The Motivation of Malaysian Students for Study in Japan

Abstract

The number of students from Malaysia has, in recent years, rapidly increased, making Malaysia the most highly represented of ASEAN countries in Japanese Universities. In this paper, I will focus on the flow pattern of students from Malaysia to Japan. By examining, primarily, push factors (conditions of home countries which influence students' interest to study abroad) and pull factors (conditions of host countries which attract students), I will endeavor to clarify why increasing numbers of Malaysian students are choosing to study in Japan.
However, study of the push factor in Malaysia and the pull factor in Japan as it compares with three other host countries (e. g. Britain, Australia, United States) revealed that push and pull factors alone cannot be viewed as sufficient criteria for explaining why and where students undertake study abroad. Contextual factors between home and host countries are also highly pertinent, and so I have concluded two in this study ; one is the ‘econnection’ or ‘linkage’ factor, or that which connects relations between the specific home country and the specific host country, and another is the ‘block’ or ‘obstacle’ factor, or that which prevents students from studying in a specific country.
In my hypothetical framework, one who studies abroad goes through the following series of steps; First, he or she is affected by the push factor in his or her home country, and then by pull factors in a number of host countries. Connection and block factors then come into play, and finally, the student chooses the country which he or she deems most suitable for his or her purpose.
Push factor variables in Malaysia include a lack of adequate higher education facilities, especially for students from minority ethnic groups, the employment opportunities which holding a foreign degree affords, and the administration which many Malaysians have for the ‘unknown world’ which lies beyond Malaysia' s shores, especially that of developed countries. Variables of the pull factor in Japan include a relative abundance of academic facilities coupled with a high quality of education and a concerted effect among education officials to make study in Japan appealing to foreign students. Connection factor variables include the Look East Policy, increased economic linkage via heightened Japanese investment in Malaysian companies, and increased recognition of the Japanese University degrees by Malaysian government.Block factors include an unfamiliarity of Japanese language and society among Malaysians, differences in the two countries' educational systems, and the high cost of living in Japan.
The framework I propose in this paper, makes it possible to explain why increasing numbers of Malaysian students are coming to study in Japan. It also demonstrates that not only pull factor variables but also connection factor variables significantly influence students decisions on where to undertake study abroad. Few significant differences in pull factors were seen among four countries. We must therefore recognize that increases or decreases in connection factor and block factor variables will directly influence the number of students coming to study in Japan.