Fras  Polona

Polona FRAS

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Osaka Shoin Women's University Repository / 大阪樟蔭女子大学リポジトリ

Data Analysis of Pre-departure Lessons for
Study-abroad Programs in 2017 and 2018
著者 Fras  Polona
雑誌名 樟蔭学園英語教育センターフォーラム
号 9
ページ 47-52
発行年 2020-03
URL http://id.nii.ac.jp/1072/00004424/
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Data Analysis of Pre-departure Lessons for Study-abroad 
Programs in 2017 and 2018
Polona Fras
International Exchange Programs Desk
Students at Osaka Shoin Women’s University can participate in a number of 
study-abroad programs to improve their English language skills and learn about 
other cultures. As part of their preparation for participation in the program, the 
students must undergo “pre-departure training” consisting of lessons designed 
to improve both their receptive and productive language skills. This paper briefly 
outlines these lessons and presents the results of a partial analysis of a questionnaire 
about the lessons in academic years 2017 and 2018. The aim of this analysis is to 
help improve the pre-departure training in the coming years.
Introduction
Students at Osaka Shoin Women’s University can choose from a number of 
short-, medium- or long-term study abroad programs to improve their English 
language skills and explore other cultures. To sufficiently prepare for the program, 
the students are required to participate in a number of pre-departure meetings related 
to such matters as the program application process and crisis management, as well 
as pre-departure training dedicated to improving their English skills (Osaka Shoin 
Women’s University, n.d.). In academic years 2017 and 2018, this training was 
delivered online and consisted of two parts: vocabulary and grammar training (via 
a learning management system), and English conversation training (via 25-minute 
video calls with English speakers from the Philippines). In both cases, students used 
original materials created by a faculty member of Osaka Shoin Women’s University. 
Students could choose from a variety of topics related to studying abroad, such as 
personal information, family, education, food and other generic topics. Students 
participating in short-term programs were required to complete 10 lessons, and 
students participating in medium- and long-term programs 15 lessons.
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Questionnaire analysis
In 2017, the total number of study-abroad program participants was 20. Twelve 
students participated in short-term and 8 students in medium-term programs. In 
2018, the number of participants was significantly lower (only 4 students, all short-
term program) 1.
After the conclusion of each program, students were asked to fill out a 
questionnaire regarding the pre-departure training. In this paper, only questions 
regarding the satisfaction with the lessons (general satisfaction, number of lessons, 
topics they had the opportunity to use on-site, improvement of their English skills, 
increase in their motivation for studying English) have been considered. The 
response rate was 96%. The majority of questions considered in this analysis were 
multiple choice questions, while a question regarding topics students used in their 
daily lives during the program was a multiple response question. There were also 
2 open-ended questions to elicit topics that would have been useful, and additional 
comments. The results are presented in Figures 1-5.
The majority of students were satisfied with both the vocabulary and grammar 
training (83%) and the English conversation training (96%) as shown in figure 1. 
Students who were not particularly satisfied with it gave the following reasons: 
the vocabulary and grammar exercises had glitches (e.g. videos were not playing), 
the English conversation teachers did not appear for the lessons, the English 
conversation teachers did not use the provided materials.
1　 From academic year 2018, all 2nd year students majoring in English as an International 
Language are required to participate in a 4-month study-abroad program. In 2018, the number 
of these students was 32. However, since this program is a requirement for graduation and not 
a voluntary one, it was not included in this analysis.
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Figure 1. Response: How satisfied are you with the lessons?
Regarding the number of lessons, the majority of students (78% for vocabulary 
and grammar, 96% for English conversation) answered that it was just right (Figure 
2).
Figure 2. Number of lessons.
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When asked to choose topics they had the opportunity to use in conversation 
during the program (Figure 3), the most common answers were “family” (83%), “my 
home” (61%) and “personal information” (57%), while the least common answers 
were “history of Japan” (22%), “geography of Japan” and “daily routine” (both 
17%). In an open-ended question, the students were also asked to suggest other 
useful topics. Their suggestions were “Japanese culture and customs”, “Japanese 
politics”, “movies” and “money”.
Figure 3. Response (multiple response question): Which topics did you have the 
opportunity to use in conversation during the program?
When asked if they thought their English skills had improved as a result of the 
pre-departure training, a slight majority (52%) answered affirmatively, 35% said 
they did not know, and 13% gave a negative answer (Figure 4).
In response to the question regarding the increase of their motivation to study 
English as a result of the training, 70% of the students answered that their motivation 
increased, and 30% said that it stayed the same (Figure 5). 
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Figure 4. Response: Do you think your English skills have improved as a result of 
the pre-departure training?
Figure 5. Response: Did your motivation to study English increase as a result of the 
pre-departure training?
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Lastly, the students were asked to write any additional comments they might 
have about the lessons. The majority of the comments were positive (e.g. they were 
able to actually use the words and expressions they learned in these lessons, they 
were able to practise their conversation skills beforehand so they were not as nervous 
when speaking to foreigners on-site), while some students complained about glitches 
or that it was too time-consuming.
Conclusion
The students seem to be generally satisfied with the pre-departure training. 
While some complained about the lessons being too time-consuming or did not 
feel that their English skills had improved or their motivation to study English had 
increased, the majority seem to think that these lessons are a valuable addition to 
their study-abroad experience.
While the number and content of the lessons themselves continue to be 
satisfactory, it was necessary to make some changes in 2019. First, the learning 
management system had to be changed due to faculty staff changes. While the 
students can still access some of the materials online, the exercises are now paper-
based, which is slightly inconvenient as the students have to check their answers 
manually against the answer sheet. Also, the materials for the English conversation 
training had to be changed as per request of the service provider. The students now 
have more topics to choose from, but some of them have difficulty deciding which 
ones to pick. Further changes might be necessary in the coming years, but hopefully 
they will help to improve the pre-departure training.
References
Osaka Shoin Women’s University. (n.d.). International Exchange Programs 2018. 
[Pamphlet]. Osaka: Osaka Shoin Women’s University.


Data Analysis of Pre-departure Lessons for Study-abroad Programs in 2017 and 2018

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Data Analysis of Pre-departure Lessons for Study-abroad Programs in 2017 and 2018

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