The impact of semester-abroad experiences on post-sojourn L2 motivation
PDF

Keywords

L2 motivation
L2 learning experience in study abroad
post-sojourn phase
critical reflection

How to Cite

Du, X. (2019). The impact of semester-abroad experiences on post-sojourn L2 motivation. Studies in Second Language Learning and Teaching, 9(1), 117–155. https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2019.9.1.6

Number of views: 1038


Number of downloads: 822

Abstract

Numerous studies have examined sojourners’ L2 motivation during their stay abroad. Much remains unknown about the impact of study abroad (SA) experiences on their L2 motivation after they return to the home environment. This study tracked the English learning motivation of three Chinese university students from immediately after their semester-long exchange program in an English-speaking country until six months after the sojourn. The participants were requested to complete a questionnaire and took part in an interview immediately following their re-entry and another interview six months later. The participants’ post-sojourn English learning motivation was influenced by their L2 selves and the context they were situated in. The motivational capacity of SA experiences was manifested in its profound impact on the participants’ ideal L2 self-images. Satisfactory SA experiences contributed to an ideal L2 self with higher L2 proficiency and international posture, whereas unsatisfactory experiences led to a lessening role of L2 in the participants’ future work and life. The findings also reveal that the participants’ understandings of both their positive and negative SA experiences became fossilized after the sojourn. Some practical implications were discussed for higher education institutions to optimize the post-sojourn motivational impact of SA programs.
https://doi.org/10.14746/ssllt.2019.9.1.6
PDF

References

Al-Shehri, A. S. (2009). Motivation and vision: The relationship between the ideal self, imagination and visual style. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 164-171). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Allen, H. W. (2010). Language-learning motivation during short-term study abroad: An activity theory perspective. Foreign Language Annals, 43(1), 27-49. http://doi.org/10.1111/j.1944-9720.2010.01058.x

Bazeley, P., & Jackson, K. (2013). Qualitative data analysis with NVivo (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Bennett, M. J. (2012). Paradigmatic assumptions and a developmental approach to intercultural learning. In M. Vande Berg, R. M. Paige, & K. H. Lou (Eds.), Student learning abroad: What our students are learning, what they’re not, and what we can do about it (pp. 90-114). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.

Bolton, K. (2011). Language policy and planning in Hong Kong: Colonial and post-colonial perspectives. In W. Li (Ed.), Applied Linguistics Review (Vol. 2, pp. 51-71). Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter Mouton.

Campbell, E., & Storch, N. (2011). The changing face of motivation: A study of second language learners' motivation over time. Australian Review of Applied Linguistics, 34(2), 166-192. http://doi.org/0.1075/aral.34.2.03cam

Campbell, R. (2015). Life post-study abroad for the Japanese language learner: Social networks, interaction and language usage. In R. Mitchell, N. Tracy-Ventura, & K. McManus (Eds.), Social interaction, identity and language learning during residence abroad (pp. 241-262). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Eurosla.

Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Coleman, J. A. (2013). Researching whole people and whole lives. In C. Kinginger (Ed.), Social and cultural aspects of language learning in study abroad (pp. 17-44). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins.

Collentine, J. (2009). Study abroad research: Findings, implications, and future directions. In M. H. Long & C. J. Doughty (Eds.), The handbook of language teaching (pp. 218-233). Chichester, UK: John Wiley and Sons.

Collentine, J., & Freed, B. F. (2004). Learning context and its effects on second language acquisition: Introduction. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 26(02), 153-171. http://doi.org/10.10170S0272263104062011

Csizér, K., & Kormos, J. (2009). Learning experiences, selves and motivated learning behaviour: A comparative analysis of structural models for Hungarian secondary and university learners of English. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 98-119). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Dörnyei, Z. (2001). New themes and approaches in second language motivation research. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 21(1), 43-59. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190501000034

Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

Dörnyei, Z. (2009). The L2 Motivational Self System. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 9-42). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Dörnyei, Z., & Chan, L. (2013). Motivation and vision: An analysis of future L2 self images, sensory styles, and imagery capacity across two target languages. Language Learning, 63(3), 437-462. http://doi.org/10.1111/lang.12005

Dörnyei, Z., & Ushioda, E. (2011). Teaching and researching motivation (2nd ed.). Harlow, UK: Pearson Education.

DuFon, M. A., & Churchill, E. (2006). Language learners in study abroad contexts. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Du, X., & Jackson, J. (2018). From EFL to EMI: The evolving English learning motivation of Mainland Chinese students in a Hong Kong University. System, 76, 158-169. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2018.05.011

Educational Testing Service. (2010). Linking TOEFL IBT scores to IELTS scores – A research report. Retrieved from https://www.ets.org/s/toefl/pdf/linking_toefl_ibt_scores_to_ielts_scores.pdf

Franklin, K. (2010). Long-term career impact and professional applicability of the study abroad experience. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 19, 169-190.

Gardner, R. C., & Lambert, W. E. (1972). Attitudes and motivation in second language learning. Rowley, MA: Newbury House.

