Event

Meeting The Needs Of A Diverse International Student Population: The response of a Japanese graduate program

Sunday, July 22nd, 2018, 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Speaker: Richmond Stroupe (Soka University)

It is our great pleasure to host Richmond Stroupe, President of JALT, with a presentation on his groundbreaking research on the changing demographics of international students and their needs in Japan. The abstract for the presentation can be found below:

Increasing student mobility has far-reaching implications for the global education market. Because of the increased competition between institutions due to the shrinking population and the deregulation of establishing new private universities and programs in Japan, institutions increasingly are attempting to attract international students to supplement their enrollment numbers, often encouraged by the Japanese Ministry of Education. However, institutions cannot view international students from diverse regional and educational backgrounds simply as one homogeneous group. They must also be considered based on their cultural and educational backgrounds.

This study evaluated the extent to which a pre-service Masters in TESOL Program provided in a Japanese context addresses the needs of a multicultural student body. Current students, alumni, faculty members, and administration evaluated the graduate program including changes made in response to a preliminary evaluation and a categorization scheme used to identify potential challenges based on the students' cultural, educational, and linguistic backgrounds. Data analysis indicated trust and a positive atmosphere have increased in the program after various changes were made, yet also revealed that actual student needs are more complex. Recommendations are made as to how to effectively address these diverse needs, not only for this specific graduate program, but also for similar programs that cater to a diverse multicultural student population.

As always, please plan to make time to join us after the event for drinks and refreshments and one of the nearby establishments.

Organization: Saitama Chapter of the Japan Association for Language Teaching (Saitama JALT)

Cost: JALT Members: free
Non-members: 1,000 yen

Venue: Holly Creative Space (3F), 1-23 Higashinakacho, Urawa-ku, Saitama-shi, Saitama-ken 330-0056 (map)

Location: Saitama City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan

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