ERIC Number: ED505717
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2009-May
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1548-6613
EISSN: N/A
A Qualitative Investigation of Trainees' Adjustment in Japan: A Case Study of Trainees from Indonesia
Maemura, Naoka; Kato, Junzo; Fujihara, Takehiro
Online Submission, US-China Education Review v6 n5 p25-34 May 2009
In Japan, there is a residence status known as "the trainee". This is the status for residents who undertake "activities to learn and acquire the technology, skills, or knowledge at public or private organizations in Japan". With the introduction of the Industrial Training Program in 1993, trainees have been permitted to extend their stay in Japan for education and employment purposes up to a maximum of three years. This study aims to investigate the adjustment styles of trainees and to consider the changes in their attitudes toward Japan in the course of this adjustment. Six male Indonesian trainees (mean age=23.83) were invited to a semi-structured interview. They were employed at the same factory, involved in the manufacture of car components, and were trainees in their first-, second-, and third-years. The interview mainly focused on the trainees' Japanese language skills, the changes in their images of Japan or Japanese people, the communication between them and their Japanese colleagues, and the difficulties they encountered during their stay in Japan. The results revealed that there were clear differences between the first, second, and third trainees. As the trainees' Japanese language skills improved, their communication with the Japanese colleagues increased. Subsequently, they developed more positive images of Japan and Japanese people and hoped to have more informal communication with Japanese people. (Contains 3 figures and 1 table.) [This research was supported by a grant of the Kwansei Gakuin University 21st Century COE (Center of Excellence) Program.]
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Indonesia; Japan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A