Providing Meaningful Interactions at KOSEN between Japanese and International Students

National Institute of Technology -Ariake College, Japan  

^* Corresponding author: richard@ariake-nct.ac.jp

Abstract

Internationalizing the Japanese students at KOSEN has proven difficult. While KOSEN welcomes international students with the hope of internationalizing the almost entirely Japanese student body, the challenge has been to get the Japanese students to interact with the international students and take advantage of the opportunity. Far too often international students live in a bubble and have meaningful contact with only a few students. This leaves the international students feeling isolated and the Japanese students not benefiting from the opportunity that KOSEN is trying to provide. Ariake KOSEN attempted to address this problem in two ways. A discussion class which included international students was created where the students were expected to discuss pre-assigned topics in small groups over the course of a semester. These groups often contained an international student. This forced exposure created a chance for Japanese students to communicate with international students. This communication was then seen continuing well beyond the discussion exercises. A survey was given at the completion of the one semester class to evaluate effectiveness. The results show that students found the opportunity to be helpful and in line with their own learning goals. Another approach was to create a more casual place for students to gather and interact with international students. An English Lab was created to give the students a place to interact outside of the traditional classroom atmosphere. This second effort is just in the beginning stages but the basic ideas are laid out in this paper. Anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that the Lab is working, with usage on the part of Japanese students being high, but the international students seem less inclined to use the room.