Study Abroad Experience Research Articles

The capitalist dialectics of international student mobility in the modern world-system

ABSTRACT International higher education (IHE) and with that international student mobility (ISM) and internationalisation have become widely embedded in the educational mobility literature as commonplace conceptualisations in a world which is everywhere imagined as globalised. The present response paper considers the contribution of the papers of this special issue to our understanding of ISM and to international study-abroad in Asia while also locating this in the wider context of ISM in a capitalist modern world-system. The testimonies of the participants in these papers concerning their inter-Asian study-abroad experiences evidence their keen consciousness of the marketised nature of international higher education while also demonstrating how they negotiate and often resist this. The inter-Asian experience of international study-abroad while revealing of the racial and linguistic prejudices which some sojourners can face, also show how these international students may additionally discover accidental and unlooked for ‘fringe’ capitals which disrupt their ‘neoliberal’ positioning and are potentially transformative and self-liberating. In this brief response paper, I place ISM and inter-Asian study-abroad within a Marxist and critical realist dialectical ontology so as to be able to delve more deeply into this experience and to give greater theoretical context to the transformative possibilities which ISM presents.

Study abroad, heritage language learning, and identity: a study of a mixed-heritage learner of Korean

ABSTRACT This narrative study focuses on how Gina, a Korean learner with a Korean immigrant mother and a European-descent New Zealander father, constructed her identities and engaged with Korean as a heritage language (HL) before, during, and after studying abroad in Korea. Gina’s transformative experiences illustrate the links between HL learning and learners’ understanding of themselves in racial/ethnic/cultural terms. The study highlights raciolinguistic ideologies’ complex influence on the HL development and identity (re)construction of learners who consider themselves to have multiple racial/ethnic/cultural heritages. Although Gina’s HL learner identity hampered her classroom education during study abroad, her family background provided her opportunities outside the classroom that strengthened her sense of belonging and encouraged her (re)construction of her identities. The study provides practical implications for study-abroad program developers and educators concerning the raciolinguistic ideologies that HL learners who identify as having multiple heritages might bring to their HL learning and participation in study-abroad programs. Being aware of raciolinguistic ideologies, preparing students for how their own and others’ ideologies might impact their experiences during study abroad, and providing the means for multiheritage HL learners to share their experiences could all contribute positively to these learners’ continued identity (re)construction, HL development, and study-abroad experiences.

The effects of proficiency and study-abroad on Chinese EFL learners’ refusals

ABSTRACT L2 pragmatics have explored the effects of different factors on different aspects of learners’ pragmatic performance, but often not simultaneously. In addition, syntactic complexity is rarely examined in L2 pragmatics. This cross-sectional study aimed to conduct a multidimensional analysis to explore the effects of proficiency and study-abroad (SA) on Chinese EFL learners’ refusals. Data were collected from 90 Chinese university students via a computer-animated elicitation task. The participants were divided into three groups: low-proficiency learners without SA experience and advanced learners with/without SA. The scenarios were kept consistent in imposition and social distance but varied in social status. Each participant interacted with a computer-animated native-speaker interlocutor in the scenarios. 20 American native speakers also participated in the study; their responses were used as the comparison data. Participants’ performance was evaluated in five aspects: appropriateness, syntactic complexity, refusal strategies, adjuncts and internal modifiers. Results revealed that there were significant effects of L2 proficiency on appropriateness and of SA on syntactic complexity. The interactions of the two factors and social status were also analysed in learners’ employment of refusal strategies and internal modification. Implications for pragmatic instruction and feasible suggestions for future research are discussed.

Behind the Scenes: Teaching the Sociology of Tourism Abroad

International travel has long been considered a key pedagogical strategy for global learning. Yet very little is known about whether study-abroad experiences increase students’ awareness of the impact of tourism as a global phenomenon. In this study, we assessed students’ learning through a content analysis of their journals and final essays from a short-term study-abroad course that used key concepts from the sociology of tourism to explore the impact of tourism in a developing country. Findings demonstrate how thinking sociologically about travel and tourism enabled students to look “behind the scenes,” fostered critical-thinking skills, helped in their self-assessment of ethnocentrism, and promoted a sense of global responsibility. We also discuss areas that merit further pedagogical attention, particularly when students struggle to unlearn preconceived ideas about poverty and inequality or resort to overgeneralizations when thinking comparatively.

