Enhancing Language Learning in Study Abroad

Abstract

Research demonstrates that study abroad can have a positive impact on every domain of language competence, and that it is particularly helpful for the development of abilities related to social interaction. However, some results suggest that study abroad intensifies individual differences in achievement: Certain students thrive while others founder. Qualitative studies provide insight into the sources of these differences both in the stances that students adopt toward their host communities and in the ways in which they are received. Overall, the research points to a need for language learners’ broader engagement in local communicative practices, for mindfulness of their situation as peripheral participants, and for more nuanced awareness of language itself. This article offers a rationale, based on the current state of the art in research, for including the expertise of language educators in the choice and design of study abroad programs. Students will benefit from programs specifically designed to foster language learning through observation, participation, and reflection.

Learning environment and graduates' transition period

“…The benefit of study abroad usually analyzed in five spheres, include foreign language proficiency, cultural enrichment, personal development, and professional impact (Carlson, Burn, Useem, & Yachimowicz, 1990;Doherty, Dickmann, & Mills, 2010;Freed, 1998;Kinginger, 2011;Maiworm & Teichler, 1996Opper, Teichler, & Carlson, 1990;Van Hoof & Verbeeten, 2005).…”

Study-Abroad Experiences of Two South Korean Undergraduate Students in an English-Speaking and a Non-English-Speaking Country

“…Regularly exchanging assistance between languages like English for Arabic as happened in Dewey et al (2013) did not happen with the participants in the present study. Kinginger (2011) illustrated that ''language learning in study abroad is a dialogic and situated affair whose success depends on not only the attributes and intentions of the student but also the ways in which the student is received within his or her host community'' (p. 60). Even though the present study attempted to incorporate the latter through the eyes of the participants, it was incomplete.…”

A Study on the Improvement of Social Identity in Korea: Compare to Han-Chinese and Korean-Chinese

“…또한 외국어에 대한 교육은 학생들의 이문화 능력을 향상 시킨다 [7]. 언어 능력은 유학생활 의 모든 영역에 영향을 미칠 수 있으며, 사회적 상호 작용과 관련된 능력 개발에 중요한 역할을 한다 [8]. 또한 사회, 문화 적응에 있어서 타인과의 접촉과 언어적 숙련도는 중요한 예측변수이다 [9].…”