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Study Abroad Research

Findings and their implications for program design at home and abroad

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Beatrice Dupuy Department of French and Italian Second Language Acquisition and

Teaching Ph.D. Program

The University of Arizona bdupuy@email.arizona.edu

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Overview

  Current study abroad landscape: Some statistics

  Study abroad research: Selected findings

  Programmatic courses of action: At home and abroad

  Q & A

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Current study abroad landscape: Some statistics

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Current Study Abroad Landscape U.S. Trends

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U.S. student participation in SA has tripled over the past two decades

Current Study Abroad Landscape Fields of study

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SA participants are primarily

social sciences and business and

not foreign language majors

Current Study Abroad Landscape Length of stay

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SA stays are primarily

short

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Current Study Abroad Landscape Length of stay

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Semester and Summer still have the largest share, however, shorter

programs are gaining ground

An experience, much like at home, in which “the student’s affiliation to the

school is nurtured with the provision of ample guidance and encouragement

of group solidarity”. (Kinginger, 2010, p. 2)

Current Study Abroad Landscape Leading Destinations

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Non- traditional destinations

are increasing in popularity – 13 of the top

25 destinations are outside

Europe - 19 out of 25

are destinations

where English is not a primary

language.

State of study abroad research: Paradigm shifts, research gaps and needs

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Study Abroad Research

  Two landmark articles   Carroll, J. (1967). Foreign language proficiency attained by

language majors near graduation in college. Foreign Language Annals, 1, 1, 131-151   “Time spent abroad is clearly one of the most potent variables we

have found, and this is not surprising, for reasons that need not be belabored. Certainly our results provide a strong justification for a “year abroad” as one of the experiences to be recommended for the language majors. Even a tour abroad, or a summer school course abroad, is useful, apparently, in improving the student’s skill”. (p. 137)

  Schumann, J.H. & Schumann, F. (1977). Diary of a language learner: An introspective study of second language learning. In H.D. Brown, C. Yorio, and R. Crymes (Eds.) On TESOL ’77: Teaching and learning English as a second language: Trends and practice. (pp.241- 249). Washington, DC: TESOL.

A bit of history

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Study Abroad Research

  Students’ main reasons to study abroad   Increase fluency in the target language   Meet people from the target community   Experience the target culture and understand it better

  Promotional literature promises that the SA context can deliver

  Research support ?

Three areas of interest

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Study Abroad Research

N Duration Instr. Pre-dep. level Results

Dubiner, Segalowitz & Freed (2006)

AH = 18 SA = 22

16 weeks OPI 3rd semester Spanish

SA > AH

Freed, Segalowitz & Dewey (2004)

AH = 8 SA = 8 IM = 12

12 weeks (AH & SA) 7 weeks (IM)

OPI and LCP 2-4 years French

IM > SA> AH

Freed, So & Lazar (2003)

AH = 15 SA = 15

16 weeks OPI Few intensive months to 9 years French

SA > AH

Isabelli-Garcia (2003)

SA = 3 16 weeks SOPI interviews

2 years Spanish

Increase mean # of wds / response decrease # of pauses and struggles to produce

Segalowitz & Freed (2004)

AH = 18 SA = 22

16 weeks OPI, various cognitive measures

3rd semester Spanish

SA > AH

Segalowitz et al. (2004)

AH = 20 SA = 26

16 weeks OPI questionnaires interviews

3rd semester Spanish

SA > AH

Outcome-based research: Fluency

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Study Abroad Research

N Duration Instr. Pre-dep. level Results

Ginsberg & Miller (2000) Dormstay

SA = 100 16 weeks OPI diaries ethnographic data

3 + years Russian

>95% spend 25-30 hours outside the dorm 75% 11-19 hours/week speaking Russian 25% > 42 hours most of the time

Isabelli - Garcia (2006) Homestay Dormstay

SA = 4 Home stay (1) Dormstay (3)

16 weeks OPI Diary Network contact log Interviews

Intermediate Spanish

Not one of the living arrangements proved to be superior

Mendelson (2004) Homestay Dormstay

SA = 31 SA = 14

4 weeks 14 weeks

OPI LPSE LCP

Novice (37) Intermediate (6) Spanish

2/3 speaking the most with classmates and teachers < 25% SS and 50% LS can claim more than 4 hours of contact in TL/day SS Homestay students show a mean of contact hours 40% greater than students living in residence

