When English education isn't what it seems: Outcomes from a pilot study in Japan

Despite the desire of Japanese students to improve their English language skills, a lack of confidence has led to a fear of participating in activities designed to boost that very confidence. What if a program requiring communication in English were advertised as something other than an intercultural exchange program? Could this promotional strategy mitigate the fear of participation? Would it still accomplish the goal of motivating further English education? This paper discusses the results of offering a pilot program, which involved activities with native English speakers and was instead advertised as a non-paid internship focusing on tourism and artificial intelligence. The post-program survey shows that while Japanese students were most attracted to and satisfied with the aspect of working with companies, they found their experience in communicating in English to be the most rewarding and challenging.