Transformation of a Study Abroad Experience Into a Virtual Community Health Clinical.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced nursing faculty to transform an international study abroad service-learning course into a virtual community health clinical experience with a global focus. The course was piloted with seven students who would have completed their community health clinical during a short-term immersion trip to Kenya. Clinical assignments were changed to closely mirror the immersion service-learning experience in a virtual environment. Student feedback reflected positive learning outcomes. This transformation has implications for expanding student opportunities in the virtual environment to gain a deeper understanding of global health.

Toward better understanding Japanese university students’ self-perceived attitudes on intercultural competence: A pre-study abroad perspective

ABSTRACT This study sought to uncover the attitudinal factors impacting a group of 1st-year Japanese university students’ (n = 89) self-perceived intercultural competence (IC), prior to embarking on a 6-week US-based study-abroad program. Data were collected qualitatively through reaction reports following an interactive lecture-workshop that aimed to mirror the overseas academic classroom context. Thematic analysis of the data revealed: (1) participants typically perceived their IC through an individual lens and/or a collective lens (and whether they then aligned or differentiated themselves from their overall perception of Japanese IC), and (2) they adopted either a passive or proactive mindset toward their impending study-abroad experience. Results suggest that more intentional balancing of linguistic and intercultural content is needed to foster Japanese university students’ success in study-abroad environments.

EXPLORING LEADERSHIP LEARNING THROUGH SHORT-TERM STUDY ABROAD EXPERIENCES

Pre COVID-19 there were a growing number of opportunities for study abroad across higher education in the United States, (Rosch & Haber-Curran, 2013; Martinez, 2012). This paper aims to examine phenomena surrounding outcomes of student abroad experiences while centering students’ leadership learning. Centering leadership learning as a framework, findings indicate participants in the study grew in the of areas of leadership efficacy and capacity through the short-term study abroad.

Language Proficiency Development and Study Abroad Experience: A Study On EFL Learners

Study abroad experience (SA) has been regarded as one of the best ways to enhance English language proficiency because it offers opportunities for learners to experience the use of English in real instances. The present study attempted to explore the language development of a group of EFL learners participating in Erasmus program for SA experience where English is not used as L1. To achieve this, the data were collected through three instruments; Language Contact Profile (LCP), Then and Now Survey, and semi-structured interviews. Fifty-nine students answered LCP and Then and Now self-assessment and eight students were interviewed. The quantitative result revealed that students experienced greater gains in their oral skills. On the other hand, qualitative results confirm the greater gains in speaking skills with respect to other skills. Moreover, the results highlighted the significance of the learning context and the quality and quantity of interaction for language development.

Team Teaching an Interdisciplinary Short-Term Study Abroad Experience: Innovations in Course Design and Collaboration

A great deal of research has indicated that study abroad courses offer meaningful and impactful learning experiences for university students. Accordingly, when it comes to course design, it is essential that the study abroad is carefully planned, executed, and delivered in order to maximize the benefits for students. Collaboration is also critical for a successful learning experience. This paper examines an innovative course design which was used successfully in an interdisciplinary, team- taught class for undergraduate and graduate student athletes. The model developed is generalizable to other student populations. The use of this model notably increased student engagement and reflective learning.

Exploring the connection between language use and oral performance during study abroad: Results from the Daily Language Questionnaire 2

AbstractMany second language (L2) learners participate in study abroad (SA) experiences believing their choice will be synonymous with increased interaction in the L2, from which enhanced linguistic gains will ensue. Nonetheless, one open question is whether SA participants actually engage in sustained L2 interaction while they are abroad. This paper reports the results of a longitudinal study in which 31 SA participants (L1 = English; L2 = Spanish) completed the Daily Language Questionnaire 2 (DLQ 2), an online questionnaire designed in Qualtrics, every day during their 6‐week SA experience in Spain. We show that (i) learners reported substantially less L2 use at the end than at the start of the SA and (ii) learners reported substantially less L2 use on “no‐class” days compared to class days. We additionally tested correlations between the self‐reported values of L2 use and the learners' L2 oral abilities. We found moderate positive correlations between L2 usage (per the DLQ 2) and initial‐ability scores (per the Elicited Imitation Task); these findings are contextualized within theories of L2 interaction. Finally, we use the data of the present study to offer recommendations for administrators and instructors looking to refine the experience offered to SA participants.

