Định kiến của sinh viên philippines về sinh viên quốc tế nhật bản

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION GRADUATION THESIS STEREOTYPES OF JAPANESE INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS HELD BY FILIPINO STUDENTS IN UP DILIMAN Supervisor: Lại Thị Thanh Vân Student: Nguyễn Phương Anh Course: QH2013 Hanoi, May 2017 ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH KHOÁ LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP ĐỊNH KIẾN CỦA SINH VIÊN PHILIPPINES VỀ SINH VIÊN QUỐC TẾ NHẬT BẢN Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Lại Thị Thanh Vân Sinh viên: Nguyễn Phương Anh Khoá: QH.2013 HÀ NỘI – NĂM 2017 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study is the result of my experience in Intercultural Communication and the great support and encouragement from the supervisor, friends, and family First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards my supervisor, Ms Lai Thi Thanh Van for her continual support throughout my thesis Despite her busy schedule at university and at home, she still spared time to give me valuable comments with her knowledge and patience, whilst allowing me the room to work in my own way Her constructive guidance has made it possible for me to finish this study, and I attribute the level of my Bachelor degree to her encouragement and consideration My special thanks also go to Chau Hong Quang, my supportive classmate, also my only Vietnamese partner to go to the Philippines in the first semester of the academic year 2016-2017 It was he who showed me the chance to go on the exchange program and inspired me to my thesis in the field of Intercultural Communication, based on what we experienced there and actually start the project with big enthusiasm and determination He has always been a good example in terms of persistence and productivity, which was a good motivation for me to keep working on the project I am also indebted to many other friends who have played an essential role in this study I have been blessed with a group of helpful and cheerful fellow students in the Philippines, including those of different nationalities such as Filipino, Japanese, and Cambodian who either directly took part in the research or introduced me to potential participants Without their genuine help and useful advice, this thesis, too, would not have been completed Last but not least, I would like to offer my big thank to my family Their material and mental support and countless encouragements, as well as constant reminders for me have been of great importance in giving me confidence and motivation to finish this study i ABSTRACT This study investigated the stereotypes of Japanese international students held by Filipino counterparts in University of the Philippines Diliman (Quezon city, Manila, Philippines) To begin with, 32 Filipino students from University of the Philippines Diliman were asked to list traits describing a typical Japanese student, generating 29 frequent descriptors Next, 10 Filipino participants reported the likelihood of each trait's trueness through an online survey, and later on indicated the reasons for their choices by telling their experiences The analysis process reveals 29 frequent traits of Japanese international students It can be seen that some of the results reflect previous literature concerning stereotypes of Asians generally (e.g.: Smart/clever, hardworking/diligent, and not good at English), whereas, others are more unique (e.g.: Cute/lovely, individualistic/independent, and youthful/young-looking) Stereotypes ranged from highly true (e.g.: Polite/well-mannered and persistent/determined) to highly untrue (e.g.: Fake/two-faced) Results are discussed with respect to prior literature on stereotypes of Asian Americans in the U.S.A and Japanese people in the Philippines, from which implications for communication between Filipinos and Japanese students are drawn ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction 1 Research title Rationale and Statement of the research Research questions Aims and significance of the research Scope of the research Chapter 2: Literature Review An Overview of Stereotypes 1.1 Definition 1.2 Stereotypes about cultural groups 1.3 Stereotype content Related studies Chapter 3: Methodology Participants Data collection techniques 10 Data collection procedure 11 3.1 Step 1: Paper survey 11 3.2 Step 2: Online survey and interview 12 Data analysis procedure 12 Chapter 4: Findings and Discussion 14 Findings 14 1.1 Frequency of traits 14 1.2 The traits’ trueness 19 1.3 Explanation of results 22 Discussion 33 2.1 Significance of results 33 iii 2.2 Implications 35 Chapter 5: Conclusion 37 Summary of findings 37 Limitations of the study 37 Recommendations for further studies 38 REFERENCES 39 