Japanese Online Distance Education:Learners Perspectives

Cross-border educational contacts facilitated by online distance education are becoming increasingly common, and there is a need for greater understanding of the perspectives of non-western students in order to avoid projecting false stereotypes onto them or ignoring important differences. This mixed methods questionnaire study (N=424) was designed to develop a comprehensive description of the opinions and learning preferences of a group of learners where knowledge is lacking: Japanese online distance learners. In addition, this study provides background information on Japanese higher education and Japanese distance learning, and reviews the available research on Japanese learners. There is also discussion of distance learning concepts and theories, e.g. Interaction and Transactional Distance, instrumental in the questionnaire design process. Those with interests in Japan, Japanese Education and Distance Learning will appreciate reading this study.