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The Impact of Short‐Term Study Abroad Programs on L2 Listening Comprehension Skills
Author(s) -
Cubillos Jorge H.,
Chieffo Lisa,
Fan Chunbo
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
foreign language annals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.258
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1944-9720
pISSN - 0015-718X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1944-9720.2008.tb03284.x
Subject(s) - listening comprehension , study abroad , active listening , psychology , comprehension , language proficiency , foreign language , term (time) , mathematics education , pedagogy , linguistics , communication , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics
This study investigates the impact of a five‐week intermediate Spanish course on the listening comprehension ability of 48 participants in short‐term study abroad programs, and compares these groups with 92 peers enrolled in a similar course on the home campus. While both on‐campus and study abroad groups experienced similar gains in listening comprehension, there were significant differences in the way learners approached listening tasks: The study abroad group applied primarily top‐down and social listening strategies, while the on‐campus students favored bottom‐up processing. Higher‐proficiency students in the study abroad groups had significantly higher comprehension gains, and the study abroad groups achieved higher levels of confidence and self‐perceived ability after the treatment. Results outline some of the benefits and limitations of short‐term foreign sojourns for beginner and low‐intermediate language learners.