APPENDICES 43 APPENDIX A Paper survey 43 APPENDIX B Online survey 44 APPENDIX C Letter to the Officer-in-charge of Acacia Residence Hall in requirement of the number of international students in the dormitory 47 APPENDIX D Email to the Office of International Linkages – UP Diliman in requirement of the number of international students on campus 48 To: Oild RCE UP Diliman 48 APPENDIX E List of major interview questions 49 iv LIST OF TABLES, FIGURES AND ABBRIVIATION PAGE Table 1: Frequency of traits listed by Filipino students to describe Japanese international students .19 Table 2: Mean and standard deviation of the likelihood of the traits’ trueness attributed to Japanese international students……………………………………….25 Abbreviations UPD: University of the Philippines Diliman v Chapter 1: Introduction Research title Stereotypes of Japanese international students held by Filipino students in UP Diliman Rationale and Statement of the research During the Second World War, Japan with its re-emergence to the status of a supreme power had invaded and conquered almost the whole South-East Asia The Philippines, supposedly having suffered the heaviest physical damage, adopted a highly hostile attitude towards Japanese who “had left its permanent scars in our soul as a nation” The memories of Japanese Occupation were so fresh and graphic that the question of Japan-Philippines relations used to be seen as “a national and emotional problem” (Kesavan, 1973) Also, due to the geographical propinquity of Japan, many Filipinos were afraid that their land would be the first target for Japan’s attack if there was a possibility for its militarism revival In 1949, a Foreign Office spokesman of the Philippines Government emphasized the country’s obvious position against Japan’s future resurgence as a dominant power which might once more threaten the peace in the Asia-Pacific region This vigilant attitude of Filipinos remained strong during the early post-war, which at the time led to Japanese being prohibited from entering the islands, despite the U.S’s effort in convincing them to improve the relationship with Japan (Kesavan, 1973) The Philippines, however, demanded this former enemy’s compensation for the injuries inflicted during its colonization and indeed, Japan has done a good job with its constructive role It should be noted that Japan has historically been a major business partner of the Philippines; since Japanese merchants established their first presence in the archipelago in the 12th century, significant trading activities have continually taken place A few recent decades have actually witnessed extensive flows of goods, capitals and assistance funds between the two countries, showing a considerable expansion again in bilateral business collaboration (Camacho & Cuevas, 2004) Gaining a global role as an economic giant, Japan has been seen as Philippines’ generous aid donor; this nation started its official development assistance (ODA) to the islands in the mid1960s, and the investment has largely grown since the Treaty of Amity Commerce and Navigation was made effective by President Marcos in the 1970s Noticeably, after the US withdrawal of assistance to the Philippines in the 1990s, Japan’s ODA boomed, reaching $1.030.67 million in 1992, almost triple the amount provided in 1991 at $458.92 million (Camacho & Cueva, 2004) Japanese Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa, in a meeting with President Ramos in 1993, expressed his apology for his country’s war crimes committed against Filipino people during World War II, and simultaneously promised to find the best solution to address the issue Besides the largest ODA source, Japan has been the Philippines’ top trading partner which accounted for a 15.0 percent of the country’s total trade in 2014, demonstrating this East Asian country’s central role in helping its used-to-be war victim recover and develop the economy Today, strategic relationship between the two countries is vibrant, in which the majority of the bonds are held by Japan Together with many previous cooperative programs, an agreement to supply the Philippines with defense equipment and technology in February, 2016 will encourage a lot more joint research and development projects, strengthening Japan-Philippines security tie in the face of the South China Sea Dispute Such connections, also, promote the flows of people between the two nations that have increasingly influenced their relations Apart from visitors, many Japanese engineers, managers, experts and other workers have been to the Philippines to carry out various investments and overseas development assistance programs of their government On the other hand, numerous Filipino trainees and workers in diverse fields have also been sent to Japan The perception