The language affiliations of mobile students in the international university

ABSTRACT The internationalisation of higher education has led to widespread adoption of English as a medium of instruction in European universities, and this strategy is supporting increasingly diverse student mobility. Many students undertaking short-term Erasmus+ mobility see this as an opportunity to develop their English language skills but may lack interest in learning locally significant languages. However, contemporary universities are complex multilingual spaces. This paper explores how far mobile students’ language affiliations are aligned to languages’ wider geopolitical significance, and how far they are influenced by personal and sociocultural factors, and the study abroad (SA) experience itself. The study draws on a corpus of narrative interviews with mobile students in diverse European settings. Participants generally sustained strong affiliations with English. Affiliations with other international languages were more mixed. Some expressed a heightened affiliation to their home language arising from SA experience; others described new affiliations arising from local contacts and student friendships, with a local language, or with other international students’ L1. Overall, the study found that language affiliations showed some flexibility, and might derive from personal biographical factors, cultural values and personal relationships as well as from the instrumental value of internationally significant languages.

Cultural bridges and reimagined geographies: International students navigating and engaging the complex cultures present in the academic world of Taiwan

With the growth of higher education literature featuring emerging study destinations and new demographics of international students facilitated by government scholarships, scholars must address how students desire and imagine culture and diversity in study-abroad experiences and what impact these experiences have on cultural imaginaries and future aspirations. This article introduces a case study in Taiwan (officially Republic of China), an emerging study destination that attracts international students through government scholarships and accentuates powerful cultural discourses based on both Chineseness and Western-style development. Through qualitative interviews and analysis based on ‘capacity to aspire’, it examines students’ desires and perceptions of ‘culture’, their susceptibility to institutional cultural narratives, and ability to enact individual agency and reimagine culture and geography independently from ‘host images’ portrayed by institutions. A key finding is how students develop aspirations for their classmates’ home countries based on new perceptions of culture and place, revealing a new dimension of South–South student mobilities.

Intercultural Competence and Study Abroad Programs-A Mixed Method Study

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate the intercultural competence (IC) level of college students, explore whether there is a statistically significant difference in the IC level between students with study abroad (SA) experience and those without SA experience, and examine their attitudes, ideas and experiences about SA programs and intercultural communication. Data collected from online questionnaires and Zoom interviews were examined through the lens of Hall’s the Iceberg Analogy of Culture and M. J. Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (DMIS), which were also used as the conceptual framework in this study. Both quantitative and qualitative results indicated the IC level of college students was high, reaching up to the acceptance stage or/and adaptation stage of Bennett’s DMIS. Quantitative study showed that the IC level of students who participated in SA programs was higher than those who didn’t.

Effect of an International Level I Fieldwork Experience on Interprofessional and Cultural Competencies

Abstract Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Health professionals treat a growing multiethnic population. The results of this mixed-methods research showed the positive effect of a short-term Costa Rica study-abroad experience on interprofessional and cultural competencies, teamwork, and collaboration of OT and nursing students. OT educators can use these methods as a guide in their own programs to strive for collaborative mutual enrichment and to broaden learning opportunities focused on OT in a globally connected world. Primary Author and Speaker: Brittany N. Saviers Contributing Authors: Lavona S. Traywick, Julie Meaux

The interplay of proficiency and study abroad experience on the prosody of L2 speech acts

