How do international faculty at Japanese universities view their integration?

The purpose of this study is to explore how international faculty at Japanese universities view their integration. An exploratory study of semi-structural interviews with 40 full-time international faculty hired in Japanese universities with various backgrounds was conducted. Drawing on a cognitive, affective, and behaviour model, the key findings of this study suggest that from the perspectives of international faculty, cognitively their integration refers to a two-way process engaging the efforts from both international faculty and their host country-Japan, displaying in work, social-cultural and psychological dimensions. Effectively, their integration can deliver numerous benefits from various aspects in professional, personal, and intercultural domains. Despite the perceived value and benefits of integration, the practical attitudes that determine their behaviours towards integration appear to be varied, influenced by both intrinsic factors from themselves and extrinsic factors from their host country. Based on their attitudes toward integration, three broad categories of international faculty have been identified in this study, namely, positive actors, neutral actors, and negative actors. Theoretical and practical implications drawn from the key findings are provided to not only better understand the integration of international faculty at Japanese universities, but also to better serve and support them in practice.

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