Linguistic development of Spanish heritage learners in study abroad

The current study investigated advanced L2 learners’ linguistic development before, during, and after a nine-month stay abroad, the extent to which contextual changes (home-abroad-home)influenced the nature and magnitude of development, and the ways in which relationships among different linguistic elements changed over time. Participants were 56 university learners majoring in French (n = 29) and Spanish (n = 27), who spent an academic year abroad in the middle of a four-year BA degree program. Oral data were collected six times over 21 months to trace development and change in complexity, accuracy, fluency, and lexis (CAFL). Results showed ongoing improvements over time on most measures, including accuracy. Correlations indicated long-term relationships between fluency and vocabulary only and that accuracy-complexity relationships emerged in instructed home contexts only. These findings suggest that the affordances of home and abroad contexts can shape learners’ linguistic development and use differently. The role of pre-departure linguistic ability is discussed as critical to understanding the nature and extent of L2 linguistic development in study abroad.

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A Longitudinal Study of Advanced Learners’ Linguistic Development Before, During, and After Study Abroad

Applied Linguistics ◽

10.1093/applin/amaa003 ◽

2020 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kevin McManus ◽

Rosamond Mitchell ◽

Nicole Tracy-Ventura

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Study Abroad ◽

Advanced Learners ◽

Linguistic Development ◽

Degree Programme ◽

Linguistic Ability ◽

Academic Year ◽

Over Time

Abstract The current study investigated advanced L2 learners’ linguistic development before, during, and after a nine-month stay abroad, the extent to which contextual changes (home-abroad-home) influenced the nature and magnitude of development, and the ways in which relationships among different linguistic elements changed over time. Participants were 56 university learners majoring in French (n = 29) and Spanish (n = 27), who spent an academic year abroad in the middle of a four-year BA degree programme. Oral data were collected six times over 21 months to trace development and change in complexity, accuracy, fluency, and lexis. Results showed ongoing improvements over time on most measures, including accuracy. Correlations indicated long-term relationships between fluency and vocabulary only and that accuracy–complexity relationships emerged in instructed home contexts only. These findings suggest that the affordances of home and abroad contexts can shape learners’ linguistic development and use differently. The role of pre-departure linguistic ability is discussed as critical to understanding the nature and extent of L2 linguistic development in study abroad.

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Quantity of target language contact in study abroad and knowledge of multiword expressions

Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education ◽

10.1075/sar.18001.arv ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 145-167 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Klara Arvidsson

Keyword(s):

Study Abroad ◽

Language Contact ◽

Language Use ◽

Repeated Exposure ◽

Target Language ◽

Linguistic Development ◽

Multiword Expressions ◽

Contact Information ◽

Cloze Test

Abstract This study takes a Usage-Based approach to the learning of French multiword expressions (MWEs) in Study Abroad (SA). MWEs are conventionalized form-meaning mappings, for example du coup (‘and so’) and en fait (‘actually’), and are assumed to be learned through repeated exposure. Based on this assumption, the study adopted a pretest/posttest design to explore how quantity of out-of-class target-language (TL) contact predicted the development of MWE knowledge among 41 Swedish students during a semester in France. MWE knowledge was assessed by a modified cloze test based on transcriptions of informal language use (www.clapi.fr) and TL contact information was obtained through the Language Engagement Questionnaire (McManus, Mitchell, & Tracy-Ventura, 2014). Contrary to expectations, the findings showed that quantity of out-of-class TL contact did not predict gains in MWE knowledge and add further counterevidence for the role of sheer quantity of TL contact for linguistic development in SA.

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

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/2020_persp-19-00167 ◽

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.

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