Academic and linguistic gains during a semester-long study abroad: A cohort case study
PDF

Keywords

gain
exchange program
academic
linguistic

How to Cite

Cai, W., Li, X., & Liu, M. (2013). Academic and linguistic gains during a semester-long study abroad: A cohort case study. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 3(4), 505–522. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2013.3.4.4

Number of views: 464


Number of downloads: 359

Abstract

The present case study investigated university students’ academic and linguistic gains during a semester-long exchange program abroad. Thirty three third-year English majors from a Chinese university answered a battery of questionnaires and 13 of them participated in semi-structured interviews both prior to and after the program. Analyses of the data showed that the participants gained greatly from the exchange program both academically and linguistically. Based on the findings, some implications about exchange programs are discussed.
https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2013.3.4.4
PDF

References

Allen, H. W., & Herron, C. (2003). A mixed-methodology investigation of the linguistic and affective outcomes of summer study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 36(3), 370-385.

Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory. London: Sage.

DeKeyser, R. (2007). Study abroad as foreign language practice. In R. DeKeyser (Ed.), Practice in a second language: perspectives from applied linguistics and cognitive psychology (pp. 208-226). New York: Cambridge University Press.

Dewaele, J-M., & Regan, V. M. (2002). Maˆitriser la norme sociolinguistique en interlangue francaise: le cas de l’omission variable de ‘ne’. Journal of French Language Studies, 12, 123-148.

Engle, L., & Engle, J. (2004). Assessing language acquisition and intercultural sensitivity development in relation to study abroad program design. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of SA, 10, 219-236.

Hernández, T. A. (2010). The relationship among motivation, interaction, and the development of second language oral proficiency in a study-abroad context. The Modern Language Journal, 94(4), 600-617.

Huebner, T. (1995). The effects of overseas language programs: Report on a case study of an intensive Japanese course. In B. Freed (Ed.), Second language acquisition in a study abroad context (pp. 171-193). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.

Isabelli, C. (2007). Development of the Spanish subjunctive by advanced learners: Study abroad followed by at-home instruction. Foreign Language Annals, 40(2), 330-341.

Isabelli-García, C. (2010). Acquisition of Spanish gender agreement in two learning contexts: Study abroad and at home. Foreign Language Annals, 43(2), 289-303.

Jackson, J. (2008). Language, identity, and study abroad: Sociocultural perspectives. London: Equinox.

Jackson, J. (2010). Habitus, self-identity, and positioning: The multifarious nature of study abroad. Cultus: The Journal of Intercultural Mediation and Communication, 3, 65-78.

Jackson, J. (2011). Cultivating cosmopolitan, intercultural citizenship through critical reflection and international, experiential learning. Language and Intercultural Communication, 11(2), 80-96.

Jackson, J. (2014). Introducing language and intercultural communication. London: Routledge.

Jarvis, H., & Stakounis, H. (2010). Speaking in social contexts: Issues for presessional EAP students. TESL-EJ, 14(3), 1-14.

Jimenez, A. F. (2003). Linguistic and psychological dimensions of second language attrition during and after a study abroad experience (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Pennsylvania State University.

Kinginger, C. (2008). Language learning in study abroad: Case histories of Americans in France. Modern Language Journal, 92, 1-24.

Lafford, B. A. (2010). The effect of the context of learning on the use of communication strategies by learners of Spanish as a second language. SSLA, 26, 201-225.

Lantolf, J. P., & Pavlenko, A. (1995). Sociocultural theory and second language acquisition. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 15, 108-124.

Lindseth, M. U. (2010). The development of oral proficiency during a semester in Germany. Foreign Language Annals, 43(2), 246-268.

Liu, M. (2009). Reticence and anxiety in oral English lessons. Berne: Peter Lang.

Llanes, A., & Muñoz, C. (2009). A short stay abroad: Does it make a difference? System, 37, 353-365.

Lord, G. (2009). Second-language awareness and development during study abroad: A case study. Hispania, 92(1), 127-141.

Magnan, S. S., & Back, M. (2007). Social interaction and linguistic gain during study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 40(1), 43-61.

Martinsen, R. A. (2008). Short-term study abroad: Predicting changes in oral skills. Foreign Language Annals, 43(3), 504-530.

Nagy, B. C. (2008). Linguistic and socio-cultural outcomes of the Au Pair experience in the United Kingdom. Language and Intercultural Communication, 8(3), 172-191.

Nassaji, H., & Swain, M. (2000). A Vygotskian perspective on corrective feedback in L2: The effect of random versus negotiated help on the learning of English articles. Language Awareness, 9(1), 34-51.

Paige, R. M., Cohen, A. D., Kappler, B., Chi, J. C., & Lassegard, J. P. (2006). Maximizing study abroad: A student’s guide to strategies for language and culture learning and use (2nd ed.). Minneapolis: Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition.

Pavlenko, A. (1998). Second language learning by adults: Testimonies of bilingual writers. Issues in Applied Linguistics, 9, 3-19.

Pavlenko, A. (2007). Autobiographic narratives as data in applied linguistics. Applied Linguistics, 28(2), 163-188.

Pelligrino, V. A. (1998). Student perspectives on language learning in a study abroad context. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of SA, 4, 91-120.

Pérez-Vidal, C., & Juan-Garau, M. (2011). The effect of context and input conditions on oral and written development: a study abroad perspective. IRAL, 49, 157-185.

Richards, L. (2009). Handling qualitative data. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Sasaki, M. (2007). Effects of study-abroad experiences on EFL writers: A multiple-data analysis. The Modern Language Journal, 91(4), 602-620.

Segalowitz, N., & Freed, B. F. (2004). Context, contact, and cognition in oral fluency acquisition: Learning Spanish in at home and study abroad contexts. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 26, 173-199.

Serrano, R., Llanes, Á., & Tragant, E. (2011). Analyzing the effect of context of second language learning: Domestic intensive and semi-intensive courses vs. study abroad in Europe. System, 39, 133-143.

Shively, R. L. (2008). Politeness and social interaction in study abroad: Service encounters in L2 Spanish (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). University of Minnesota, Minneapolis/St. Paul, USA.

Shively, R. L. (2010). From the virtual world to the real world: A model of pragmatics instruction for study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 43(1), 105-137.

Smartt, J. T., & Scudder, R. R. (2004). Immersion study abroad in Mexico: Using repair behaviors to assess proficiency changes. Foreign Language Annals, 37(4), 592-599.

Storch, N. (2002). Patterns of interaction in ESL pair work. Language Learning, 52(1), 119-158.

Vygostky, L. S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Wilkinson, S. (1998). On the nature of immersion during study abroad: Some participant perspectives. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of SA, 4, 121-138.

Xia, S. (2009). Are they ready to participate? East Asian students’ acquisition of verbal participation in American classrooms. Issues in Applied Linguistics, 17(2), 137-157.

Yashima, T., & Zenuk-Nishide, L. (2008). The impact of learning contexts on proficiency, attitudes, and L2 communication: Creating an imagined international community. System, 36, 566-585.