Study abroad and knowledge diplomacy: increasing awareness and connectivity to the host country, host region, and world

ABSTRACT

The internationalisation of higher education through study abroad programmes is a pivotal strategy for cultivating knowledge of the host country and the world. This article explores the long-term impacts of study abroad through the lens of knowledge diplomacy, which emphasises the benefits of understanding the world through transformative international experiences for all involved actors. The article draws upon original data sources on US study abroad experiences in Japan from 1963 to 2012, including a quantitative online survey (n = 259) and 25 qualitative in-depth follow-up interviews. The findings shed light on how participants understand their personal development resulting from their study abroad experience and how their awareness and connectivity become more global, with a lifelong bond to the host country, raised consciousness of the host region and an expanded awareness of the world.

KEYWORDS:

• Higher education
• study abroad
• knowledge diplomacy
• United States
• Japan

Acknowledgments

This article uses a portion of the empirical study from the author’s doctoral dissertation, completed at Waseda University. The author would like to acknowledge her advisor, Dr Kazuo Kuroda, and dissertation committee – Drs Gracia Liu-Farrer, Hatsue Shinohara, Seio Nakajima, and Yuko Tarumi – for their advice and guidance in the empirical study. This study would not have been possible without the support and cooperation of Japan Study and its participants. Thank you.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by the Konosuke Matsushita Memorial Foundation under Grant Number [12-020].