Gaw, K. F. (2000). Reverse culture shock in students returning from overseas. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 24(1), 83-104. http://doi.org/10.1016/S0147-1767(99)00024-3

Hessel, G. (2015). From vision to action: Inquiring into the conditions for the motivational capacity of ideal second language selves. System, 52, 103-114. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2015.05.008

Irie, K., & Brewster, D. R. (2013). One curriculum, three stories: Ideal L2 self and L2-self-discrepancy profiles. In M. T. Apple, D. Da Silver, & T. Fellner (Eds.), Language learning motivation in Japan (pp. 110-128). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Irie, K., & Ryan, S. (2015). Study abroad and the dynamics of change in learner L2 self-concept. In Z. Dörnyei, P. MacIntyre, & A. Henry (Eds.), Motivational dynamics in language learning (pp. 343-366). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Isabelli-García, C. (2006). Study abroad social networks, motivation and attitudes: Implications for second language acquisition. In E. Churchill & M. A. DuFon (Eds.), Language learners in study abroad contexts (pp. 231-258). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.

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

Jackson, J. (2015a). Becoming interculturally competent: Theory to practice in international education. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 48, 91-107. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijintrel.2015.03.012

Jackson, J. (2015b). Preparing students for the global workplace: The impact of a semester abroad. Language and Intercultural Communication, 15(1), 76-91. http://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2014.985307

Jackson, J. (2017). Intervening in the intercultural learning of L2 study abroad students: From research to practice. Language Teaching, 1-18. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444816000392

Kinginger, C. (2009). Language learning and study abroad: A critical reading of research. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

Kinginger, C. (2011). Enhancing language learning in study abroad. Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 31, 58-73. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0267190511000031

Kohonen, V., Jaatinen, R., Kaikkonen, P., & Lehtovaara, J. (2014). Experiential learning in foreign language education. New York, NY: Routledge.

Kormos, J., Csizér, K., & Iwaniec, J. (2014). A mixed-method study of language-learning motivation and intercultural contact of international students. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 35(2), 151-166. http://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2013.847940

Lafford, B. (2013). The next frontier: A research agenda for exploring experiential language learning in international and domestic contexts. In J. C. Amaro, G. Lord, A. de Prada Pérez, & J. E. Aaron (Eds.), Selected proceedings of the 16th Hispanic linguistics symposium (pp. 80-102). Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project.

Li, Q. (2017). Changes in the motivation of Chinese ESL learners: A qualitative investigation. English Language Teaching, 10(1), 112-122. http://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v10n1p112

Magnan, S. S., & Lafford, B. A. (2012). Learning through immersion during study abroad. In S. M. Gass & A. Mackey (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of second language acquisition (pp. 525-540). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.

Mezirow, J. (1991). Transformative dimensions of adult learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Oyserman, D., Bybee, D., Terry, K., & Hart-Johnson, T. (2004). Possible selves as roadmaps. Journal of Research in Personality, 38(2), 130-149. "http://doi.org/10.1016/S0092-6566(03)00057-6"

Pagano, M., & Roselle, L. (2009). Beyond reflection through an academic lens: Refraction and international experiential education. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 18, 217-229.

Piniel, K., & Csizér, K. (2015). Changes in motivation, anxiety and self-efficacy during the course of an academic writing seminar. In Z. Dörnyei, P. MacIntyre, & A. Henry (Eds.), Motivational dynamics in language learning (pp. 164-194). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Saldaña, J. (2016). The coding manual for qualitative researchers. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

Savicki, V., & Price, M. V. (2017). Components of reflection: A longitudinal analysis of study abroad student blog posts. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 29(2), 51-62.

Serrano, R., Tragant, E., & Llanes, A. (2012). A longitudinal analysis of the effects of one year abroad. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 68(2), 138-163. http://doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.68.2.138

Steinwidder, S. (2016). EFL learners’ post-sojourn perceptions of the effects of study abroad. Comparative and International Education, 45(2), 1-20.

Taguchi, N. (2016). Contexts and pragmatics learning: Problems and opportunities of the study abroad research. Language Teaching, 1-14. http://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444815000440

Taguchi, T., Magid, M., & Papi, M. (2009). The L2 Motivational Self System among Japanese, Chinese and Iranian learners of English: A comparative study. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 66-97). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Trenchs-Parera, M., & Juan-Garau, M. (2014). A longitudinal study of learners’ motivation and beliefs in at home and study abroad contexts. In C. Pérez-Vidal (Ed.), Language acquisition in study abroad and formal instruction contexts (pp. 259-282). Amsterdam, The Netherlands: John Benjamins.

Ushioda, E. (2009). A person-in-context relational view of emergent motivation, self and identity. In Z. Dörrnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 215-228). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Waninge, F., Dörnyei, Z., & Bot, K. D. (2014). Motivational dynamics in language learning: Change, stability, and context. Modern Language Journal, 98(3), 704-723. http://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12118

Wilson, J., Brain, R., Brown, E., Gaind, L., Radan, K., & Redmond, J. (2016). Interdisciplinary study abroad as experiential learning. Comparative and International Education, 45(2), 1-17.

Yashima, T. (2009). International posture and the ideal L2 self in the Japanese EFL context. In Z. Dörnyei & E. Ushioda (Eds.), Motivation, language identity and the L2 self (pp. 144-163). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods (5th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.

You, C. J., & Chan, L. (2015). The dynamics of L2 imagery in future motivational self-guides. In Z. Dörnyei, P. MacIntyre, & A. Henry (Eds.), Motivational dynamics in language learning (pp. 397-418). Bristol, UK: Multilingual Matters.

Young, G. E. (2014). Reentry: Supporting students in the final stage of study abroad. New Directions for Student Services, 2014(146), 59-67. http://doi.org/10.1002/ss.20091

Zull, J. E. (2012). The brain, learning, and study abroad. In M. Vande Berg, R. M. Paige, & K. H. Lou (Eds.), Student learning abroad: What our students are learning, what they’re not, and what we can do about it (pp. 162-187). Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing.