Heritage speaker identities have traditionally been a relevant topic of inquiry among scholars of heritage language pedagogy. Nevertheless, there is little research on Spanish heritage language identities in a study abroad context. Additionally, most existing studies on this topic focus on heritage speakers of Mexican descent studying in Mexico (e.g., de Félix & Cavazos Peña, 1992; McLaughlin, 2001; Riegelhaupt & Carrasco, 2000). This study examines heritage language identities in a non-heritage context by exploring the experiences of three heritage speakers of Mexican descent studying in Mendoza, Argentina. By focusing on a non-heritage context, we move away from the presumption that all heritage speakers seek to (re)claim a specific ethnic identity through language study (see Leeman, 2015). Instead, our qualitative analysis illustrates the diverse ways heritage speakers in a non-heritage context construct, contest, and negotiate their identities with respect to linguistic awareness, negotiation between varieties, and perceptions of their abilities.
{"title":"Problematizing heritage language identities","authors":"Rebecca Pozzi, Lina M. Reznicek-Parrado","doi":"10.1075/sar.20004.poz","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.20004.poz","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000Heritage speaker identities have traditionally been a relevant topic of inquiry among scholars of heritage language pedagogy. Nevertheless, there is little research on Spanish heritage language identities in a study abroad context. Additionally, most existing studies on this topic focus on heritage speakers of Mexican descent studying in Mexico (e.g., de Félix & Cavazos Peña, 1992; McLaughlin, 2001; Riegelhaupt & Carrasco, 2000). This study examines heritage language identities in a non-heritage context by exploring the experiences of three heritage speakers of Mexican descent studying in Mendoza, Argentina. By focusing on a non-heritage context, we move away from the presumption that all heritage speakers seek to (re)claim a specific ethnic identity through language study (see Leeman, 2015). Instead, our qualitative analysis illustrates the diverse ways heritage speakers in a non-heritage context construct, contest, and negotiate their identities with respect to linguistic awareness, negotiation between varieties, and perceptions of their abilities.","PeriodicalId":36825,"journal":{"name":"Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48871348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study investigates the impact that a semester-long study abroad program has on the L2 reading and vocabulary development of a group of Catalan/Spanish bilinguals learning English as an L2 (n = 30). Another objective is to determine whether gains in participants’ vocabulary and reading – if any – are related to their initial L2 proficiency and L2 vocabulary level. Participants were administered (1) a reading text, (2) the Updated Vocabulary Levels Test, (3) a written essay, (4) a placement test and (5) an online questionnaire before and after their SA experiences. The results suggest that the sojourn was positive for participants’ reading comprehension, receptive vocabulary and lexical accuracy, but not for reading fluency, lexical fluency, lexical density and lexical sophistication. It was also found that the students’ initial L2 vocabulary and proficiency level were related to gains in receptive vocabulary and reading comprehension.
{"title":"Investigating the impact of a semester-long study abroad program on L2 reading and vocabulary development","authors":"Judith Borràs, Ángels Llanes","doi":"10.1075/sar.21015.bor","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.21015.bor","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000This study investigates the impact that a semester-long study abroad program has on the L2 reading and vocabulary development of a group of Catalan/Spanish bilinguals learning English as an L2 (n = 30). Another objective is to determine whether gains in participants’ vocabulary and reading – if any – are related to their initial L2 proficiency and L2 vocabulary level. Participants were administered (1) a reading text, (2) the Updated Vocabulary Levels Test, (3) a written essay, (4) a placement test and (5) an online questionnaire before and after their SA experiences. The results suggest that the sojourn was positive for participants’ reading comprehension, receptive vocabulary and lexical accuracy, but not for reading fluency, lexical fluency, lexical density and lexical sophistication. It was also found that the students’ initial L2 vocabulary and proficiency level were related to gains in receptive vocabulary and reading comprehension.","PeriodicalId":36825,"journal":{"name":"Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48368538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This mixed-methods study focuses on the effect of Study Abroad (SA) on the mental well-being of 33 Anglophone students who spent between four and twelve months in Francophone countries. It investigates the relationship between well-being and personality traits. Statistical analyses revealed no significant change in well-being between the start, the middle and the end of the SA. A closer look at individual patterns showed large fluctuations, with half of participants scoring higher and the other half scoring lower between the start and the middle of the SA. The narratives of three participants whose well-being scores increased most were not very different from the three participants whose well-being scores decreased most, and only (lower) Emotional Stability was linked with the increase in well-being. At the group level, well-being was not significantly linked to personality traits. The apparent stability of well-being during SA seems to be the result of upward and downward patterns cancelling each other out.
