To deepen the understanding of multicultural coexistence in junior college seminars, it is crucial to determine the most effective activities and methods for introducing them. Additionally, we need to consider how to measure the outcomes and visualize individual growth. One of the significant challenges in promoting multicultural coexistence in Japan is communication support, which includes multilingualism, Japanese language education, and the use of "Easy Japanese" (a simplified form of Japanese for non-native speakers who face difficulties in understanding and communicating in Japanese). Over the past two years, the presenter has introduced "Easy Japanese" activities in the junior college seminars. The main activities consisted of two key components: (1) rewriting articles from women's web magazines into "Easy Japanese" for sharing with peers, and (2) reporting on the activities and interacting with visitors during the school festival. In the 2023 academic year, the presenter compiled and presented an e-book introducing local restaurants in "Easy Japanese" to festival attendees. In the 2024 academic year, multiple workshops were organized and managed by the students, including quizzes and card game creation, which significantly raised awareness about multicultural coexistence among almost all participants. Furthermore, many students demonstrated growth aligned with the university's Diploma Policy. This presentation aims to report on the outcomes of these initiatives over the past two years and discuss the research questions posed at the beginning in light of the university's Diploma Policy.

Authors:
Misa Otsuka, Jissen Women's Junior College, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Professor MISA OTSUKA is a University Professor/Principal Lecturer at Jissen Women's Junior College in Japan

See this presentation on the full schedule – Saturday Schedule

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