The relationship between intercultural development inventory, class reflection, and student condition among international university students in Japan

Abstract

Owing to globalization around the world, school education has shifted focus to accommodate international students. Meanwhile, the use of virtual worlds such as the Internet and social media have spread rapidly, allowing people to engage across borders; however, these are indirect experiences that affect the young people living in between. Consequently, intercultural communication skills are indispensable in this ever-changing society. The growing need for intercultural sensitivity cannot be ignored. This study focused on physical education (PE) skills among university students and their class contents, which can contribute significantly to communication skills. Additionally, the study aimed to clarify the relationship between intercultural sensitivity and class experiences of PE and examine their impact on physical and mental health. A total of 15 PE classes were conducted for 12 students between 2023 and 2024. The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) was used to evaluate IDI scores. Reflection sheets were used after each class to obtain responses on a five- and fourpoint scale for each aspect under physical condition (nutrition, emotions, physical health, and sleep) and class reflection (activeness, cooperation, enjoyment, refreshment, and skill), respectively. These values were then categorized into beginning, middle, and end of semester and used as indicators of class experience and physical and mental health. Furthermore, the number of class attendances was recorded. Correlation analysis was performed to clarify the relationship between each evaluation item. Higher IDI scores correlated to the frequency of attendance. The more positive the class reflections, the better the scores related to physical condition at the end of class.