{"title":"Fluctuations in mental well-being during Study Abroad","authors":"Jean–Marc Dewaele, Livia Dewaele","doi":"10.1075/sar.21002.dew","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.21002.dew","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000This mixed-methods study focuses on the effect of Study Abroad (SA) on the mental well-being of 33 Anglophone students who spent between four and twelve months in Francophone countries. It investigates the relationship between well-being and personality traits. Statistical analyses revealed no significant change in well-being between the start, the middle and the end of the SA. A closer look at individual patterns showed large fluctuations, with half of participants scoring higher and the other half scoring lower between the start and the middle of the SA. The narratives of three participants whose well-being scores increased most were not very different from the three participants whose well-being scores decreased most, and only (lower) Emotional Stability was linked with the increase in well-being. At the group level, well-being was not significantly linked to personality traits. The apparent stability of well-being during SA seems to be the result of upward and downward patterns cancelling each other out.","PeriodicalId":36825,"journal":{"name":"Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47072417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Previous research on the benefits of study abroad (SA) has mainly focused on oral communication skills and L2 English, while written communication and other foreign languages have received far less attention. This study addresses this gap by investigating writing development in L2 German. It also aims to further the discussion about methods to assess writing development by combining different types of data. The writing gains of 30 Belgian students in L2 German were investigated after one semester abroad. Pre- and post-SA writing samples were analysed using linguistic and task-related assessment criteria. The results are triangulated with data about self-perceived language gains, on the one hand, and self-reported language contact and social networks during SA, on the other. The results indicate a correlation between self-report writing gains, language contact, and social networks.
{"title":"Writing development during study abroad","authors":"Carola Strobl, Kristof Baten","doi":"10.1075/sar.19015.str","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.19015.str","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Previous research on the benefits of study abroad (SA) has mainly focused on oral communication skills and L2 English,\u0000 while written communication and other foreign languages have received far less attention. This study addresses this gap by investigating\u0000 writing development in L2 German. It also aims to further the discussion about methods to assess writing development by combining different\u0000 types of data. The writing gains of 30 Belgian students in L2 German were investigated after one semester abroad. Pre- and post-SA writing\u0000 samples were analysed using linguistic and task-related assessment criteria. The results are triangulated with data about self-perceived\u0000 language gains, on the one hand, and self-reported language contact and social networks during SA, on the other. The results indicate a\u0000 correlation between self-report writing gains, language contact, and social networks.","PeriodicalId":36825,"journal":{"name":"Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43873503","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Three university students from Japan on a five-week study-abroad program in Australia participated in a case study that investigated the impact of L2 learning experiences on changes in their motivation, especially in relation to development of their ‘Motivational L2 Selves’ as introduced by Dörnyei (2009). The study collected both qualitative and quantitative data in three interviews and weekly learning logs during the program. The results from the learning logs showed an upward trend in the level of motivational intensity as the program proceeded, with the participants’ positive perception of environmental factors. The study confirmed that learner perception of the same motivational factor could vary, and perception can be affected by their prior learning experience and L1 culture. The study, however, failed to provide positive evidence that the study abroad program can help the elaboration of the L2 Self, although the learning experiences in the L2 context enhanced their instrumental motivation.
{"title":"The influence of a study abroad program on Japanese university students’ motivation and the elaboration of motivational L2 selves","authors":"M. Matsumoto","doi":"10.1075/sar.19006.mat","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.19006.mat","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Three university students from Japan on a five-week study-abroad program in Australia participated in a case study\u0000 that investigated the impact of L2 learning experiences on changes in their motivation, especially in relation to development of\u0000 their ‘Motivational L2 Selves’ as introduced by Dörnyei (2009). The study collected\u0000 both qualitative and quantitative data in three interviews and weekly learning logs during the program. The results from the\u0000 learning logs showed an upward trend in the level of motivational intensity as the program proceeded, with the participants’\u0000 positive perception of environmental factors. The study confirmed that learner perception of the same motivational factor could\u0000 vary, and perception can be affected by their prior learning experience and L1 culture. The study, however, failed to provide\u0000 positive evidence that the study abroad program can help the elaboration of the L2 Self, although the learning experiences in the\u0000 L2 context enhanced their instrumental motivation.","PeriodicalId":36825,"journal":{"name":"Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44168160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Study abroad and the Erasmus+ programme in Europe","authors":"A. Devlin","doi":"10.1075/sar.5.1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.5.1","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":36825,"journal":{"name":"Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2020-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45497798","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The study abroad (SA) experience now involves increased learner access via technology to the home (in the L1) and to the host culture (in the L2). L1 technology use could detract from host culture integration and language learning by allowing SA participants to remain immersed in the L1, while L2 technology use could aid in host culture integration by connecting participants to L2 speakers. Given this, it is urgent to determine the nature of the impact of L1 and L2 technology use abroad on motivation, language gains, and host culture integration. In the present study, we analyzed daily technology logs, learner motivation and L2 gains, and guided reflections on host culture engagement and L2 learning goals by eleven US university students studying abroad in Argentina. Motivation and L2 abilities increased significantly, and were positively correlated. Also, L1 and L2 digital contact showed important qualitative relationships with motivation and host culture integration.
