Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education - Volume 9, Issue 1, 2024

With a well-established bedrock of literature exploring the benefits of study abroad (SA) in second/foreign/additional language learning contexts (e.g., Anderson et al., 2006; Smith & Mitry, 2008; Williams, 2005), Spanish as a heritage language scholars have only recently begun to explore SA settings (e.g., Pozzi et al., 2021; Quan et al., 2018; Shively, 2018). This short-term longitudinal multiple case study examines the experiences of four Mexican American college students during a SA program in Mexico, their heritage country, and their interplay with their evolving identities. We draw from social identity theory concepts and tools (e.g., Bucholtz & Hall, 2005; Hogg & Abrams, 1988) to compare the students’ individual expectations, experiences, and outcomes of participating in the program. Data were collected using personal reflections and individual interviews at three stages (prior to, during, and after completing the program). Results reveal general positive experiences at the superficial level, with changes in each individual’s ethnic identification, supporting the need to further examine individual differences in future SA research. Finally, drawing from these findings, we make recommendations to prepare students, host families, and instructors to engage practices that will aid in SA program success.

While research on second language (L2) vocabulary development after a study abroad (SA) experience has been largely investigated, findings are still not clear-cut because of the multifaceted nature of vocabulary and the different methodologies used when investigating its growth. For this reason, the aim of the present study was to elucidate the link between SA and lexical development. A multilevel meta-analysis including 25 studies was conducted to examine the extent to which overall, receptive vocabulary (RV) and productive vocabulary (PV) are impacted by a SA experience. A second objective was to determine whether length of stay (LoS) in the target country has an effect on L2 vocabulary development. Results showed that international stays have a significantly large impact on RV and overall vocabulary and a significantly moderate impact on PV. The analysis also showed that LoS alone cannot be used as a predictor of gains in the students’ L2 vocabulary.

This study provides greater understanding of the student characteristics and practices that affect the success of a study abroad experience as evidenced by students’ adjustment. Two personal characteristics of students, grit and cultural intelligence (CQ), and one learning behavior, reflective thinking, were investigated. The study was conducted among undergraduate students from the United States participating in study abroad semester programs with 309 matched/completed surveys returned. Results show that grit, entailing consistency of interest and perseverance of effort, has a positive effect on student adjustment when abroad. Also, three of the four dimensions of CQ (metacognitive, cognitive, and motivational) positively influenced study abroad; however, behavioral CQ did not have a significant effect. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that reflection and critical reflection have a positive impact on students’ adjustment when abroad. These results can inform the design of study abroad orientation programs to better facilitate cultural adjustment.

This study explored the beliefs about English language learning demonstrated by Korean-speaking college students while sojourning in the United States. Adopting a contextual approach to learner beliefs, the study further examined the nature of changes in sojourners’ beliefs and what aspects of study abroad were related to such changes. To this end, the study drew on the participants’ accounts of their second language (L2) experiences in connection with different aspects of study abroad through episodic narrative interviews. A thematic analysis of the interview data suggests that sojourners’ beliefs about language learning are reminiscent of societal ideological structures and school or familial influences. During the sojourn, learner beliefs about L2 learning were reshaped by interactions with co-nationals and members of the host community as micro-level resources situated in the meso-level host program. Sojourners further demonstrated changes in their broad perspectives on what constitutes an in situ form of bilingualism in the sending and host countries.

This longitudinal mixed methods study followed 16 U.S.-affiliated learners of French in Paris. After merging monthly social network and weekly smartphone usage reports, K-means clusters analysis revealed significant differences between (1) learners displaying attachment to versus detachment from their friends and family at home, and (2) smartphone usage profiles – spectators versus communicators and explorers. Triangulation with pre-/during-/post-study abroad in-depth interviews allowed identification of what was most instrumental for participants’ interactions in the target language and intercultural gains: geolocation applications on their phones and living with host families. The electronic umbilical cord hypothesized to exist for those displaying attachment was in fact not a detrimental force – quite the opposite. Instead, the way participants had (detrimentally) taken their home with them to Paris was by being visited by friends and family, by often interacting with U.S. students on site, and by frequently consuming English-speaking audiovisual content on their phones.