of Filipinos towards Japanese, therefore, is believed to have undergone a considerable change In looking forward to the future, it is expected that mutual international concerns, alongside potential rises in both countries’ problems such as populations, employment, regional disparities and environmental change, will urge the two nations to continue and enhance their cooperation, finding constructive ways to deal with such issues Much of this cooperation may begin with citizens from the two cultures coming and interacting, so as to learn about each other and develop positive interpersonal relationships Also, it is noticeable that there rarely has been any research about Filipinos’ stereotypes of Japanese, apart from Berreman’s 1958 study: Filipino stereotypes of racial and national minorities, in which the perceptions that Filipino held towards different racial and national groups including Chinese, Japanese and Americans were presented Therefore, this study looked in particular at Filipinos’ perceptions of Japanese international students, and the primary purpose of the project was to explore the current stereotypes that Filipino students have about Japanese international students, their content and implicit evaluations Also, in comparison with the existing literature concerning stereotypes of Japanese, the project was to check for stereotypical differences or additional stereotypes attributed to this particular Asian group in the Philippines Research questions The study focuses on answering the following questions: What are the primary stereotypes that Filipino students might hold towards Japanese international students in the Philippines? How such stereotypes formed? Aims and significance of the research It is rare to find studies about Japanese students on a foreign country’s campuses Hence, this study aims to provide a deeper understanding of the perceptions uncommon one in stereotype research and is actually in contrast to much research concerning Asian generally (Kim & Yeeh, 2002; Hamilton, Sherman & Ruvolo, 1992) that shows that individuals tend to view Asians as competent yet cold and distant Additionally, it has been believed that Japanese society is highly collectivist in which people are very group-minded, care enormously about what others think about them, and often follow what others – they will things only because other people also it In companies or at work, they often tend to seek everyone's opinion before taking a decision Furthermore, nowadays, it may still be common for more than two generations: grand-parents, parents and children to live under the same roof and because of that, family gatherings are supposed to be seen quite regularly Nevertheless, based on the answers in the interview (although the answers were collected by only a small number of people), it can be seen that probably today there have been some changes in the lifestyle of some Japanese – more independent and individualistic There could be several reasons that this particular stereotype emerged for Japanese international students The first is because participants were asked to think of Japanese students on their campus, they referred to actual positive experiences that they had with Japanese students, rather than solely relying on stereotypes they have learned from media or other sources Another possible explanation is that participants, due to the social desirability bias that can be present in present-day media, wished to not come across as prejudiced or reliant on stereotypes 2.2 Implications Since the end of the Second World War, internationally the image of Japan has been considered to be much better by the impressive economic recovery, the strengthening of strategic relationship with many countries accompanied by a huge number of development assistances, and the supposedly image of Japanese people as 35 very polite, friendly, lovable, reliable and so on Thus, it is understandable that the attitude towards Japanese, specifically from Filipinos youngsters to their Japanese fellows, has undergone significant changes The result shows that despite some not-so-good perceptions, the Japanese’s stereotypes are mainly positive This implication is estimated to be good for the relation of the two countries, promoting a more effective bilateral collaboration that should be including student exchange, cultural exchange or educational support With a clearer picture of both the positive and negative perceptions that Filipinos might hold, universities in the Philippines may be better equipped to develop programs and policies that encourage more interactions between Japanese and Filipino students It is reasonable to say that increased interactions between the two groups have potential benefits for both parties For Japanese students, the