When ‘domestic’ and ‘international’ students study abroad: reflections on language learning, contact, and culture

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present study examines the language- and culture-learning perceptions of domestic and international students from a Canadian university who participated in an intensive four-week-long Spanish language and cultural immersion program in Spain. The study draws on quantitative and qualitative data to explore the ways in which the participants’ previous international, language learning experiences influenced their acculturation in Spain. A language history questionnaire, a language contact profile, and an open-ended questionnaire offered insight into the participants’ experience abroad, their perceptions of language and intercultural learning, and their identified cultural representations on which they drew to make sense of the new environment. We review key findings and offer suggestions for the enhancement of study abroad programs of this nature.