2020 Volume 29 Issue 2 Pages 133-151
There has been some debate about how international volunteers share their experiences with society after their time volunteering. Previous studies on international volunteers have lacked qualitative research. This study focused on the experiences of former volunteers for the Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) in the field of Physical Education (PE). The purpose of this study was to examine, based on qualitative research methods, how former PE volunteers reconciled and represented their own experiences to society.
A semi-structured interview was conducted with 12 former PE volunteers. Modified Grounded Theory Approach (M-GTA) was used for analysis.
As a result, the following three points became clear:
1) It was found that after their return, former PE volunteers shared their encounters with the people around them by speaking to them about what they had experienced. As a result, there is a high possibility that people around them gained interest in international cooperation and development.
2) Former PE volunteers seemed to brighten the atmosphere of the workplace. Although some may have had diplomatic or cooperative natures prior to volunteering, their positivity and increased tolerance may have improved their relationships with colleagues.
3) It became clear that former PE volunteers reflected the skills and knowledge gained through volunteer experiences in their current work. On the other hand, there were few former PE volunteers who had used the skills and knowledge of PE gained through volunteer experience.
The numbers and selection of subjects in this study were limited. In future studies, further development is expected due to comparison with various additional perspectives.
