Social Skills Use of International Students in Japan

This study investigated the cross-cultural social skills use of international students in Japan. One hundred and forty questionnaires were sent out and 102 were returned. Participants evaluated their skills use with 21 items pertaining to cross-cultural social skills in Japan, which were considered useful in forming interpersonal relationships with their Japanese hosts. They also evaluated how common such skills were in their own countries. The skills were divided into the following four categories: (a) skills used in Japan and recognized as being used in home countries, which seemed to be applications of original behavior repertory (Maintained skills); (b) skills used in Japan but not recognized in their own countries, which seemed to be developed in the Japanese sociocultural context (Acquired skills); (c) skills recognized in their home countries but not used in Japan, which seemed to be somehow suppressed in Japan (Avoided skills); and (d) skills rarely used in Japan and rarely recognized in their home countries, which seemed to be undesired (Neglected skills). Some skills were relatively common in their own countries but not always highly used in Japan. Students with higher Japanese proficiency or a longer duration of stay in Japan tended to show higher skills use. However, the assumption that students from neighboring countries were more skillful was not supported. The psychological background of cross-cultural social skills use was also discussed.