Intercultural guidance abroad

Abstract

Contemporary research on language and intercultural learning during study abroad programs has led scholars to challenge the immersion assumption and to argue the need for interventions that would deepen and extend the learning potential of this experience (Jackson, 2018). In an attempt to underscore this point, this paper reports on an experimental study which explores the impact of a pedagogical intervention where two groups of Flemish students (n = 34) are tracked during their Erasmus stay in Spain. One group of students (n = 14) is enrolled in the intervention and encouraged to engage in linguistically and culturally challenging encounters while the other group is not (n = 20). Both language use and social network formation are examined through an extended version of the SASIQ questionnaire (Dewey et al., 2013), completed following their experience abroad. Although it is not straightforward to grasp the influence of such curricular initiatives on learner interaction and language contact abroad, results from the study are consistent with previous findings on the importance of fostering social interactions for L2 development. Furthermore, a number of social network variables also point out how L2 self-perceived progress can be fostered abroad.

The relationship between social network typology, L2 proficiency growth, and curriculum design in university study abroad

“…Indeed, analogous challenges to network development have been reported in the European context for sojourners studying through the Erasmus program, which is generally considered to deviate from the popular “island” model of study abroad popular in US-based programs (for an overview, see Devlin, 2020). For example, in an analysis of Belgian Erasmus sojourners studying in Spain, Morena Bruna and Goethals (2020) report that students were “more attached than expected to their L1/international environment where they [used] their native language or English as a lingua Franca” (p. 62). While other studies have reported greater host community social integration for Erasmus students compared to what has generally been reported for their American counterparts (Baten, 2020), it is clear that structural change is not a panacea for the social network–related challenges highlighted in the present study and elsewhere.…”

From Caterpillar to Butterfly: Story of an Ordinarily Extraordinary Generation Z L2 Student Abroad

“…Research indicates that intercultural development in SA is mediated by numerous factors, including program length and pedagogical characteristics (Schartner, 2016;Shiri, 2015), quality and quantity of engagement in the target culture and language (Moreno Bruna & Goethals, 2020;Schwieter et al, 2018), and cultural background (Nguyen et al, 2018). It is also associated with increases in acceptance of diversity, emotional resilience, flexibility, openness (Fong, 2020), apprehension, confusion, excitement, and enlightenment (Beaven & Spencer-Oatey, 2016).…”