Japanese Graduate Students’ Experiences in Online International Development and Peace Through Sport Courses Using English-Medium Instruction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate five Japanese graduate (master's level) students’ experiences in online courses in international development and peace through sport that used English as the medium of instruction. The study was situated in the framework of andragogy theory and used a descriptive-qualitative design using an in-depth, semistructured interview approach using online oral and written interviews. Three emergent themes were established. These recurrent themes were (a) learning online specialized content using English as a second language, (b) students’ struggles in group projects through online education, and (c) students’ opinions about the improvement of online education. To better support Japanese graduate students’ online learning, this study encourages academic departments, administrators, and faculty to better design appropriate courses and online activities. This will contribute to a greater appreciation for the richness of sports development and peace and to increasing the availability of meaningful academic and social experiences for graduate students at Japanese universities.