Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education - Volume 1, Issue 1, 2016

Second language acquisition scholars have long recognized that language attitudes and motivation can play a critical role in second language (L2) learning, leading to variations in willingness to communicate (WTC) and initiate interactions in that language. This paper reports on the pre-sojourn phase of a mixed-method study that investigated the language and intercultural learning of 149 Chinese students from a Hong Kong university who participated in a semester-long exchange program in an English-speaking country. By way of a questionnaire survey, document analysis (e.g., study plans), and in-depth interviews, the first phase examined their pre-sojourn language use, attitudes, and motivation, as well as their aims, expectations, and concerns about their impending study and residence in the host environment. Studies of this nature are essential to provide direction for pre-sojourn orientations and other interventions that can support and optimize the language enhancement and intercultural engagement of outgoing L2 international exchange students.

The study abroad home stay is often credited with particular value for language and culture learning. While living with host families, students are believed to observe and to participate in a wide range of everyday practices while upgrading their language proficiency and intercultural awareness. However, in quantitative studies of college-aged students abroad, the putative home stay advantage has been notoriously difficult to prove, perhaps in part because these students are interpreted by all parties (including themselves) as relatively independent young adults whose goals need not align with those of their hosts. Research examining the experiences of high school students has to date relied largely on self-report data suggesting that younger students are likely to be received as temporary family members, although this reception does not guarantee a productive language-learning environment. Based on field notes, audio recordings of conversational interactions, and interviews with both students and host family members, in this article we present three case studies, grounded in sociocultural theory and illustrating a range of experiences in a short-term summer homestay immersion program for American high school students in China. Our findings suggest that relatively advanced initial proficiency offers many advantages for interaction with hosts, but that students with modest initial proficiency can also develop warm and cordial relationships in the homestay if all parties are so predisposed. The inclusion of host family perspectives, heretofore relatively rare in the literature, also permits consideration of the homestay as a context for learning for all parties.

This study investigated the vocabulary strategies of n = 241 mixed-L1, adult study abroad learners of English in informal (i.e. out-of-class) second language (L2) contact. A questionnaire determined the extent to which the sample identified with 28 vocabulary strategies. The Opportunities With Language Simulator, an innovative research tool comprising computer simulations of informal L2 contact scenarios, was used as a stimulus in semi-structured interviews with a subsample of n = 36 participants. The questionnaire data revealed that the strategies most identified with pertained to the use of new words/phrases. These strategies were applicable in multiple scenarios and available to a range of different learners. The interview data exposed a wealth of contextual factors (e.g. physical setting) and learner-specific features (e.g.) perceptions of the L2 culture) that influenced whether/how vocabulary strategies were employed. A conceptual model of influencing factors on strategic behavior in informal L2 contact is posited, and recommendations made for future research.

This study examines the impact of learning context on the L2 pronunciation of 14 Catalan/Spanish-speaking children. Eight children engaged in a two-month study abroad (SA) experience, whereas six students learned English (L2) in their home school. The participants were asked to describe a picture at three data collection times, namely prior to the SA group’s departure to Ireland, immediately after they returned from their stay abroad, and a further year later again. The excerpts were presented to a group of 11 native speakers of English who rated the degree of foreign accent. Results indicate that for the SA group, the difference between the pre- and post-tests was significant, and approaching significance between the pre- and delayed post-tests. For the at-home group of learners, no significant difference was found.

This study utilizes a mixed-methods approach to investigate personality changes of British undergraduate students who spent their third year abroad in a French or Spanish-speaking country. Personality changes were measured quantitatively using the Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ, Van der Zee & Van Oudenhoven, 2000; 2001), administered twice: pre-departure and after returning to their home university. A reflective interview was also conducted at the end of their stay abroad and analysed qualitatively to investigate whether students noted any personality changes. The MPQ results demonstrate statistically significant changes over time on the Emotional Stability factor only. These results are supported by the reflective interviews as 77% of participants mentioned feeling more confident and independent after residence abroad. Based on these findings, residence abroad appears to be an example of a type of social investment with the potential to positively affect the emotional stability of university students undertaking the experience as temporary sojourners.