Student Perspectives on Language Learning in a Study Abroad Context

Students, teachers and researchers alike commonly agree that one of the most effective and efficient means for becoming proficient in a second language is study abroad. Learners who opt to spend a significant amount of time in the country of the target language (TL) are exposed to frequent and intense opportunities to interact with native speakers, to activate their linguistic and sociolinguistic skills to achieve real communicative goals, and to experience the tangible and visible manifestations of the target culture (TC) first hand. Numerous statistical studies attest to the value of study abroad (SA) in terms of proficiency outcomes (e.g., Stansfield 1975, Carroll 1967, Freed 1995), essentially establishing study abroad as the sine qua non of successful language acquisition. Yet, as with most second language acquisition (SLA) research, the majority of studies investigating study abroad have been highly product-oriented, focusing on the measurable advances students make in language proficiency and linguistic knowledge while abroad. Relatively little research considers the process of study abroad, i.e., the actual experiences and perspectives of learners living in a foreign country, removed from their home culture and immersed in the target language. This chapter offers an overview of