ABSTRACT
A two-week volunteer project involving collaborative activities with local Vietnamese students was organised in partnership with a Japanese NGO and a local Vietnamese volunteer organization, in order to improve Japanese students' intercultural competence. A goal of this project was to improve Japanese students' intercultural attitudes, knowledge, and skills that support effective and appropriate interactions with host nationals. In order to improve their intercultural attitude and openness, they were expected to initiate and develop interactions with Vietnamese students. This programme included three crucial elements: cultural immersion, guided reflection, and contact reciprocity. Assessments of intercultural competence consisted of quantitative and qualitative elements. Quantitative questionnaires included the Cross-Cultural Adaptability Inventory (CCAI) and Willingness to Communicate Scale, and perceived English proficiency in five areas namely, speaking, listening, writing, and vocabulary before and after the project. Qualitative data collected during the sojourn included student diaries, transcriptions of several reflection meetings, and interviews with selected students.
