Study Abroad in Central Spain: The Development of Regional Phonological Features

George, Angela

doi:10.1111/flan.12065

Cited by 81 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(41 reference statements)

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“…While there is a fundamental shift in the type of study abroad programs popular among college students in the USA, there exists a paucity of research on the outcomes of short-term study abroad programs. Most of the research that has been conducted has explored students' linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic learning outcomes (see George, 2014;Godfrey, Treacy, & Tarone, 2014;Llanes & Muñoz, 2009;Pérez-Vidal & Juan-Garau, 2009;Regan, Howard, & Lemée, 2009;Reynolds-Case, 2013;Warga & Schölmberger, 2007). However, Martinsen (2011) notes 'little research has examined the changes in students' cultural sensitivity through their participation in such programs [short-term study abroad programs]' (p. 1).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Intercultural sensitivity through short-term study abroad

Bloom

Miranda

2015

Language and Intercultural Communication

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One of the foremost-cited rationales for study abroad during college is the development of a global perspective and intercultural sensitivity. Although this argument is mentioned frequently in promotional materials for study abroad, it has not yet been backed by research based on the outcomes of students' study abroad experiences. As more students' study abroad and study abroad programing becomes shorter, it is more important than ever to test the claims made by program organizers. The present mixed-methods study examined 12 students' development in intercultural sensitivity over the period of a four-week study abroad program in Salamanca, Spain. Findings demonstrate that students made little changes in intercultural sensitivity as measured by the Intercultural Sensitivity Index and as reported in the qualitative data; however, these methods produced conflicting findings on students' stages of intercultural sensitivity development.Una de las racionalizaciones más citada en cuanto a los estudios en el extranjero a nivel universitario es el desarrollo de una perspectiva global y la sensibilidad intercultural. Aunque este argumento se menciona con frecuencia en los materiales de promoción de estudios en el extranjero, aún no ha sido respaldado por la investigación basada en los resultados de las experiencias del estudio en el extranjero de los alumnos. A medida que más alumnos estudian en el extranjero y la duración de los programas de estudios en el extranjero se hace más corta, es más importante que nunca poner a prueba las afirmaciones hechas por los organizadores de estos programas. El presente estudio de métodos mixtos examinó el desarrollo de la sensibilidad intercultural de doce estudiantes en un periodo de cuatro semanas en un programa de estudios en el extranjero en la ciudad de Salamanca, España. Los resultados demuestran que los estudiantes efectuaron cambios mínimos en la sensibilidad intercultural, al ser medida por el Índice de Sensibilidad Intercultural y como se informó en los datos cualitativos; sin embargo, estos métodos producen resultados contradictorios sobre las etapas del desarrollo de sensibilidad intercultural de los estudiantes.

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confidence: 99%

Intercultural sensitivity through short-term study abroad

Bloom

Miranda

2015

Language and Intercultural Communication

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“…Previous research investigating the effect of SA on L2 phonology is relatively limited and has so far produced inconclusive results. The findings of previous research point in several directions, some have found improvement in favor of the SA group (Højen ; Stevens ; Muñoz and Llanes ), others have found differences in favor of the AH group (Mora , ), and still others have found no (clear) differences between SA and AH participants (Díaz‐Campos ; Avello, Mora and Pérez‐Vidal 2012; Avello and Lara ; George ) for a variety of target phonological features such as vowels (Simões ; Mora ; Stevens ), consonants (Stevens ; Díaz‐Campos ; George ), or perceived foreign accent (Avello et al ; Muñoz and Llanes ).…”

Section: The Effects Of Sa On L2 Phonological Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Concerning the methodology to investigate L2 phonological development in SA, most studies have used foreign accent (FA) ratings as a means of assessing overall improvement in pronunciation accuracy (Avello et al ; Muñoz and Llanes ). In general, research examining specific aspects of phonetic accuracy is less frequent and has focused primarily on segmental production (Stevens , ; Avello and Lara ; George ) rather than on segmental perception (Muñoz and Llanes ).…”

Section: The Effects Of Sa On L2 Phonological Acquisitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential effects of SA and intensive AH courses on teenagers' L2 pronunciation

Llanes

Mora

Serrano

2016

Int J App Linguistics

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The present study compares the differential effects of two learning contexts on the L2 pronunciation accuracy of L1‐Spanish/Catalan teenage learners of English. The learners engaged in either a study abroad (SA) course in the UK (n = 14) or in an intensive course at home (AH) in Spain (n = 22) for 3 weeks. Sentence‐sized production samples were elicited before and after the SA and AH courses through a delayed imitation task targeting difficult L2 phonetic and phonological features. L2 pronunciation accuracy was assessed through voice onset time (VOT) and perceived foreign accent (FA) measures. The results indicated that the SA learner group significantly improved their VOT and reduced their FA to a greater extent than the AH learner group did. VOT gains were significantly correlated with amount of FA reduction, suggesting that speakers who had developed a more target‐like production of oral stops were also perceived to have reduced their overall FA to a greater extent. Taken together these results underscore the potential of SA to induce improvement in L2 pronunciation. Several pedagogical implications are discussed.

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“…The extent to which conclusions can be drawn and compared are limited since the research methods do not ensure that the procedure includes a measure of prior knowledge and maintenance of the features under consideration (George 2014), measuring language contact information abroad (Bongiovanni et al 2015), or learner perceptions of token items (Pope 2016). Müller (2016: 113) reminds her readers that individual learning factors need to be included in the analyses of future studies, which explains why, to date, it has been 'difficult to derive common trends from learner cohorts.…”

Section: Grammatical Competence-phonologicalmentioning

confidence: 99%

Language learning and study abroad

et al. 2018

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The aim of this review is to synthesize empirical studies on undergraduate language learners' experience abroad during a time period of a year or less. To help provide a framework to this synthesis, we begin our review by tracing the recent evolution of empirical mixed-method research on the learner, identifying problems and characteristics that language learners generally encounter in the study abroad (SA) experience. We take a closer look at variables related to individual difference such as anxiety, motivation, and attitudes to more recent views of learner identity in language learning. We highlight the shift to language learner agency, a topic that merits more discussion in SA literature. We then review how the SA learning environments are treated. This review takes a closer look at research informed by socially grounded theories. Finally, we review the role that SA plays in undergraduate language curricula, where the objectives of the experience are aligned with at-home (AH) curricula, a topic that has not been fully discussed in SA literature. The conclusions offer suggestions for keeping pace with the broader field of applied/educational linguistics.

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Study Abroad in Central Spain: The Development of Regional Phonological Features

Cited by 81 publications

References 23 publications

Intercultural sensitivity through short-term study abroad

Intercultural sensitivity through short-term study abroad

Differential effects of SA and intensive AH courses on teenagers' L2 pronunciation

Language learning and study abroad

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