Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education - Volume 10, Issue 2, 2025

In this article, we reflect on how stay-abroad data and research have contributed to the field of second language acquisition and on what form future contributions could take. To do so, we use a recent model of second-language interaction (Geeslin, 2020, 2023) as a framework, focusing on two components of the model: learner characteristics (i.e., gender, identity) that shape language use and input available to learners. For each component, we reference empirical research on sociolinguistic and phraseological development in stay-abroad contexts to formulate six testable hypotheses. We show how these hypotheses may fruitfully guide future research, with the goal of refining this model of second-language interaction and informing theory building within the field of second language acquisition more generally.

This article draws on a larger research project investigating Swiss adolescents’ study abroad (SA) experiences and offers a detailed case study centered on the social integration of a 16-year-old student, Lily, during her year in England. A highly sociable individual and a skilled basketball player, Lily’s narrative sheds light on the intricate challenges associated with social integration during a SA program, revealing complex power dynamics among teenage high school students, with bullying emerging as a poignant manifestation. It challenges the prevailing discourse that often idealizes language learning during immersion as a straightforward and enjoyable process within a friendly and supportive host environment. Instead, it delves into the sensitive issue of adolescents abroad facing instances of bullying. Communities of practice and othering provide valuable insights into the unfriendly attitudes exhibited by the hosts and Lily’s defensive response, contributing to a nuanced understanding of the dynamics at play during adolescent SA experiences.

This study investigated the experiences of 24 international students from eight countries studying Arabic as a second language at a university in the Occupied Palestinian territories. Five native Arabic instructors who taught the students were also interviewed. The study attempted to answer the following research question: what challenges in communication did Arabic as a foreign language learners report when using Palestinian colloquial Arabic (ammya) with Palestinians (locals) outside of the university classroom? Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and analyzed using qualitative thematic analysis. Findings show that students preferred using ammya to communicate with locals, that locals were willing to speak ammya, and that effective communication requires increased cultural awareness. Implications for Arabic study abroad second language learning programs are provided.

This study explores how study-abroad learners perceive and interpret gaps in their L2 pragmatic knowledge. While previous research focuses on pragmatic development in specific speech acts or pragmatic phenomena, this research adopts a learner-centered approach, emphasizing pragmatic challenges noticed by learners themselves during naturalistic interactions. Data were collected through learning journals and interviews with five Chinese students studying in the United Kingdom over one academic year. Results reveal that learners predominantly notice pragmatic gaps in three scenarios: (1) encountering unfamiliar sociopragmatic and pragmalinguistic features, (2) experiencing difficulties in negotiating social or moral meanings, and (3) receiving implicit feedback from interlocutors regarding their pragmatic choices. Pragmatic awareness was particularly triggered in rapport-sensitive interactions with tutors and non-transactional conversations like small talk. While noticing sometimes led to metapragmatic reflection, learners often overgeneralized or misinterpreted sociopragmatic norms. The findings highlight the need for specialized pragmatics instruction in ESL/EFL contexts to support SA students.