2021 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Investigating the intercultural development of Japanese undergraduates attributable to study tours abroad
| Project/Area Number |
21H00554
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Institution | Osaka Jogakuin Junior College |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
KABIR RUSSELLSARWAR 広島大学, 人間社会科学研究科(教), 助教 (00881260)
Mclean Stuart 桃山学院大学, 経営学部, 准教授 (10624794)
Kramer Brandon 関西学院大学, 教育学部, 准教授 (50780483)
ヒックス ディロンウェストブルック 大阪国際大学, 公私立大学の部局等, 講師 (50898062)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2021-04-01 – 2026-03-31
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| Keywords | study abroad / intercultural / applied linguistics / personality / psychology / cross-cultural / self efficacy / linguistic proficiency |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
In 2021 we completed the following:
1. We piloted several instruments in both English and Japanese across three research sites. We used a combination of Qualtrics, an independent vocabulary testing website, and the Intercultural Effectiveness scale to do this.
2. We began piloting materials that students can use for reflection on their experiences abroad. We are using an adapted version of Rundstrom-Williams' LENS model. Our adaptations are primarily three. First, we have made the framework bilingual. Second, we are using a narrative frame approach which simplifies the writing for students and also controls/guides their writing in specific directions in order to ensure they write about the topics with sufficient thoughtfulness and depth. Third, we are building reflective tools that map on to specific skill rubrics (available in both English and Japanese) created by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. Specifically we are looking at the Intercultural Knowledge and Competence (IKAC) rubric and the Civic Engagement rubric.
3. We have continued to make headway regarding the incorporation of individual difference markers into our study. Specifically we are looking at Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and working with the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction/Frustration Scale (BPNSFS). We've piloted this and will incorporate it in future data collection efforts.
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| Current Status of Research Progress |
Current Status of Research Progress
2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.
Reason
The research plan for FY2021 essentially consists of the following 5 steps:
1 CONSENT: In spring 2021 we will obtain institutional consent to conduct the study at 5 universities where PI and CO-Is are located. Will obtain informed consent to participate, in writing, from all participants. Participation is voluntary, conducted outside of class, and presents no risk of physical, psychological, or emotional harm.
2 DATA COLLECTION 1: Spring 2021: Intercultural Effectiveness (IES), linguistic proficiency, personality, study abroad motivation measures.
3 DATA COLLECTION 2: Fall 2021: Data collection (IES & motivation)
4 STUDY PROCEDURES: As we move through 1ー3, the we will refine data collection procedures, including data management and participant anonymization protocols. This study will then be fully prepared to be executed safely and at large scale from FY2022-FY2025.
5 FIRST MANUSCRIPT: Psychometric validation of a Japanese Multimodal Motivation to Study Abroad Scale (MMSAS) is underway. An additional manuscript modeling personality antecedents and intercultural effectiveness was also underway.
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| Strategy for Future Research Activity |
We are moving forward in the following areas this year.
First, we have an exploratory dataset from 2021-2022 that we are ready to analyze.
Second, we are moving to CQ (Cultural Intelligence) and are planning to gather at least one large sample via Qualtrics this year. We are also hoping to collect a retrospective sample using either a Qualtrics panel or outsourcing the survey delivery to a third party such as Lancers. We will follow all necessary ethical protocols if/when we do so, but this should alleviate the amount of administrative burden placed on us when we attempt to collect data from students on campus.
Third, we are very ready to collect qualitative data and data from simulations/training activities. A primary qualitative data tool is called LENS3, which has been under piloting at the PIs campus for 18 months. We believe this narrative-frame based approach to reflective journaling is going to be published this year, and we expect language teachers in Japan who are stakeholders in study abroad will be highly interested in these outcomes and the tool itself.
Fourth, we always put Japanese students first, but we also feel it necessary to attempt cross-cultural validation and to develop multilingual versions of materials when possible. This allows us to compare/contrast what tools are working, or not, and to understand the contexts in which those tools work, or not.
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