivated to study on her own

with their host families, and interacting withbecause she was in touch with her friends inother international students, were some of

Canada and needed to use English to

the most influential aspects of their study

correspond with them. Other students

abroad experience. This information could be− 14 −

helpful when discussing the benefits ofstudying abroad with first and second year

“Interest in study abroad picking up instudents who might want to go abroad during

Japan,” ICEF Monitor,

their time at Kobe Kaisei. It is also a good

http://monitor.icef.com/2013/09/interest-in-st

idea to let the students know that they will

udy-abraod-picking-up-again-in-japan/

come into contact with many international

Retrieved on 2014/8/11

students, but that opportunities to interact
with locals outside of one’s host family may

Tanaka, K. and Ellis, R. (2003),

be scarce.

“Study-abroad, Language Proficiency, andLearner Beliefs about Language Learning,”

Students who study abroad have

JALT Journal, 25 (1).

many opportunities to learn about
themselves, and to teach others about Japanand its culture. They have a chance to makeWada, M. (2014). “Studying Overseas:

lasting connections with people in countries

Friends, School and Life,”

like Australia, Canada, and Great Britain.

commune.wilmina.ac.jp/content_uportal/.../M

Through these relationships, the students

ariya_Wada_final.pdf, retrieved on 2014/8/11

can connect Japan to their global partners,
and strengthen the ties between Japan andYonezawa, A. (2014). “Japan’s Challenge ofother countries. Students who are interested

Fostering “Global Human Resources”: Policyin or planning to study abroad can look

Debates and Practices,” Japan Labor Review,

forward to making friends with their fellow(11) 2.

international students.
This study offers insight into themotivations behind some students’ decisions
to study abroad. However, because the study
was conducted after the study-abroad
experience, it is difficult to determine theextent to which the experience had an impact
on the students’ attitude toward learning. Astudy that includes the students’ attitudes
before, during, and after studying abroad
would probably yield more conclusive results.
It might also be more effective if more
students were involved in the study. A study
that followed the students who studied
abroad from first year to graduation would
also demonstrate how long the effects ofstudying abroad last.
References:− 15 −