Perspectives on Intercultural Contact and Japanese Learning by Indonesian Trainees in Japan

https://doi.org/10.22146/jla.77583

Lisda Nurjaleka(1*)

(1) Universitas Negeri Semarang
(*) Corresponding Author

Abstract


Intercultural Contact (Hereafter IC) is when two or more people from different cultural backgrounds carry out socio-economic or political exchanges in one contact zone. Intercultural contact is possible to appear everywhere and by one. Intercultural contact concerning immigrants, either as students or workers abroad. This study aims to investigate the intercultural contact of Indonesian workers, focusing on trainees (Jjisshusei) in Japan. International workers face cross-cultural communication with co-workers or domestic workers. The trainees as respondents in this study are sent to Japan as a form of on-the-job training in collaboration between the Indonesian government and the Japanese. The trainees were exposed to the Japanese language, culture, society, and economy. Therefore, their cultural competence is essential. This study examines intercultural communication in the trainee’s community, mainly focusing on how intercultural contact occurs between trainees and Japanese residents. The result showed that apart from the trainees’ understanding of the importance of learning Japanese, they still lack experience in communicating with Japanese locals besides their co-workers. This study contributes to second language learning in intercultural understanding and L2 learners’ identity.


Keywords


Intercultural contact; Indonesian trainees; Intercultural communication; intercultural understanding

Full Text:

PDF


References

Andrade, M. S. (2006). International students in English-speaking universities: Adjustment factors. Journal of Research in International Education, 5(2), 131–154. https://doi.org/10.1177/1475240906065589

Brislin, R. W. (2001). Intercultural contact and communication. In L. L. Adler & U. P. Gielen (Eds.), Cross-cultural topics in psychology (2nd Edition, pp. 213–227). Praeger.

Carbaugh, D. (Ed.). (1990). Intercultural communication. In Cultural communication and intercultural contact (pp. 151–175). Routledge.

Carbaugh, D. (Ed.). (2013). Cultural Communication and Intercultural Contact. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203812259

Cohen, A. D., Paige, R. M., Shively, R. L., Emert, H., & Hoff, J. (2005). Maximizing study abroad through language and culture strategies: Research on students, study abroad program professionals, and language instructors. Final Report to the International Research and Studies Program, Office of International Education, DOE.

Csizér, K., & Kormos, J. (2008). The Relationship of Intercultural Contact and Language Learning Motivation among Hungarian Students of English and German. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 29(1), 30–48. https://doi.org/10.2167/jmmd557.0

Csizér, K., & Kormos, J. (2009). Modelling the Role of Inter-Cultural Contact in the Motivation of Learning English as a Foreign Language. Applied Linguistics, 30(2), 166–185. https://doi.org/10.1093/applin/amn025

Dewi, I. S. R. (2015). Intercultural Communication Barriers: A Research of Indonesian Migrant Workers Experiences in Korea.

Dörnyei, Z., & Csizér, K. (2005). The Effects of Intercultural Contact and Tourism on Language Attitudes and Language Learning Motivation. Journal of Language and Social Psychology, 24(4), 327–357. https://doi.org/10.1177/0261927X05281424

Gebhard, J. G. (2012). International Students’ Adjustment Problems and Behaviors. Journal of International Students, 2(2), 184–193. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v2i2.529

Guilherme, M. (2000). Intercultural competence. In M. Byram (Ed.), Routledge Encyclopedia of Language Teaching and Learning (pp. 297–300). Taylor & Francis Routledge.

Hanada, S. (2019). A Quantitative Assessment of Japanese Students’ Intercultural Competence Developed Through Study Abroad Programs. Journal of International Students, 9(4), 1015–1037. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v9i4.391

Kormos, J., Csizér, K., & Iwaniec, J. (2014). A mixed-method study of language-learning motivation and intercultural contact of international students. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 35(2), 151–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2013.847940

Kramsch, C. (1993). Context and Culture in Language Teaching. Oxford University Press.

Kramsch, C. (1996). Proficiency Plus: The Next Step. ERIC Digest. ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics, Center for Applied Linguistics.

Kramsch, C., & Uryu, M. (2012). Intercultural contact, hybridity, and third space. In J. Jackson (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Language and Intercultural Communication (pp. 211–225). Routledge.

Lee, J. S. (2017). Challenges of International Students in a Japanese University: Ethnographic Perspectives. Journal of International Students, 7(1), 73–93. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v7i1.246

Leung, K., Ang, S., & Tan, M. L. (2014). Intercultural Competence. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1(1), 489–519. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091229

Lin, S. Y., & Scherz, S. D. (2014). Challenges Facing Asian International Graduate Students in the US: Pedagogical Considerations in Higher Education. Journal of International Students, 4(1), 16–33. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v4i1.494

Maemura, N., Kato, J., & Fujihara, T. (2009). A Qualitative Investigation of Trainees’ Adjustment in Japan: A Case Study of Trainees from Indonesia. US-China Education Review, 6(5), 25–34. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED505717.pdf

Marui, E., & Lee, J. (1995). International student’s life conditions and stress. University of Tokyo International Center Bulletin, 6, 217–240.

Maurais, J., & Morris, M. A. (Eds.). (2003). Languages in a globalising world. Cambridge University Press.

Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare. (2020). 「外国人雇用状況」の届出状況まとめ（令和２年10月末現在）. https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/newpage_16279.html

Morita, L. (2012). English and intercultural interaction in the internationalisation of a Japanese university. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 30. https://immi.se/oldwebsite/nr30/morita.html

Pratt, M. L. (1991). Arts of the Contact Zone. Profession, 33–40. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25595469

Roy, S. R. (2013). Educating Chinese, Japanese, and Korean International Students: Recommendations to American Professors. Journal of International Students, 3(1), 10–16. https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v3i1.514

Stangor, C., Jonas, K., Stroebe, W., & Hewstone, M. (1996). Influence of student exchange on national stereotypes, attitudes and perceived group variability. European Journal of Social Psychology, 26(4), 663–675. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-0992(199607)26:4<663::AID-EJSP778>3.0.CO;2-6

Yoshida, T., Yashiro, K., & Suzuki, Y. (2013). Intercultural communication skills: What Japanese businesses today need. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 37(1), 72–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2012.04.013



DOI: https://doi.org/10.22146/jla.77583

Article Metrics

Abstract views : 2131 | views : 2257

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2022 The Author(s)

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

JLA (Jurnal Lingua Applicata) with online ISSN 2598-0556 and print ISSN 2597-6117 is published by Departemen Bahasa, Seni dan Manajemen Budaya (DBSMB), Vocational College of  Universitas Gadjah Mada. The content of this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Built on the Public Knowledge Project's OJS 2.4.8.1. View website statistics.