Outcome-based research: Host context

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Study Abroad Research

N Duration Instr. Pre-dep. level Results

Rivers (1998) Homestay Dormstay

SA = 2529 2,224 dormstay 285 homestay

summer semester year

ETSL ETSR

3 years Russian Speaking / listening DS> HS Reading HS > DS

Schmidt-Rinehart & Knight (2002 & 2004) Homestay Dormstay

SA = 90 40% semester 60% 4, 6 or 8 weeks

Questionnaire interviews students, fam. HD

2-3 years Spanish Lx, cultural, psych. advantage of home stay

Outcome-based research: Host context

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Study Abroad Research

N Duration Instr. Pre-dep. level

Results

Chieffo & Griffiths (2004)

SA = 1, 509

16 weeks Questionnaire SA > AH

Engle & Engle (2004) French

SA = 187 16 weeks IDI 2 years 14% of students decline in their intercultural competence between pre- and post-test 52% progress by 30% up to 100% on IDI

Kitsantas (2004) Multiple languages

SA = 232 3-6 weeks Pers. data questionnaire CCAI SAGS

SA enhances students’ cross-cultural skills and global understanding

Medina-Lopez-Portillo (2004) Spanish

SA = 28 7 weeks 16 weeks

IDI Interviews Questionnaires Guided journal

Overall SA enhances students’ intercultural sensitivity Semester SA > Summer SA

Williams (2005) Multiple languages

SA = 27 AH = 25

16 weeks CCAI ISI

SA > AH in intercultural communicative skills

Outcome-based research: Intercultural competence

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State of Study Abroad Research

  “The reconceptualization we call for, which would redress this imbalance requires three major changes in SLA: (a) a significantly enhanced awareness of the contextual and interactional dimensions of language use, (b) an increased emic (i.e., participant relevant) sensitivity towards fundamental concepts, and (c) the broadening of the traditional SLA data base. If we begin to accomplish such goals, we believe that the field of SLA has the capacity to become a theoretically and methodologically richer, more robust enterprise, better able to explicate the processes of S/FL acquisition, and better placed to engage with and contribute to research commonly perceived to reside outside its boundaries.” Firth & Wagner, 1997, p. 758)

A new approach to SLA research

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Study Abroad Research

  Examination of the nature of students’ interactions   Host context

  Homestay / dormstay: Pellegrino-Aveni (2005); Schmidt-Rinehardt and Knight (2004); Wilkinson (1998)

  Gender, race and identity: Talburt and Stewart (1999); Wilkinson (2002)

  Learners’ history of classroom socialization: Wilkinson (1998)

Process-based research: Host context, identity and socialization

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Study Abroad Research

  Need more research on   The qualities of SA contexts   The perspectives of other participants in the SA contexts

  Faculty   Program directors   Hosts

  Longer term research

Research needs

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Programmatic courses of action: At-home and overseas

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Programmatic Courses of Action

  Possible steps to take to optimize the SA experience   Targeted measures

  Pre-departure preparation: Large scale   Adoption of good practices by SA programs: stated learning

objectives applicable to all forms of residence abroad   Courses in SLA , language and culture learning strategies

  Paige et al. (2004): Maximizing Study Abroad materials   Jackson (2006): Ethnography courses

  LAC: Moreno Lopez et al. (2008) or CLAC   Pre-departure preparation: Smaller scale, course built-in

  Furstenberg (2010): Cultura project   Kiely & Nielson (2004): Service learning components   Pertusa-Seva & Stewart (2000): Virtual study abroad   Zeiss & Isabelli-Garcia (2005): CMC to link students at home

with peers in country where they will study later

Pre-departure

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Programmatic Courses of Action

  FL programs   Wilkinson (2006)   A pedagogy of multiliteracies

  Kern (2000)   Swaffar and Arens (2005)

Pre-departure

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Programmatic Courses of Action

  In-country   Engle and Engle (1999)   Tonkin and Quiroga (2004)

In-country

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Programmatic Courses of Action

  FL programs

  LAC / CLAC

Post-SA

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Thank you Any questions?

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