Japanese University Students’ Attitudes towards Globalisation, Intercultural Contexts and English

Abstract

This is a study conducted at Nagoya University, a top Japanese national institution, on undergraduates’ attitudestowards globalisation, intercultural contexts and English. Globalisation takes place in a varied context in Japan whichincludes the sakoku (closed country) mentality as well as government rhetoric encouraging all to embraceglobalisation. According to the literature on internationalisation of higher education, intercultural contexts resultfrom globalisation and educators must prepare students to function in these contexts. Students, however, may or maynot see the future in the same way educators and policy-makers do. Attitudes towards English are mixed: some see itas an indispensable communicative tool for the future while others think of it as a test score which helps them securejobs or places in graduate programmes. The author discovered in this study that while most of the students’ attitudesecho government rhetoric, they think globalisation is something they can opt out of. In addition, even though theyfeel that the ability to function in intercultural contexts is desirable, half of them do not think they will findthemselves in these contexts, which may compromise the effectiveness of curriculum which have been planned basedon the assumption that students are going to be in intercultural contexts in future. They are also protective ofJapanese culture and very concerned about their English communicative skills.