Selected Presentations from the 2021 JALT Study Abroad SIG Conference

9/20/2021

The 2021 JALT Study Abroad SIG Conference was held on Saturday, September 4th, 2021.

You can watch selected presentations from the conference below. If you have questions or comments regarding the presentations, please write them here and we will pass them on to the presenters.

Presentation #1
Picture this: Use of cellphone cameras in SA
Stephen M. Ryan (Sanyo Gakuen University)

The presenter introduced ways to make use of students’ cellphone cameras to enhance the educational experience of Study Abroad. The ubiquity of the camera-in-the-pocket has opened up new possibilities for recording, preserving, re-viewing, reflecting on, and learning from examples of cultural similarities and differences in daily life experienced in a Study Abroad setting. The presenter gave examples of ways in which cameras and the photos they take can be used for these purposes. Students are required to take a large number of photos of “things that you would not see in Japan” and “things that are just the same as Japan.” The captured experiences in the photos are then available for sharing, reflection, organizing, and learning activities involving the student who took them, fellow SA students, friends and classmates, and, in orientation sessions, future SA participants.

Presentation #2
An additional language socialization framework for short-term study abroad
Scott Roy Douglas (University of British Columbia)

Short-term study abroad programs have great potential for positive impacts on their students. However, this potential is not always achieved due to possible factors such as limited interactions with the local community and unfulfilled expectations. To boost the benefits and mitigate the challenges, an additional language socialization framework can guide program development to leverage opportunities for students to connect with local community members through the additional language, and in turn develop their language skills while gaining cultural knowledge and understanding of local practices. At the same time, local community members are also learning from and influenced by the students in a bi-directional transformational flow of knowledge as students gain access to the community. This short presentation outlined the ideal elements of a short-term study abroad experience grounded in an additional language socialization framework, and pointed to how these types of programs may be offered in a post-pandemic world.

Presentation #3
Study abroad learning outcomes and assessment in Japanese higher education
Yuka Jibiki (Showa Women’s University)

International education is still strong despite the global pandemic. Study abroad programs are an essential strategy for internationalization of higher education. However, the research of study abroad and its assessment has been done little in Japan. It is important to assess educational programs from both perspectives of students’ satisfactions as well as evidence-based, third-party perspectives. This presentation approached the problem from reviewing literature reviews and interviews to two study abroad alumni. Results showed that there are gaps between institutional views and students’ views of study abroad purpose. It implies the need for diverse career support to study abroad returnee students.

Presentation #4
Fluctuations in learners’ capacity to speak (CTS) during the SA year
Simon Humphries (Kansai University)

Silence among Japanese learners of English has been observed widely in classroom observations domestically (King, 2013). As a solution, even short study abroad programmes seem to improve students’ speaking abilities and confidence (Dewaele, Comanaru & Faraco, 2015). However, students’ improvement does not emerge in a linear fashion, instead it is complex and dynamic (Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008). This study captured fluctuations in the capacity to speak (CTS) of three English majors during their 10-month SA using self-reflection journals, interviews and a CTS questionnaire (Humphries, Akamatsu, Tanaka & Burns, 2020).

Presentation #5
Japanese university students' experiences with high-context/low-context cultures
Reiko Takeda (Seijo University/International Christian University)

Japanese university students have spoken of their challenges during their study abroad, which include interactions with native English speakers. While high linguistic proficiency could help the students get their points across, they have commented on how interaction in English was challenging and overwhelming as they did not always know how to speak up. Although 50 years have passed since its publication, Hall’s (1976) concept of high-context/low-context cultures has proven to be valid in preparing potential study-abroad students so they could cognitively understand the differences in communication styles between cultures. This video introduces three lessons from a study-abroad preparation course which the presenter teaches. After the last lesson, where students engaged in role-playing involving people from both high- and low-context cultures, their written reflections reveal their awareness of cultural differences and stereotypes, including those of the Japanese culture.

This video will be deleted on Monday, October 31, 2022.

Presentation #6
Towards greater inclusivity and sustainability in international education and exchange
Yumiko Shibata, Rosemary Reader, Naomi Yukimaru, Fiona Creaser, & Rodger S. Williamson (The University of Kitakyushu)

The Covid-19 pandemic has decimated study abroad and international student exchange programs at universities across the globe. The Department of English at the University of Kitakyushu designed our omnibus course to cope with this challenge by providing collaborative online international learning opportunities combined with team-based global learning classes for our third-year students. This presentation discusses the educational impacts of collaborative online international exchanges with overseas students and how this experience can link to global learning classes at home based on the analysis of students’ minute papers. It also explores the benefits and challenges of online international learning with overseas universities.

This video will be deleted on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

Presentation #7
Study abroad and cultural frame switching: An interview study
Rieko Ueda (Dokkyo University)

This research examined the extent to, and the manner in, which international students experience cultural frame switching (CFS), a phenomenon often observed among bicultural individuals such as immigrants and returnees. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with five Japanese who (had) studied at higher education institutions in Anglophone countries. This study found that CFS was broadly applicable to the students, yet with significant individual differences. Previous intercultural experience was also found to have a moderate influence on the display of CFS. These findings are expected to contribute to ongoing debates about student self-transformation through study abroad.

This video will be deleted on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

Presentation #8
Choosing partner universities for short-visit study abroad
Alexander McAulay (Yokohama National University)

Short-visit study abroad programs of 1-2 weeks have increased in popularity in recent years. There are a number of factors to consider when choosing overseas partner for these programs. Since 2008, the presenter has been running three short-visit programs that have taken Japanese students to 35 universities in 23 different countries. Drawing on that experience, he offers practical advice on the logistical challenges involved in setting up transnational collaboration in short-visit study abroad programs.

This video will be deleted on Sunday, October 31, 2021.

Presentation #9
Using UOP’s “what’s up with culture?” for Japanese students
Jeffery C Fryckman (Senshu University)

UOP’s online tutorial on the concepts of intercultural communication “What’s up with culture?” is a renowned and extremely useful tool for preparing students for study abroad. Though it is primarily designed and written for native speakers of English who will sojourn abroad, with some targeted “tweaking,” lots of vocabulary support, and integration of group activities, it can be effectively used with Japanese university students preparing to go overseas. The presenter explained and showed examples of how he modified and used it for the basis of a semester course that is part of a preparation to study abroad curriculum.

This file will be deleted on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

Click image to download PDF

Comments are closed.