Chair: Jane BARRON, Transitions-Care and Mobility Consultant, Council of International Schools (CIS) | Australia

Filling the Gaps: The Role of Japanese Language Schools in Connecting International Students to Japanese Universities
Kanako NAKASHIMA, Research Associate, Tohoku University | Japan

Abstract:

Japan is accelerating its efforts to attract and retain highly skilled international students. However, the complexity of its admission system poses significant challenges for applicants. While national policies emphasize strategic recruitment and the global competitiveness of Japanese universities, institutions lack the capacity to provide consistent, accessible, and multilingual information to prospective students. This results in significant information asymmetries, even for applicants from elite educational backgrounds, who often lack the specific localized knowledge required to navigate the Japan’s complex and admissions system.

This study investigates the mediating role of Japanese language schools between international students and Japanese universities. Although traditionally positioned as institutions supporting students’ language development, Japanese language schools in Japan have increasing expanded their roles to include broader forms of support such as advising on university applications, interpreting institutional requirements, and facilitating access to higher education. While such functions have typically been the focus of research on educational agents, drawing on theories of information asymmetry and literacy mediation, this conceptual paper examines how these schools compensate for systemic weaknesses in Japan’s international student admission process for higher education.

The research adopts a qualitative design based on semi-structured interviews with staff at Japanese language schools. This conceptual paper presents a detailed research design and preliminary findings from an ongoing study. The purpose of this study is to examine how Japanese language schools mediate the institutional and informational gaps that shape international students’ access to higher education in Japan. While a full analysis is still underway, the final presentation will include preliminary findings from semi-structured interviews with Japanese language school staff, providing empirical insights into how these mediating functions are enacted in practice.

The insights from this study will clarify the role of private actors in supporting the internationalization of Japanese higher education and inform policy discussions on creating a more transparent and coordinated information platform for prospective international students in Japan. By highlighting the mediating role of language schools between international students and Japanese universities, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of institutional responsibility and equity within internationalization strategies of Japanese universities.

COIL as a driver for Global Interprofessional Learning in Health Education
Inge VERVOORT, Head International Office, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences | Belgium

Abstract:

Background & objective: Internationalisation at Home is a key strategy for developing global and collaborative competencies in health education. We evaluated a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) module, co-developed by higher education institutions in Belgium, the Philippines, and Kenya, for its effectiveness in strengthening interprofessional collaboration skills and professional identity.

Methods: A pre-post design was implemented, with stable, interprofessional student groups collaborating online. The Interprofessional Collaborator Assessment Rubric (ICAR) and the Extended Professional Identity Scale (EPIS) were administered before and after the module. Fifty-nine students provided paired ICAR data and 65 paired EPIS data. Analyses compared pre-post changes within each sample, and subgroup patterns by region and discipline were summarised descriptively.

Results: Significant gains were observed in ICAR Collaboration and Patient/Family-centred Approach (medium effects), while Communication and ICAR Total showed positive but non-significant trends. Roles & Responsibilities, Team Functioning, and Conflict Management remained stable. EPIS results showed significant increases in Interprofessional Commitment, Interprofessional Beliefs, and EPIS Total, with Belonging unchanged at high baseline levels. Descriptive analyses suggested some variation across regions and disciplines, though small subgroup sizes limit inference.

Discussion & implications: Findings indicate that even a short, intensive COIL-enabled module can measurably enhance collaboration skills and interprofessional identity in a geographically distributed cohort. These results support COIL as a scalable, equitable approach to embedding interprofessional and international learning in health curricula, demonstrating that Internationalisation at Home enables international and interprofessional learning for all students, including those unable to participate in mobility-based programmes.