What big surprices do these students find in their life in Japan? Do American exchange students do as well as other exchange students in the language classes offered by the Japanese university? How can US teachers of Japanese best prepare their students for successful study abroad? These questions are important as more students are becoming interested in study abroad programs. The present study reports real voices of exchange students in Japan, throwing light on these questions and suggesting ways instructors of Japanese may improve their teaching and guidance.
The study was carried out by a US Japanese language instructor who was a visiting scholar at Tokyo Gakugei University in the fall semester, 2005. The research methodology aimed at obtaining open-ended opinions through one-to-one interviewing rather than responses to structured survey questionnaires administered at a distance to large numbers. The research included: a) participating in a placement test with over 200 international students; b) observing in Japanese language classrooms; c) living with exchange students in their dormitory; and d) recording the international students' opinions about thier classroom instruction, campus culture, and life in Tokyo. Recordings were made from 15 students (5 US and Canadians, 5 Europeans and 5 Asians) who responded to in-depth interviews about their language experience. Analyses were made to show commonalties and differences among the respondents. Among the fidings are the following: a) although all said that their main expectaion was to improve their Japanese language skills, American students were placed in the novice level classes though they had completed 2 years prior study in a US college; b) travel on Japanese trains offered the best opportunity to expereience Japanese culture and language; c) it was difficult for most students to form real friendship with Japanese; 4) after a few months, most students felt frustrated and depressed, and most were unprepared for the high cost of living in Tokyo. Implications of the fidings for US Japanese language instruciton and guidance are drawn.