INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHANGES IN EDUCATION
Research Article
Nov 15, 2024 1 0

Investigation of Cultural Identity of Students Who Study Japanese Language at British Universities Between 2012 and 2023

Junko Winch 1 *
1 Department of Language Studies, University of Sussex, UK* Corresponding Author
International Journal of Changes in Education, 1(4), 2024, 197-207, https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022332
Publication date: Nov 15, 2024
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ABSTRACT

In Japanese language classrooms, students have become more globalised in terms of the students’ educational and life experience background. Teaching pedagogies which have been used before globalisation may not be appropriate and effective for students after globalisation. The aim of this study is to investigate any cultural identity characteristics of students who studied Japanese at two British universities in the South of England between 2012 and 2023. The significance of this study is to investigate how students’ individualist or collectivist cultural background may affect students’ cultural identity. Participants were a total of 22 students who studied Japanese language through an Institution-Wide Language Programme. The majority of these students have studied Japanese for a minimum of 1–3 years. The data were collected between 2012/13 and 2022/23 academic year from two British universities. The research design to investigate students’ cultural identity characteristics was a mixed method, using variables such as hometown, languages they speak, their values and their first name. Students’ origin, where they were born and where they were educated, was also taken into consideration to analyse the data. The key finding of students’ characteristic was that students’ identification was closely related to their sense of belonging in the results of students’ hometown, languages they speak, their values and their first name, which is in line with other previous research results in the literature. Other findings included that some of the students found it difficult to determine their hometown, that the majority of students were multilingual who have experience in several language learning, that students’ values were often influenced by their parents’ individualist or collectivist cultural values and that students’ first names often showed the students’ identification and a sense of belonging. Taking into consideration the individualist or collectivist culture, recommendations are discussed on how the language teaching practitioners may be able to support the sense of belonging of the current students who have diverse educational and life background.

KEYWORDS

sense of belonging identification collectivist individualist higher education Japanese language learning globalisation

CITATION (APA)

Winch, J. (2024). Investigation of Cultural Identity of Students Who Study Japanese Language at British Universities Between 2012 and 2023. International Journal of Changes in Education, 1(4), 197-207. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022332
Harvard
Winch, J. (2024). Investigation of Cultural Identity of Students Who Study Japanese Language at British Universities Between 2012 and 2023. International Journal of Changes in Education, 1(4), pp. 197-207. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022332
Vancouver
Winch J. Investigation of Cultural Identity of Students Who Study Japanese Language at British Universities Between 2012 and 2023. International Journal of Changes in Education. 2024;1(4):197-207. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022332
AMA
Winch J. Investigation of Cultural Identity of Students Who Study Japanese Language at British Universities Between 2012 and 2023. International Journal of Changes in Education. 2024;1(4), 197-207. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022332
Chicago
Winch, Junko. "Investigation of Cultural Identity of Students Who Study Japanese Language at British Universities Between 2012 and 2023". International Journal of Changes in Education 2024 1 no. 4 (2024): 197-207. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022332
MLA
Winch, Junko "Investigation of Cultural Identity of Students Who Study Japanese Language at British Universities Between 2012 and 2023". International Journal of Changes in Education, vol. 1, no. 4, 2024, pp. 197-207. https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewIJCE42022332

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