Experiential Learning and Student Growth through an International Internship in Central Asia: A Case from a Japanese University

• In Event: Teaching and Learning: Strategies and Lessons for Student Development

Proposal

Experiential learning opportunities have become an increasingly important element in university curricula, as they can foster unique competencies that traditional classroom pedagogies cannot provide. Internship programs in higher education play a key role in skill development and in enhancing students’ future employability (Di Pietro 2022; Sides and Mrvica, 2007). International internship, moreover, challenges students not only to reflect on their own future careers, but also to critically engage with broader social realities. Exposure to unfamiliar cultural norms, social issues, and working environments in foreign countries may deepen students’ awareness of social problems, such as inequality and global interdependence (Kiely, 2005). As such, international internship experiences are not limited to career formation but also shape students' ethical perspectives, sense of social responsibility, and global citizenship.

Yet, despite their potential value, curriculum-based international internships remain relatively limited as they add further challenges. For example, students must be equipped with not only professional skills but also language proficiency and intercultural competencies. Universities, in turn, face the tasks of building partnerships, arranging agreements, handling visa issues, and preparing students for mobility and safety. These complexities make international internships challenging to implement, contributing to the broader discussion on experiential learning abroad.

Responding to this gap, this case study draws on a credit-bearing course offered at a Japanese national university, designed to promote intercultural understanding and professional development through real-world engagement. The course is structured four sequential phases: (1) a pre-departure seminar to set goals and provide contextual background, (2) a short-term internship conducted in partnership with public or international organizations in Central Asia, (3) submission of a reflective report upon return to Japan, and (4) a campus-wide presentation to disseminate outcomes. The program is guided by the educational objective of enabling students to develop self-directed learning capacity, intercultural sensitivity, and career awareness through structured reflection on experiential learning.

This applied research investigates an international internship program through the lens of experiential learning and transformative education. It explores how a Japanese university has planned and implemented an international internship as part of undergraduate curriculum and how participating students perceive their experiences in short-term international internships in Central Asian countries. The study addresses two central research questions: 1) How do Japanese students reflect on the personal and professional challenges encountered during international internships in Central Asia, and what forms of learning emerge from these experiences? 2) I In what ways do students’ career aspirations and social awareness evolve through internship experiences in Central Asian countries? These research questions are complementary: RQ1 focuses on identifying the challenges students face and the forms of learning that emerge, while RQ2 traces how these experiences contribute to transformative growth in students’ career aspirations and social awareness, providing a coherent framework to explore both the process and outcomes of learning within the internship program. The study draws on qualitative data including students’ reflective reports and semi-structured interviews, supported by pre- and post- program self-assessment forms. Thematic coding is employed to analyze how students make sense of their experiences. This case is distinctive, as research on international internships has largely focused on North American and European contexts, with far less attention to placements in politically complex and understudied regions such as Central Asia.

The study is guided by two theoretical frameworks: Experiential Learning Theory and Transformative Learning Theory. Kolb (1984) defines learning as “the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience” (p. 38), proposing a four-stage cyclical process: 1) concrete experience, 2) reflective observation, 3) abstract conceptualization, and 4) active experimentation (Kolb et.al, 2014). This theory provides a guideline for understanding how experiential learning programs can be designed effectively to facilitate meaningful engagement and support deeper learning. Meanwhile, Mezirow’s Transformative Learning Theory emphasizes how disorienting experiences, when critically reflected upon, can lead to fundamental shifts in personal assumptions, beliefs, or goals. This framework guides the exploration of how students grow from challenges, linking the reflective processes identified in RQ1 to changes in career aspirations and social awareness examined in RQ2

Preliminary analysis indicates that students frequently encounter moments of uncertainty and frustration in unfamiliar organizational and cultural contexts. Such experiences appear to foster self-awareness, intercultural flexibility, and reflection on career aspirations. Some students report a greater interest in international development or global cooperation, while others express a more critical understanding of social inequality and the limitations of own perspectives. These emerging patterns will be further examined through ongoing analysis.

This study aligns with CIES’s focus on the internationalization of higher education and contributes to the Higher Education SIG by providing an applied case of how structured short-term international internships can generate meaningful learning. It engages with broader discussions on designing programs that promote not only intercultural exposure but also transformative engagement with complex global realities. By highlighting the educational value of learning through challenge, particularly in underrepresented regions of the world, the study offers both scholarly insights and practical implications. The findings contribute to understanding how credit-bearing international internships can be structured to advance student development and may inform strategies for scaffolding deep learning outcomes in global learning initiatives.

Authors

• Yukiko Yamamoto, University of Tsukuba

• Toshinobu Usuyama

• Yukako Tokuda