Systematic review synthesising the effects of study abroad experience on the development of language fluency

Abstract

ABSTRACT Given the importance of learning contexts in second language (L2) learning, study abroad (SA) has received due attention in the L2 literature, as this context has been proposed to accelerate L2 development. In line with recent efforts to synthesise the effects of SA on L2 learning, the present study reports a meta-analysis of the effects of SA experience on the development of L2 fluency compared to the at-home environment. Our dataset comprised 14 between-group studies, all based on quasi-experimental designs, including a comparison group. The results indicate that the SA context had an overall medium effect (Hedges’ g = 0.65, SE = 0.10, 95% CI [0.44, 0.87]) on the development of L2 fluency compared to its at-home counterpart. We also identified several variables related to learner characteristics and SA programme features and further examined their moderating effects on SA. Based on our findings, an in-depth discussion of how these variables are related to the effectiveness of SA was provided, and recommendations for L2 learners and SA researchers involved in SA programmes were proposed.