AbstractAdoptingBrazil’s (1997)prosodic framework, this study examined whether proficiency and study abroad experience impact second language (L2) English learners’ spoken production of speech acts. Twenty-four native English speakers and 64 Japanese learners of L2 English participated in the study. The L2 learner group was divided into three sub-groups: (1) high proficiency learners with study abroad (SA) experience (2) low proficiency learners with no SA experience, and (3) high proficiency learners without SA experience. Participants completed an oral discourse completion task that assessed their ability to produce two speech acts (requests and opinions) in high- and low-imposition situations. Prosodic features including intonation, pitch range, and sentence prominence were analyzed via PRAAT. The findings revealed a complex interplay between proficiency and SA experience on pragma-prosodic production. Implications suggest that SA may have the added benefit of providing the backdrop for authentic contextual functions of prosody in high- and low- imposition situations.

Benefits of Studying Abroad for Graduate Employability

This study investigated the benefits of studying abroad with student exchange programs for graduate employability. Data were drawn from a survey with 163 Lao former exchange participants at three public universities in Laos, followed by 19 semi-structured interviews. Results revealed that participants benefited from participating in overseas exchanges at a high level in terms of the development of employability skills, particularly interpersonal and communication skills, and in multidisciplinary knowledge and international competences. Study abroad experience was positively considered as being related to increasing job opportunities, which signal better educational credentials with proven skills that are demanded in the domestic labor market. This study offers useful insights into the benefits of student exchange programs and adds perspectives from a developing country whose voice has been little heard in the literature on the value of study abroad.

An Examination of the Effectiveness of Differential Item Functioning: Japanese Learners’ Study-abroad Experience and Their Intercultural Communication Competence

An Examination of the Effectiveness of Differential Item Functioning: Japanese Learners’ Study-abroad Experience and Their Intercultural Communication Competence

Student Articulations of Critical Multicultural Education Concepts from One Study Abroad Experience in New Zealand

This study examines how six teacher candidates in one U.S. based teacher preparation program articulate understandings of critical multicultural education concepts after a field experience in a study abroad program in New Zealand. Teacher candidates were interviewed about their understandings of culture, privilege, and social inequality. Field placements were in high poverty elementary schools with high numbers of linguistic and ethnic minority students. Teacher candidate responses revealed development of cultural appreciation but a lack of engagement with issues related to privilege and social inequality. Teacher candidates further had difficulty articulating issues of power and systemic privilege enacted either in the New Zealand context, or in their home cultural context in the United States. This study calls for more explicit support for teacher candidates as they grapple with recognizing and practicing a Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in order to realize the potential of diverse study abroad field experiences for teacher preparation.

Effects of Study-Abroad Experiences on Chinese Students ’ L2 Learning Activities and Study-Abroad Motivations

Abstract This study explores how overseas exchange opportunities might influence Chinese students ’ engagement in L2 learning activities and how far such opportunities may satisfy their motivation to study abroad. The analysis of the data, collected and filtered from carefully designed questionnaires and interviews, showed that students ’ L2 learning activities and study-abroad motivations underwent changes after their overseas experiences. Regarding the former, the overseas environment was the cause of the change because it provided students with more chances to talk with native speakers and increased the frequency of their using L2 in their daily life. Regarding the latter, the decline of the students ’ major study-abroad motivations was partly because they tended to treat L2 learning as a tool for realizing other goals and partly because the students had got other important motivations. In view of these findings, suggestions were raised to help future students get better prepared for their overseas study or short-term exchange life.

“Open Your Mind, Sharpen Your Wits”: A Narrative Approach to the Benefits of Study Abroad as Perceived by Erasmus+ Students

ABSTRACT This article provides qualitative information chronicling the study-abroad experiences of eight Erasmus+ students. Data were obtained from the analysis of focus-group discussions, e-journal narratives, plus background and language contact questionnaires. Combined, such data illustrate the participants’ discursive positions on their socialisation patterns and the impact of Erasmus+ on their overall L2 selves, identity and transcultural competence, whilst also pointing to possible language gains. Results show that participants perceive they have widened their social circles, experienced personal growth, accrued new knowledge, and begun to perceive their own imagined communities differently. Finally, the article identifies several factors that seem to have had an impact on such results, and points to Erasmus as a life-changing experience.