Effects of Study-Abroad Experiences on Chinese Students ’ L2 Learning Activities and Study-Abroad Motivations

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-34
Author(s):  
Tiancheng Chen ◽  
Jing Chen
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Overseas Study ◽  
Major Study ◽  
L2 Learning

Abstract This study explores how overseas exchange opportunities might influence Chinese students ’ engagement in L2 learning activities and how far such opportunities may satisfy their motivation to study abroad. The analysis of the data, collected and filtered from carefully designed questionnaires and interviews, showed that students ’ L2 learning activities and study-abroad motivations underwent changes after their overseas experiences. Regarding the former, the overseas environment was the cause of the change because it provided students with more chances to talk with native speakers and increased the frequency of their using L2 in their daily life. Regarding the latter, the decline of the students ’ major study-abroad motivations was partly because they tended to treat L2 learning as a tool for realizing other goals and partly because the students had got other important motivations. In view of these findings, suggestions were raised to help future students get better prepared for their overseas study or short-term exchange life.

scholarly journals Identity development through study abroad experiences: Storied accounts

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-493
Author(s):  
Harumi Kimura ◽  
Brenda Hayashi
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Personal Growth ◽  
First Year ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Short Term Study ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
The Usa

This study investigated three Japanese L2 learners who joined a government-funded, short-term study abroad program in the USA during their first year of college. Four years after the program, we interviewed the learners about their overseas experiences. We also asked what they had done during their university years after the program. We then analyzed their accounts to explore participants’ linguistic and personal growth during and after the program. Their stories offered important insights into what short-term study abroad programs should provide: critical experiences that participants embrace through meeting and communicating with new people in L2s for the purpose of mutual understanding. When participants perceived their experiences to be successful and valuable and felt a desire to become a more efficient L2 user, they took actions to improve their L2 skills in relation to other life goals after returning home. Furthermore, their L2 identities are likely interwoven with their current and aspiring personal identities. As such, their stories are self-development trajectories and evidence of L2-learning-mediated personal growth through social interaction. We propose that short-term study programs: (a) avoid an exclusive focus on L2 learning on-site, (b) include ample opportunities of meaningful social interaction, and (c) target first-year students. 

scholarly journals Confirmed Beliefs or False Assumptions? A Study of Home Stay Experiences in the French Study Abroad Context

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenhao Diao ◽  
Barbara Freed ◽  
Leigh Smith
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Second Generation ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Recent Criticism ◽  
Frequency Of Contact ◽  
French Study ◽  
L2 Learning

What has emerged from what might be called the second generation of study abroad research is the questioning of some of the most long-standing beliefs about the study abroad experience itself. The belief that: (1) the amount and frequency of contact that students have with native speakers will increase their language gain; (2) that study abroad assures immersion experiences for students; and (3) that homestay is the richest and most important source of L2 learning are what motivates this study. The purpose of the research described in this article is to help clarify the extent to which either prior assumptions or recent criticism, which casts doubt on these assumptions, may have been exaggerated or if indeed, there is a balance between the two.

Perspectives on Mediated L2 Learning During Study Abroad

2019 ◽  
pp. 1868-1893
Author(s):  
Kaishan Kong
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Multiple Identities ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
Depth Interviews

Informed by multiple sociocultural and sociolinguistic conceptual frameworks that highlight the compelling implication of identity, motivation, and mediation in second language (L2) learning, this chapter examines how the sense of self and aspirations of multiple Chinese students have affected their strategies in L2 experiences during study abroad in the United States (US). Data sources included in-depth interviews, ethnographic observations, focus group discussion, social media posts and other documents. Within the specific study abroad context under discussion, substantial data from three focal participants divulged that multiple identities, self-positioning in imagined communities and motivation interacted with each other in mediating L2 learners' experience and investment selections. In other words, their feelings, sense of self and envisioned learning goals influenced and mediated their attitude and strategies in interacting with others.

Perspectives on Mediated L2 Learning during Study Abroad

2016 ◽  
pp. 696-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaishan Kong
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Group Discussion ◽  
Chinese Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
Multiple Identities ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
L2 Learning ◽  
Depth Interviews

Informed by multiple sociocultural and sociolinguistic conceptual frameworks that highlight the compelling implication of identity, motivation, and mediation in second language (L2) learning, this chapter examines how the sense of self and aspirations of multiple Chinese students have affected their strategies in L2 experiences during study abroad in the United States (US). Data sources included in-depth interviews, ethnographic observations, focus group discussion, social media posts and other documents. Within the specific study abroad context under discussion, substantial data from three focal participants divulged that multiple identities, self-positioning in imagined communities and motivation interacted with each other in mediating L2 learners' experience and investment selections. In other words, their feelings, sense of self and envisioned learning goals influenced and mediated their attitude and strategies in interacting with others.

