Internships as intercultural learning
A thematic analysis of Taiwanese design students in Japan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32674/ke1pdc16Keywords:
International Internship, Cross-cultural Adaptation, Creative Education, Thematic Analysis, Comics and AnimationAbstract
This study examined 42 Taiwanese design students’ cross-cultural learning during internships in Japan’s creative industry firm, funded by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education under the “Dream-Building Study Abroad” program. Through thematic analysis and expert-rated intensity scoring (0–5 scale), six themes emerged. The highest-rated themes were workplace challenges (M = 3.33), language and culture (M = 3.31), and life experience (M = 3.22). The music students rated policy critique significantly higher than the animation students did (p < .001). The study combined qualitative coding with quantitative comparison to propose improvements in cultural briefings, language training, and post internship reflection.
References
Aggarwal, P., Ghodke, N., & Raval, V. V. (2025). Experiences of psychology applicants from the Global South: Faculty and student perspectives on how to overcome barriers to inclusive education. Journal of International Students, 15(1). https://www.ojed.org/jis/article/view/7273
Akkerman, S.F., & Bakker, A. (2011). Boundary crossing and boundary objects. Review of Educational Research, 81(2), 132–169.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 63–63.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Cetindere, E.O., & Shin, D.S. (2025). Turkish students’ intercultural challenges and aspirations in U.S. universities: A social media analysis. Journal of International Students, 15(1), 143–165.
Chen, Y.L., Ma, M.Y., Wang, H.C., & Shi, G.T. (2023). Exploring an innovative apprenticeship model in design education. Proceedings of IASDR 2023. Design Research Society.
Cheng, Y.P., Pedaste, M., Bardone, E., & Huang, Y.M. (2025). Innovative technologies and learning: Bridging digital pedagogies with experiential education. Proceedings of ICILT 2025, (pp. 187–200).
Fereday, J., & Muir-Cochrane, E. (2006). Demonstrating rigour using thematic analysis: A hybrid approach of inductive and deductive coding and theme development. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5(1), 80–92.
Fleiss, J.L. (1971). Measuring nominal scale agreement among many raters. Psychological Bulletin, 76(5), 378–382.
Garavalia, B. (1992). Bridges to the future: Strategies for internationalizing higher education. American Council on International Intercultural Education, (pp. 153–161).
Gue´nier, A.D.W., Lu, J., & Hird, D. (2025). An empirical study on intercultural contact and intercultural communication competence of Chinese international students in the UK. Journal of International Students, 15(1), 63–79.
Hashimoto, K., & Disbray, S. (2023). University-school partnerships for Japanese language education. Language education programs in Japan, (pp. 1–19).
Holroyd, C. (2019). Digital content promotion in Japan and South Korea: Government strategies for an emerging economic sector. Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies, 6(3), 334–349.
Ivanova, P., Sun, Y., Li, W., & Bista, K. (2025). International students’ loneliness and social engagement: Narratives from the United States and Japan. Journal of International Students, 15(4), 1–20.
Ivanova, P., Sun, Y., Li, W., & Bista, K. (2025). International students’ loneliness and social engagement: Narratives from the United States and Japan. Journal of International Students, 15(4), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.32674/y6hw0n78
Jensen, K.D. (2021). Crossing cultures: A narrative inquiry into undergraduate college students’ experiences in international internships [Doctoral dissertation. TTU Libraries.
Jiao, R. (2025). Exploring factors reflecting Chinese students’ study abroad destination choice: A case study of Chinese students in Japan. Journal of International Students, 15(2), 49–68.
Krippendorff, K. (2018). Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Li, J., Liu, X., & Mullins, P. (2024). Exploring the career development challenges and expectations of international students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of International Students, 14(4), 1021–1040.
Ministry of Education (MOE), Taiwan. (n.d.). The Taiwan experience education program: Learning beyond borders (Youth Overseas Experience Program – YOEP/Hsueh-Hai Dream Program). Retrieved July 23, 2025, from https://www.edu.tw/
Mezirow, J. (1997). Transformative learning: Theory to practice. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 1997(74), 5–12. https://doi.org/10.1002/ace.7401
Miao, C. J. (2023). Cultural learning through the everyday: Chinese international students in New Zealand homestays (Doctoral dissertation, Auckland University of Technology). AUT Open Repository. https://openrepository.aut.ac.nz/server/api/core/bitstreams/b4846360-21d2-419e-b693-af91a60ee6fb/content
Neuendorf, K.A. (2017). The content analysis guidebook (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
Nghia, T. L. H., & Duyen, N. T. M. (2019a). Developing and validating a scale for evaluating internship-related learning outcomes. Higher Education, 77(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0251-4
Park, Y., Baldry, T. A., & Amarilla, J. (2025). Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic: Impacts on higher education in East Asia. Journal of International Students, 15(1). https://ojed.org/jis/article/view/7803
Shiau, H.C. (2020). Performing Chineseness, translated histories: Taiwanese cartoonist Chen Uen’s digital pedagogy. Critical Arts: South‒North Cultural and Media Studies, 34(1), 45–62.
Sisavath, S. (2021). Benefits of studying abroad for graduate employability: Perspectives of exchange students from Lao universities. Journal of International Students, 11(4), 958–977.
Sustarsic, M., & Zhang, J. (2022). Navigating through uncertainty in the era of COVID 19: Experiences of international graduate students in the United States. Journal of International Students, 12(1), 61–80.
Thenarasu, M., Roshan, M.V., & Sujay, S. (2025). Bridging the gap between industry and academic institutions: Lessons from immersive design training. Proceedings of the International Conference on Sustainable Advanced Computing, (pp. 411–422).
William, S., Peters, K., & Hegazi, I. (2024). A qualitative exploration of challenges for international students enrolled in health professional education degrees in Australia. Journal of International Students, 14(3), 452–469.
Xing, J., & Ma, C. H. K. (2010). Quality assurance and cross-border higher education: The case of Hong Kong. Routledge. https://books.google.com/books?id=41CJiENLRv8C
Yuan, X., Yang, Y., & McGill, C. (2024). The impact of academic advising activities on international students’ sense of belonging. Journal of International Students, 14(1), 92–109.
Zin, M. (2023). Cultural intelligence and cross-cultural adaptation: A case study of Myanmar expatriates in Thailand. TU Digital Archive.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of International Students
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) [year] [author]
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
