Fine Tuning of a Study Abroad Course for Japanese EFL Students

1.IntroductionThere are many benefits gained by participating in study abroad (SA) programs. The most obvious is of course that second language acquisition (SLA) of the target language (TL) can, and should, occur during daily activities and is not limited to just the classroom (Pellegrino, 1998; Isabelli & Nishida, 2005; Shively, 2013). However, not all students utilize their immersive environment and its subsequent TL opportunities (Dewey, 2013), and SLA improvement due to SA participation is contested by some studies (Isabelli & Nishida, 2005). The duration of time spent for SA seems to correlate with improved SLA (Shively, 2013; Sasaki, 2011), but short term SA programs of four weeks or less have also been shown to be effective for stimulating SLA as well as increased intercultural awareness (Amuzie & Winke, 2009; Anderson, 2006; Jackson, 2006). Motivation (Isabelli, 2006), language learning beliefs (Amuzie & Winke, 2009), and self-efficacy (Cubillos & Ilvento, 2012) have also been shown to benefit from SA. However, individual student's benefits range widely from significant improvement to minimal (Isabelli, 2006; Shively, 2013) and, for intercultural development at least, there are questions about whether the benefits are long lasting (Rexeisen, 2008). A recent finding is that SA is positively correlated to increases in creative thinking (Lee, 2012; Maddux & Galinsky, 2009). These diverse benefits mentioned were long assumed, but the above empirical studies were necessary as having empirical support is always desired above speculation, however well meaning or supposedly intuitive.The Japanese SA program student numbers have been decreasing since 2004 influenced by worsening economic conditions, but the past three years have seen modest increases (Tanikawa, 2013). Improving upon the modest upswing is a current goal of the education ministry that is aiming for dramatic increases in SA student numbers by 2020 (The Japan Times, 2014; MEXT, 2011). The USA has similar grand plans to greatly increase the number of SA students by 2020 (Institute of International Education, 2014). Each statement uses such buzzwords such as internationalization, globalization and intercultural awareness as well as economic competitiveness to support their actions, though such claims are questioned as not being clearly defined (Long, 2012) and can be exaggerated (Salisbury, 2012).The goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of what in class activities merit teaching SA students before they leave for their SA destinations. Some activities that did and did not merit in-class time and should be deleted from the course, as well as some to be continued, are discussed elsewhere (Maune, 2014).2.MethodsUpon completion of their EFL courses abroad, first year students of the 2013 and 2014 academic years took an online survey in which they were asked to rank the effectiveness of various in class activities during the first semester SA preparatory course as well how satisfied they were with various aspects of their SA experience (Maune, 2015). Participation in the survey in academic year 2013 was on a volunteer basis, but of the 24 students who participated in SA, 20 completed the survey as in 2014, the survey was required. Following the survey, students met with the SA coordinator for short, no more than 15 minutes, semi-structured interviews. Most students took the survey after returning to Japan following their SA, but the SA students who had extended their time abroad (e.g. to take more EFL classes, or to travel) took the survey while still abroad.2.1 Study Abroad ProgramThe SA program of the Hokusei University Junior College English Department has been a vital part of the curriculum for almost 30 years. Students spend their first semester taking a normal first semester course load that includes standard EFL courses as well as the one semester preparatory SA course. There are no requirements for participation in the program, save financial considerations. …