Acquisition of L2 Spanish requests in short-term study abroad

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd A. Hernandez
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Contact ◽  
Native Speakers ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Performance Ratings ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Pragmatic Development ◽  
Short Term Study ◽  
Request Strategies

The aim of this investigation was to examine the pragmatic development of 20 students during a short-term study abroad program in Spain. Request strategies were assessed with a written request production questionnaire. A language contact profile (LCP) was used to measure the relationship between pragmatic performance ratings and target language contact. Pretest and posttest mean scores on the request production questionnaire indicated that the students improved their request performance as rated by two native speakers. In looking at the specific request strategies used on the pretest and posttest vignettes, it is clear, however, that the students improved some aspects of their request production while other aspects remained unchanged. Further, LCP scores indicated that the students had little contact with native speakers during their time in Spain. No significant relationships were found between the LCP and request performance ratings. Results suggest that study abroad leadership should support students’ L2 pragmatic development before, during, and after study abroad.

Cultural Awareness of Students in Communication Sciences and Disorders: A Mixed-Methods Study

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 1231-1242
Author(s):  
Celeste Domsch ◽  
Lori Stiritz ◽  
Jay Huff
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Cultural Awareness ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Global Awareness ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Short Term Study

Purpose This study used a mixed-methods design to assess changes in students' cultural awareness during and following a short-term study abroad. Method Thirty-six undergraduate and graduate students participated in a 2-week study abroad to England during the summers of 2016 and 2017. Quantitative data were collected using standardized self-report measures administered prior to departure and after returning to the United States and were analyzed using paired-samples t tests. Qualitative data were collected in the form of daily journal reflections during the trip and interviews after returning to the United States and analyzed using phenomenological methods. Results No statistically significant changes were evident on any standardized self-report measures once corrections for multiple t tests were applied. In addition, a ceiling effect was found on one measure. On the qualitative measures, themes from student transcripts included increased global awareness and a sense of personal growth. Conclusions Measuring cultural awareness poses many challenges. One is that social desirability bias may influence responses. A second is that current measures of cultural competence may exhibit ceiling or floor effects. Analysis of qualitative data may be more useful in examining effects of participation in a short-term study abroad, which appears to result in decreased ethnocentrism and increased global awareness in communication sciences and disorders students. Future work may wish to consider the long-term effects of participation in a study abroad for emerging professionals in the field.

An Empirical Analysis of the Obtrusiveness of and Participants' Compliance with the Electronically Activated Recorder (EAR)

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 248-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias R. Mehl ◽  
Shannon E. Holleran
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Analysis ◽  
Sampling Method ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Assessment Method ◽  
Data Confidentiality ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Audio Recorder ◽  
Term Monitoring

Abstract. In this article, the authors provide an empirical analysis of the obtrusiveness of and participants' compliance with a relatively new psychological ambulatory assessment method, called the electronically activated recorder or EAR. The EAR is a modified portable audio-recorder that periodically records snippets of ambient sounds from participants' daily environments. In tracking moment-to-moment ambient sounds, the EAR yields an acoustic log of a person's day as it unfolds. As a naturalistic observation sampling method, it provides an observer's account of daily life and is optimized for the assessment of audible aspects of participants' naturally-occurring social behaviors and interactions. Measures of self-reported and behaviorally-assessed EAR obtrusiveness and compliance were analyzed in two samples. After an initial 2-h period of relative obtrusiveness, participants habituated to wearing the EAR and perceived it as fairly unobtrusive both in a short-term (2 days, N = 96) and a longer-term (10-11 days, N = 11) monitoring. Compliance with the method was high both during the short-term and longer-term monitoring. Somewhat reduced compliance was identified over the weekend; this effect appears to be specific to student populations. Important privacy and data confidentiality considerations around the EAR method are discussed.

Emplacing Berlin: Digital Itineraries and Short-term Study Abroad in the City

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 26-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard B. Apgar
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
Physical Space ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Study Abroad Programs ◽  
Term Study ◽  
Digital Maps ◽  
Short Term Study ◽  
The City

As destination of choice for many short-term study abroad programs, Berlin offers students of German language, culture and history a number of sites richly layered with significance. The complexities of these sites and the competing narratives that surround them are difficult for students to grasp in a condensed period of time. Using approaches from the spatial humanities, this article offers a case study for enhancing student learning through the creation of digital maps and itineraries in a campus-based course for subsequent use during a three-week program in Berlin. In particular, the concept of deep mapping is discussed as a means of augmenting understanding of the city and its history from a narrative across time to a narrative across the physical space of the city. As itineraries, these course-based projects were replicated on site. In moving from the digital environment to the urban landscape, this article concludes by noting meanings uncovered and narratives formed as we moved through the physical space of the city.

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