International Education and Possibilities for Large-Scale Tests

Abstract

When accepting foreign students for study in Japan, in addition to the aim of helping individual students to achieve their academic goals and fulfill their plans for the future, there are expectations on the part of the Japanese society which welcomes them, including 1) sharing Japan's intellectual resources with the world; 2) invigorating higher education; 3) training professionals sympathetic towards Japan; and 4) securing a productive-age population for the future. Under the present plans, the first of these goals entails a preference for students with a good command of English, but the last of these requires universities who accept international students to assume the responsibility of providing students with sufficient training in the Japanese language so that by the time they graduate they will be able to play an active part in Japanese society.

One point of departure for studying in Japan is a test such as the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students, whereby the qualifications for studying in Japan may be obtained, and universities that accept these students must decide how to make use of the results of such large-scale tests. These tests have many limitations, however, and there is as yet no consensus on their appropriate role and characteristics. On the contrary, the variety of expectations directed towards international students influences the use of these tests in very complicated ways. In addition to improvements in the tests themselves, there is a need for a wide-ranging discussion on the role of international students in higher education and in Japanese society.

There is also a need for a long-term, comprehensive policy on international education, which will come to grips with the reality of international students finding their place and playing an indispensable role in Japanese society after graduation. This will require coordination between industry, government and the academic world, and the involvement of local communities in further discussions towards a plan of action.