stronger their relationship with the host nationals is, the better their adaptation and cultural/language learning while being in the Philippines can become For Filipino students, interactions with international students such as those from Japan could provide a very good opportunity for gaining knowledge about their perspectives, ways of life, and intercultural communication experience that could be proved valuable in the future 36 Chapter 5: Conclusion Summary of findings Considering the fact that research on stereotypes has a long and distinguished history, this project adds, in its own way, to our knowledge about stereotypes that Filipino students hold about a particular racial group on their university campus, Japanese international students This is an overall highly positive finding, although both consistency and inconsistency with previous research about Japanese’s stereotypes or Asian stereotypes in general are observed The results suggest that the stereotype content did change substantially over time Features related to wars are rarely seen, and favorable traits reasonably attributed to students emerged instead It is therefore expected that when Filipinos students view their Japanese fellows positively, they may be more likely to interact with them, which is the fundamental first step in establishing intercultural friendships The stereotype change reported in this research may be both a cause and a consequence of the improvement in relations between the two nations Limitations of the study This study is has certain limitations Firstly, the number of participants joining the study is humble, and there is a possibility that students in the survey might not think of all the traits they might think could be attributed to Japanese international students The low participation rate in the focus groups may have introduced a systematic bias Also, those in the one-to-one interviews might felt uncomfortable discussing the traits to the fullest of their ability due to their relationship with the Japanese fellows Thus, potentially important content may not have been covered This may merit further investigation 37 Recommendations for further studies This project is limited by the small sample, so a larger scale study would provide more valid data Also, it is limited to the Philippines, though the literature suggests the stereotypes of Japanese may exist world-wide, so further research in other areas would be beneficial It would also be interesting to a similar study in a number of years’ time to see if Filipinos’ perception toward Japanese students, or Japanese people in general change or not, and to what extent they will change 38 REFERENCES Abate, M., & Berrien, F K (1967) Validation of stereotypes: Japanese versus American students Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,7(4p1), 435 Alexander, M G., Brewer, M B., & Hermann, R K (1999) Images and affect: A functional analysis of out-group stereotypes Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(1), 78 Berdahl, J L., & Min, J A (2012) Prescriptive stereotypes and workplace consequences for East Asians in North America Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 18(2), 141-152 Berreman, J V (1958) Filipino stereotypes of racial and national minorities The Pacific Sociological Review, 1(1), 7-12 Bond, M H (1986) Mutual stereotypes and the facilitation of interaction across cultural lines International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 10(3), 259-276 Bulsara, C (2015) Using a mixed methods approach to enhance and validate your research Brightwater Group Research Centre Byrne, J., & Humble, A M (2007) An introduction to mixed method research Atlantic Research Centre for Family-Work Issues, 1-4 Camacho, J V., & Cuevas, A C (2004) The Dynamics of Philippines-Japan Economic Cooperation: The Case of Japan's ODA in the Philippines Philippine Institute for Development Studies Cesar, J & Trajano (2013) Japan and Philippines Align Strategic Interests Asia Times Online Retrieved November 9, 2016, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/SEA-01-140313.html 39 from CogitAsia Staff (2015) Memories Japan-Philippine Alliance: CogitAsia Retrieved Transcending Historical November 9, 2016, from http://cogitasia.com/japan-philippine-alliance-transcending-historicalmemories/ Dovidio, J F., Hewstone, M., Glick, P., & Esses, V M (2010) Prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination: theoretical and empirical overview The SAGE handbook of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination, 3-29 Fiske, S T (2000) Stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination at the seam between the centuries: Evolution, culture, mind, and brain European Journal of Social Psychology, 30(3), 299-322 Fujiwara, K & Nagano, Y (2011 – Editor) America’s Informal Empire: Philippines and Japan Singapore: NUS Press Gilbert, G M (1951) Stereotype persistence and change among college students The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 46(2), 245 Grundmeyer, T A (2012) A qualitative study of the perceptions of first year college students regarding technology and college readiness Gudykunst, W B (1998) Bridging Differences: Effective Intergroup Communication California: SAGE publication, Inc Hamilton, D., Sherman, S., & Ruvolo, C (1992) Stereotype based expectancies In W B Gydykunst & Y Y Kim (Eds.), Readings on communicating with strangers New York: McGraw-Hill Kesavan, K V (1973) The Attitude of the Philippines Towards the Japanese Peace Treaty International Studies, 12(2), 222-250 Kim, A., & Yeeh, C J (2002) Stereotypes of Asian American Students ERIC Digest 40 Levick, J (2005) Japan in the US Press: Bias and Stereotypes Japan Digest, July Madon, S., Guyll, M., Aboufadel, K., Montiel, E., Smith, A., Palumbo, P., & Jussim, L (2001) Ethnic and national stereotypes: The Princeton trilogy revisited and revised Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27(8), 996-1010 Madon, S., Guyll, M., Aboufadel, K., Montiel, E., Smith, A., Palumbo, P., & Jussim, L (2001) Ethnic and national stereotypes: The Princeton trilogy revisited and revised Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27(8), 996-1010 Republic of the Philippines (2015) Foreign Trade Statistics of the Philippines: 2014 Philippines Statistics Authority Retrieved November 9, 2016, from https://psa.gov.ph/content/foreign-trade-statistics-philippines-2014 Ruble, R A., & Zhang, Y B (2013) Stereotypes of Chinese international students held by Americans International Journal of Intercultural Relations,37(2), 202211 Soutar, G N., Grainger, R., & Hedges, P (1999) Australian and Japanese value stereotypes: A two country study Journal of International Business Studies, 30(1), 203-216 Sue, S., & Kitano, H H (1973) Stereotypes as a measure of success Journal of Social Issues, 29(2), 83-98 Tajfel, H (1981) Social stereotypes and social groups In J Turner & H Giles (Eds.), Intergroup behavior Chicago: University of Chicago Press Vassiliou, V., Triandis, H.C., Vassiliou, G., & McGuire, H (1972) In H.C Triandis Analysis of subjective culture New York: John Wiley West, R & Turner, L H (2006) Understanding Interpersonal Communication China: Thomson Learrning, Inc 41 Yee, A H (1992) Asians as stereotypes and students: Misperceptions that persist Educational Psychology Review, 4(1), 95-132 Yu-Jose, L N., & Ikehata, S (2003) Philippines-Japan Relations Philippines: Ateneo De Manila University Press Yu-Rivera, H (2009) A Satire of Two Nations: Exploring Images of the Japanese in Philippine Political Cartoons University of the Philippines Press Yzerbyt, V Y., Schadron, G., Leyens, J P., & Rocher, S (1994) Social judgeability: The impact of meta-informational cues on the use of stereotypes Journal of Personality and Social psychology, 66(1), 48 42 APPENDICES APPENDIX A Paper survey (For step of the data collection procedure) Stereotypes of Japanese international students Hello, I am Nguyen Phuong Anh, a fourth-year student at University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi As part of my graduation assessment, I am currently carrying out a research for my thesis, regarding stereotypes of Japanese international students The overall goal of this project is to explore Filipino students’ perception of Japanese counterparts studying in the Philippines Thus, I would be grateful if you could spare a few minutes of your time with this survey Please be assured that all the information you provide will be kept anonymous and confidential Your email is asked in case further details/clarifications are needed If you have any questions later on, you may reach me by email at npa21.uliser@gmail.com Thank you very much for your participation! Survey question: Can you please list down all the traits/characteristics you can think of to describe a typical Japanese international student? You can describe the traits using adjectives or short descriptions with phrases (space for traits listing) 43 APPENDIX B Online survey (for step of the data collection procedure) Stereotypes of Japanese international students Hello, I am Nguyen Phuong Anh, a fourth-year student at University of Languages and International Studies - Vietnam National University, Hanoi As part of my graduation assessment, I am currently carrying out a research for my thesis, regarding stereotypes of Japanese international students The overall goal of this project is to explore Filipino students’ perception of Japanese counterparts studying in the Philippines Thus, I would be grateful if you could spare about 