On-line presentation (research presentation) (30 Minutes) Intercultural competence and global jinzai: What do students in Japan really need? more

Sat, Nov 27, 09:10-09:40 Asia/Tokyo

The Japanese government has launched numerous initiatives to encourage universities to cultivate gurobaru jinzai and “global competence” has become a buzzword in university curricula. Yet there is a lack of consensus as to exactly what gurobaru jinzai need. Policy documents focus on quantifiable foreign language goals and describe other elements of global competence only in vague terms, making them difficult to target and teach. Many researchers and educators adopt models for intercultural competence or global competence found in the literature, but these are overwhelmingly Western-centric and their applicability in the Japanese context is underexplored. This session reports on a research study investigating the specific nature and challenges of global competence in Japan. The researcher conducted a Delphi study involving global professionals, researchers, and university students and teachers. Participants articulated, revised and refined their opinions regarding what it means to be globally competent in Japan, and the challenges that need to be addressed to help university students in Japan to develop global competence. By integrating multiple perspectives this study aimed to map out what a Japan-specific framework for global competence might look like, and shed light on how university educators can effectively cultivate global competence in their students.