{"title":"The digital dilemma","authors":"Aroline E. Seibert Hanson, Melisa Dracos","doi":"10.1075/SAR.18003.SEI","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/SAR.18003.SEI","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The study abroad (SA) experience now involves increased learner\u0000 access via technology to the home (in the L1) and to the host culture (in the\u0000 L2). L1 technology use could detract from host culture integration and language\u0000 learning by allowing SA participants to remain immersed in the L1, while L2\u0000 technology use could aid in host culture integration by connecting participants\u0000 to L2 speakers. Given this, it is urgent to determine the nature of the impact\u0000 of L1 and L2 technology use abroad on motivation, language gains, and host\u0000 culture integration. In the present study, we analyzed daily technology logs,\u0000 learner motivation and L2 gains, and guided reflections on host culture\u0000 engagement and L2 learning goals by eleven US university students studying\u0000 abroad in Argentina. Motivation and L2 abilities increased significantly, and\u0000 were positively correlated. Also, L1 and L2 digital contact showed important\u0000 qualitative relationships with motivation and host culture integration.","PeriodicalId":36825,"journal":{"name":"Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44100975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Most students taking part in Study Abroad (SA) programmes aim to immerse themselves as fully as possible in the target language (TL) country and so improve their TL proficiency, as well as their own personal development towards independent adulthood. From a research perspective, the quality of social networks involving TL speakers, and hence the social interactions the SA students engage in, are seen as of paramount importance in determining the ultimate success in TL attainment. This paper addresses a cohort of learners who have not received a lot of attention in the SA literature, namely Saudi Arabian female students, whose individual immersion into the TL context is limited by cultural restrictions, importantly the need to be accompanied by a male guardian (mahram). Based on a data set of a cohort of nine students gathered over the period of one year, this study aims to establish the extent to which these students engage in social interactions in the TL setting and how these affect their overall language proficiency development. Data was gathered pre-, during, and post-SA, using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative instruments. These tested language proficiencies and surveyed the social interactions and engagement with the TL of the students, using both questionnaires (Language Engagement Questionnaire, Social Networking Questionnaire) and semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest, firstly, that despite the limitations on social interactions, these students clearly benefit from SA. Findings show a complex set of relationships between language development and interactions, with diverse strategies employed to access social networks and thus engage in interactions. Overall, these results point to SA settings as highly conducive learning environments, even for students who face cultural restrictions in their interactions.
{"title":"Women students from Saudi Arabia in a study abroad\u0000 programme","authors":"Hassna M. Alfayez, Julia Hüttner","doi":"10.1075/SAR.16009.ALF","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1075/SAR.16009.ALF","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Most students taking part in Study Abroad (SA) programmes aim to\u0000 immerse themselves as fully as possible in the target language (TL) country and\u0000 so improve their TL proficiency, as well as their own personal development\u0000 towards independent adulthood. From a research perspective, the quality of\u0000 social networks involving TL speakers, and hence the social interactions the SA\u0000 students engage in, are seen as of paramount importance in determining the\u0000 ultimate success in TL attainment. This paper addresses a cohort of learners who\u0000 have not received a lot of attention in the SA literature, namely Saudi Arabian\u0000 female students, whose individual immersion into the TL context is limited by\u0000 cultural restrictions, importantly the need to be accompanied by a male guardian\u0000 (mahram). Based on a data set of a cohort of nine students\u0000 gathered over the period of one year, this study aims to establish the extent to\u0000 which these students engage in social interactions in the TL setting and how\u0000 these affect their overall language proficiency development. Data was gathered\u0000 pre-, during, and post-SA, using a mixture of qualitative and quantitative\u0000 instruments. These tested language proficiencies and surveyed the social\u0000 interactions and engagement with the TL of the students, using both\u0000 questionnaires (Language Engagement Questionnaire, Social Networking\u0000 Questionnaire) and semi-structured interviews. Findings suggest, firstly, that\u0000 despite the limitations on social interactions, these students clearly benefit\u0000 from SA. Findings show a complex set of relationships between language\u0000 development and interactions, with diverse strategies employed to access social\u0000 networks and thus engage in interactions. Overall, these results point to SA\u0000 settings as highly conducive learning environments, even for students who face\u0000 cultural restrictions in their interactions.","PeriodicalId":36825,"journal":{"name":"Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46995895","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}