Study Abroad and the Japanese University : Challenges and Opportunities for the Coming Decade

概要

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Due to low enrollment from the domestic market, many Japanese universities are facing serious financial hardships that are forecasted to worsen in the coming decade. One potential solution to this problem is to offset the declining number of Japanese students with an increase in international students, and to reinvent the image of Japanese universities as international centers for learning. The creation of the Abraham Lincoln Commission for Study Abroad in the United States with its goal to quadruple the number of Americans studying abroad annually by 2017 provides Japan with new opportunities to attract U.S. students. With these opportunities come new challenges, notably finding sufficient means for dealing with the many American students that wish to study in Japan but lack sufficient Japanese language skills. This paper outlines enrollment issues currently plaguing Japanese universities and introduces the Lincoln Commission and its goals for U.S. higher education. It then shows how the creation of new Japan-U.S. study abroad partnerships can be of mutual benefit to both nations. Finally, using a case study from the University of Tokyo, the paper argues for the creation of short-term study abroad programs taught in English, and for universities to hire more English-speaking faculties, international education specialists, and support staffs.
社団法人大学英語教育学会の論文
2009-03-20