Influence of Intercultural Educational Programs on Attitudes, Behavior, and Affect

本研究的目的是探讨跨文化体验是否影响旅居者的1)英语学习动机，2)交际意愿，二语交际中的焦虑和自信，3)对不同文化的态度，4)国际姿态，5)二语交际能力。其中一人是1999年离开日本去美国学习一年的日本高中生。对于这一组，在抵达美国三周后进行了一项跟踪研究。2000年，同样的问卷被发放给第二批高中旅居者，在他们离开之前和三周后。一项统计分析表明，沟通焦虑在第三年的三周内显著降低。2002年的大部分时间都花在了数据分析和结果展示上。通过将三年中获得的新数据与我们积累的旧数据相结合，获得了一些新的见解。例如，通过结构方程模型的分析表明，对不同文化和国际姿态的态度影响学习第二语言的动机水平，进而预测第二语言的交际能力和交际信心。这些结果在国内会议上发表，并被国际期刊接受发表。

The objectives of the research are to investigate whethor intercultural experience affects the sojourners' 1) motivation to learn English, 2) willingness to communicate, anxiety and confidence in L2 communication, 3) attitudes to different cultures, 4) international posture, and 5) communicative competence in L2.In 1999, questionnaires were developed and administered to three groups of Japanese learners of English for the preliminary study. One of them were Japanese high school students who left Japan in 1999 to study in the U.S. for one year. For this group a follow-up study was made three weeks after the arrival in the U.S. In 2000, the same questionnaires were administered to the second cohort of the high school sojourners, before their departure and three weeks later. A statistical analysis showed that communication anxiety reduced significantly during the three weeksThe third year, 2002 was spent mostly on data analyses and presentation of the results. By combining the new data gained during the three years with the old data we had accumulatcd, a number of new insights were gained. For example, an analysis through structural equation modeling demonstrated that attitudes to different cultures and international posture affected the level of motivation to learn L2, which in turn predicted communicative competence and communication confidence in L2.These results were presented in a domestic conference and were accepted by international journals for publication.