青年海外協力隊員の異文化適応 : シリアおよびザンビア滞在を事例として 【調査報告】

The Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) are members of a project that the JICA designed and orga-nizes to provide national aids to technologically developing countries. This study attempted to analyze culturalexperiences of JOCV who were sojouring in Syria and Zambia in 2001. Specifically, the purpose of research wastwofold: 1) To examine whether or not there were, if any, difficulties or problems that JOCV experienced during thesojourn, and 2) how their experiences changed while they stayed in the countries. A questionnaire was adminis-tered over 104 JOCV from August to October, 2001, and 60 completed ones were returned (the response rate:57.7%). A major finding was that the longer they sojourned in Syria and Zambia, the better they had adjusted them-selves to the environments. Data also indicated that the JOCV experienced physical, psychological, and socio-cul-tural problems, although they had positive experiences simultaneously. Further, results show that a small number ofparticipants expressed their hostility against the sojourning countries and even one described his/her desire to com-mit suicide in the earlier period of the stay. Findings support previous studies (e.g., Furnham & Bochner, 1986) thatassert cross-cultural adaptation is a process of cultural learning which contains both positive and negative experi-ences. Also, the authors suggest that further examination of the current supporting system is necessary.