2020 Volume 18 Pages 142-160
This article is about the life story of Ms. Xu, a Chinese woman who came to Japan as a technical intern trainee and participated in a Community-based Japanese language class. Based on her narrative, we analyze how Ms. Xu coped with difficulties in her life as a technical intern trainee, how her boundaries and values were altered in this process, and what it meant for her life as a technical intern trainee to participate in the Community-based Japanese language class. It was found that through her life as a technical intern trainee. Ms. Xu’s childish and selfish self transformed into an “adult” self who understood differences in values from others while working toward the same goal. In addition, Ms. Xu was actively involved in addressing issues that arose in the workplace. This process can be characterized as learning of horizontal dimension that sought to change the divided workplace. It was found in this context that Ms. Xu’s effort to cross the border between the Community-based Japanese language class and the workplace supported her life as a technical intern trainee in ways that allowed her to relate to others “as a person” and supported her learning of horizontal dimension to change the workplace.
