Intercultural Orientations as Japanese Language Learners' Motivation in Mainland China

Abstract

This article reports on a study that investigated how 665 Japanese language learners, who had started learning Japanese at different times in the last 3 decades, had been motivated to learn Japanese in China. Analysis of the survey data revealed that the participants displayed similar intercultural orientations when learning Japanese despite the shifting Sino-Japanese relations and the massive anti-Japanese protests in mainland China in recent years. In addition, the participants' qualitative comments in the survey revealed that most of them could be regarded as dialogic communicators who became interested in learning more about Japanese culture, people, and society after learning Japanese. These findings confirm the critical role that learning a foreign language plays in promoting better intercultural dialogue and sustaining goodwill among language learners toward the target community.

Acknowledgment

The project here is generously supported by a Sumitomo Foundation Grant for Japan-related Research (138001).