With Globalization continuing at an ever-increasing pace, the government and universities in Japan are striving to find ways to foster cross- cultural communication in Japanese students. Therefore, many universities offer students the opportunity to participate in Study abroad (SA) programs, hoping that participation will cultivate internationalized human resources. Yet, there remains little research on the efficacy of SA programs with regards to Japanese students, especially after they return to Japan. This presentation proposes a study to explore how participation in an SA program affects Japanese students’ linguistic ability, and if improved linguistic ability affects attitudes towards cross-cultural communication and internationalization. The presentation proposes a sequential exploratory mixed method design consisting of pre-and post-departure qualitative interviews, and quantitative language tests. Through the use of a mixed methods research design, it is hoped that the proposed study methodology can be used by researchers to gain a greater insight into the student’s lived experiences, while also generating quantifiable test data.