A Basic Research on Japanese "Intercultural Competenc"

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With the rapid internalization of Japan, various programs have been introduced to Japanese schools for the past two decades to make their students more aware of global issues and prepare them for making significant contribution to the world. Kokusai-rikai Kyoiku or Ibuka-rikai kyouiku, however, lacks both theoretical and empirical bases for its rather abstract and idealistic goals to be achieved.This study intended to gain a deeper understanding of the processes of intercultural learning and to explore better teaching strategies for making Japanese students interculturally competent. "Intercultural competence" is defied as the ability to interact with other people who's cultural and/or linguistic background is different from his/her own and to function well in intercultural settings.Both theory development and analyzing empirical data were included in this study. A wide range of literature such as cognitive development, impact of anti prejudice education in the U.S.schools and models of intercultural training programs was reviewed. And, the conceptual model of " Intercultural competence" was examined by a newly developed instrument designed for a Japanese company. It was concluded that more basic research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of various methodologies of intercultural education in Japan.