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Paper short abstract:

We report the results of a "Survey of Japanese Language Education Needs for Job Hunting in Japan" based on semi-structured group interviews with Japanese university students and international students. We also discuss how their different needs can be reflected in online learning contents.

Paper long abstract:

This presentation aims to report the results of the "Survey of Japanese Language Education Needs for Job Hunting in Japan" based on semi-structured group interviews with university students including international students and conducted at a Japanese higher education institution. As part of the MEXT's efforts to support the creation of super global universities, the presenters’ institution, the University of Tsukuba, is currently leading the construction of Japan's first online international education platform, the Japan Virtual Campus (hereafter "JV-Campus"). Within the JV-Campus project, the Japanese Language Education Division at the University of Tsukuba is developing online teaching materials. The current presentation will report on one element of these materials, namely “Career Support Japanese.”

“Career Support Japanese” does not focus on language skills within the company after employment. We plan to provide content that will enable students to develop the skills necessary to find a job, such as 1) developing Japanese language skills, 2) gathering information on companies, and 3) understanding the differences between Japan and overseas regarding finding employment. In preparing learning materials, it is important to clarify the needs of Japanese language learners and their experiences going through the job-hunting process, as well as the difficulties faced by native speakers of Japanese. Therefore, in this study, we will interview Japanese language learners and native speakers of Japanese who have experienced job-hunting activities about their perceptions and reflections on what they need to do when job hunting, and clarify the similarities and differences in their needs for a more successful job search.

Based on the results of the interviews, we will compare our predictions and the actual interview data regarding (1) Japanese language proficiency for job hunting, (2) difficulties experienced in selecting job types and the handling of unclear sources of information, and (3) discrepancies between the schedule of job-hunting activities in Japan and abroad, and the lack of information on tests other than Japanese language tests. We will report on what kind of career support contents Japanese language learners require and how these needs can be reflected in online learning contents.