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The Educational Review, USA

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Article Open Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2020.11.001

Awareness of International Students after Short-Term Intercultural Contact with Japanese Students: A Narrative Analysis of Dialogues with a Linguistic and Cultural Mediator

Yuri Okunishi 1,*, Kosuke Fujiki 2

1 Department of Secondary School Education, Faculty of Education, Okayama University of Science, Okayama City, Japan.

2 Center of Learning Support, Okayama University of Science, Okayama City, Japan.

*Corresponding author: Yuri Okunishi

Published: November 4,2020

Abstract

This study investigated the dimensions of cultural awareness gained by interna-tional students in a cross-cultural international education program in a local Jap-anese community. Two international students, one from Italy and one from Indonesia, participated in the research. Their narratives arose in group interviews and were analyzed quantitatively using the M-GTA method. The analysis ex-tracted four categories: excellent sociality, formation of unconstructive relation-ships, unique Japanese communication, and English language barrier. This paper discusses the possibility that international guests can simultaneously or sequen-tially experience adaptive and maladaptive psychological conditions through short-term close intercultural contact as well as the complexity of the path to cross-cultural adaptation. It also addresses the study’s limitations and its implications for future research.

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How to cite this paper

Awareness of International Students after Short-Term Intercultural Contact with Japanese Students: A Narrative Analysis of Dialogues with a Linguistic and Cultural Mediator

How to cite this paper: Yuri Okunishi, Kosuke Fujiki. (2020). Awareness of International Students after Short-Term Intercultural Contact with Japanese Students: A Narrative Analysis of Dialogues with a Linguistic and Cultural Mediator. The Educational Review, USA, 4(11), 185-192.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/er.2020.11.001