Can an international student-tutoring program be an opportunity for intercultural collaborative learning? : based on a survey conducted at Kagoshima University

This paper examines whether an International Student-Tutoring Program (ISTP), a support program for the international students, can be an opportunity for Intercultural Collaborative Learning (ICL) based on a survey conducted at Kagoshima University. While the idea of Internationalization at Home (IAH) has been well received, ICL has gained attention as one of the methods of IAH in higher education to foster students’ global competence, including intercultural sensitivity. This paper will analyze the results of a survey consisting of interviews and an online questionnaire to the tutors and a faculty member based on the definition of ICL and the key elements as described by Suematsu. The analysis of the survey results reveals the potential of ISTP as an introductory program for ICL provided that educational intervention is incorporated, because the effectiveness of the tutoring experience on the development of the tutors’ intercultural sensitivity became evident, especially on that of those who had had less international exposure in the past.