5-8 of your time to fill in this survey Please be assured that all the information you provide will be kept anonymous and confidential Your email is asked in case further details/clarifications are needed If you have any questions later on, you may reach me by email at npa21.uliser@gmail.com Thank you very much for your participation! *Note: The traits listed for evaluation below were gathered from the first phase of the data collection process This survey is conducted as part of the second phase Your email * Your age * Your gender * o Male o Female The number of Japanese international students you have known or made friends with * 44 o Fewer than o and above Perceptions about Japanese international students On the scale from to 5: Extremely unlikely Unlikely Neutral Likely Extremely likely Please rate the likelihood of the list below To what extent you think each of these traits is likely to be true of Japanese international students? * Appearance-oriented Calm/Restrained Considerate/Caring Cute/Lovely Eco-friendly/Nature-lovers Emotional/Sensitive Fake/Two-faced Fashionable/Stylish Friendly/Smiley Group-oriented/Passive Hard-working/Industrious Health worriers/Care much about health Individualistic/Independent Kind/Benevolent Love parties/Fun-loving Naive/Childlike Nationalistic/Chauvinistic Not good at English Open-minded/Tolerant Optimistic/Cheerful Passionate/Enthusiastic 45 Patient/Enduring Persistent/Determined Polite/Well-mannered Reliable/Trustworthy Reserved/Introvert Self-centered/Egotistic Smart/Clever Youthful/Young-looking 46 APPENDIX C Letter to the Officer-in-charge of Acacia Residence Hall in requirement of the number of international students in the dormitory November 10,2016 Acacia Residence Hall, UP Diliman Dear Ms Maricel Loudres E Rodriguez Officer-In-Charge My name is Nguyen Phuong Anh, a Vietnamese exchange student in UP Diliman, who is currently an ACACIA residence In this semester, I am working on a graduation thesis which will later be assessed by my home university – Vietnam National University, and the topic I choose is “Stereotypes of Japanese students held by Filipino students” Thus, I am writing this letter to ask if it is possible for me to get from you some information about international students in ACACIA Residence Hall, regarding the total number and the percentage/number of each nationality group From the statistics, I would be able to include a better background and state appropriate reasons for my proposal If you have any information related to international students in UP Diliman and you find it alright to be shared, that will be a great help to me Thank you in advance for you time and consideration Yours sincerely, Nguyen Phuong Anh 47 APPENDIX D Email to the Office of International Linkages – UP Diliman in requirement of the number of international students on campus To: Oild RCE UP Diliman Sent: 27/11/2016 Dear Mr Jeffrey, This is Nguyen Phuong Anh - UP exchange student who is staying in Acacia residence hall I would like to ask if it is possible for me to have some information from you, regarding the number of international students in UP Diliman at this time I am currently working on my graduation thesis, which is about stereotypes of Japanese international students in UP Diliman Thus, I will really appreciate if I can receive some details about the number of international students in general and Japanese students to be specific, who are studying in UP Diliman this academic year If you find it possible, please kindly inform me Thank you very much! I am looking forward to your reply Yours sincerely, Nguyen Phuong Anh 48 APPENDIX E List of major interview questions (These are the main questions to give to the respondents The smaller changeable follow-up questions were also asked, depending on the answers of the respondents) You chose “5” when it came to “…” (the name of the trait) Can you explain how come did you choose that? Can you give an example for the Japanese international being “…” (the name of the trait)? Do you think this trait is positive or negative? Why you think so? 49 ... QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮ KHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH KHOÁ LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP ĐỊNH KIẾN CỦA SINH VIÊN PHILIPPINES VỀ SINH VIÊN QUỐC TẾ NHẬT BẢN Giáo viên hướng dẫn: Lại Thị Thanh Vân Sinh. .. the Philippines (2015) Foreign Trade Statistics of the Philippines: 2014 Philippines Statistics Authority Retrieved November 9, 2016, from https://psa.gov.ph/content/foreign-trade-statistics -philippines- 2014... The Dynamics of Philippines- Japan Economic Cooperation: The Case of Japan's ODA in the Philippines Philippine Institute for Development Studies Cesar, J & Trajano (2013) Japan and Philippines Align