Cover not available
Part of
Language Acquisition in Study Abroad and Formal Instruction Contexts
Edited by Carmen Pérez-Vidal
[AILA Applied Linguistics Series 13] 2014
► pp. 1–14

Chapter 1. Contributions of study abroad research to our understanding of SLA processes and outcomes

The SALA Project, an appraisal

| Georgetown University
Central to research on second language acquisition (SLA) has been the question of the potential effects of learning conditions on rate of acquisition and final attainment, with enough publications to allow for meta-analyses (Norris & Ortega 2000; Spada & Tomita 2010; Li 2010). Typically, the specific learning conditions themselves, whether implicit or explicit, have been motivated either by research on cognitive psychology – memorization vs. rule search, for example – or have been pedagogical in nature – grammar explanation or type of feedback. As of late, however, the field has been reconsidering the breadth of those external conditions to include research on Study Abroad as a special context characterized by an uninstructed (i.e. implicit) component that may or may not combine with an instructed (i.e. explicit) component. With this, research on Study Abroad – the topic of the present volume – has moved to a central place in SLA research. This chapter introduces the SALA Project as an example of the contributions that research on study/stay abroad can make to our understanding of how second languages are learned.
Published online: 8 July 2014
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/aals.13.01ch1
References
Adams, R.
2006 Language learning strategies in the study abroad context. In Language Learners in Study Abroad Contexts , M.A. DuFon & E. Churchill (eds), 259–292. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Bacon, S.M.
2002 Learning the rules: Language development and cultural adjustment during study abroad. Foreign Language Annals 35(6): 637–646. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Carroll, J.B.
1967  The Foreign Language Attainments of Language Majors in their Senior Year—A Survey Conducted in U.S. Colleges and Universities . Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Collentine, J.
2004 The effects of learning contexts on morphosyntactic and lexical development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 26(2):227–248.Google Scholar
Collentine, J. & Freed, B.
2004 Learning context and its effects on second language acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 26(4): 153–171.Google Scholar
DK, R.M.
1991 Foreign language development during a semester abroad. In Foreign Language Acquisition Research and the Classroom Education , B. Freed (ed.), 104–119. Lexington MA: D. C. Heath.Google Scholar
2010 Monitoring processes in Spanish as a second language during a study abroad program. Foreign Language Annals 43(1): 80–92. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Díaz-Campos, M.
2004 Context of learning in the acquisition of Spanish second language phonology. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 26(2):249–273. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
DuFon, M.A. & Churchill, E.
(eds) 2006  Language Learners in Study Abroad Contexts . Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Freed, B.
1990 Language learning in a study abroad context: The effects of interactive and non-interactive out-of-class contact on grammatical achievement and oral proficiency. In Linguistics, Language Teaching, and Language Acquisition: The Interdependence of Theory, Practice and Research [Georgetown University Round Table on Languages and Linguistics], J.E. Alatis (ed.), 549–478. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press.Google Scholar
1995 What makes us think students who study abroad become more fluent? In Second Language Acquisition in a Study-Abroad Context [Studies in Bilingualism 9], B. Freed (ed.), 123–148. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Freed, B., Segalowitz, N. & Dewey, D.P.
2004 Context of learning and second-language fluency in French: Comparing regular classroom study abroad, and intensive domestic immersion programs. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 26(2): 275–301.Google Scholar
Grey, S., Cox, J., Serafini, E.J. & Sanz, C.
(Under review). When does Working Memory Matter? An investigation of Lexcial and Grammatical Development in an Immersion Context.Google Scholar
Guntermann, G.
1995 The Peace Corps experience: Language learning in training and in the field. In Second Language Acquisition in a Study Abroad Context [Studies in Bilingualism 9], B. Freed (ed.), 149–169. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hansen, L.
(ed.) 2012  Second Language Acquisition Abroad: The LDS Missionary Experience [Studies in Bilingualism 45]. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Hokanson, S.
2000 Foreign language immersion homestays: Maximizing the accommodation of cognitive styles. Applied Language Learning 11(2): 239–64.Google Scholar
Housen, A., Schoonjans, E., Janssens, S., Welcomme, A., Schoonheere, E. & Pierrard, M.
2011 Conceptualizing and measuring the impact of contextual factors in instructed SLA – the role of language prominence. International Review of Applied Linguistics 49(2): 83–112. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Krashen, S.D.
1985  The Input Hypothesis: Issues and Implications, Vol. 1 . London: Longman.Google Scholar
LaBrozzi, R.M.
2012 The role of study abroad and inhibitory control on processing redundant cues. In Selected Proceedings of the 14th Hispanic Linguistics Symposium , K. Geeslin & M. Díaz-Campos (eds), 228–241. Somerville MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project.Google Scholar
Lado, B., Sanz, C., Bowden, H.W. & Stafford, C.A.
Forthcoming A fine-grained analysis of the effects of more vs. less explicit feedback in SLA. Language Teaching Research . DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lafford, B.A.
1995 Getting into, through and out of a survival situation. In Second Language Acquisition in a Study-Abroad Context , B. Freed (ed.), 97–121. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Larson-Hall, J. & Dewey, D.
2012 An examination of the effects of input, aptitude, and motivation on the language proficiency of missionaries learning Japanese as a second language. In Second Language Acquisition Abroad: The LDS Missionary Experience , L. Hansen (ed.), 45–51. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.Google Scholar
Li, S.
2010 The effectiveness of corrective feedback in SLA: A meta-analysis. Language Learning 60(2): 309–365. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Llanes, À. & Muñoz, C.
2009 A short stay abroad: Does it make a difference? System 37(3): 353–365. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Llanes, À., Tragant, E. & Serrano, R.
2012 The role of individual differences in a study abroad experience: The case of ERASMUS students. International Journal of Multilingualism 9(3):318–342. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Long, M.H.
1996 The role of the linguistic environment in second language acquisition. In Handbook of Second Language Acquisition , W.C. Ritchie & T.K. Bahtia (eds.), 413–68. New York NY: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Meara, P.
1994 The year abroad and its effects. Language Learning Journal 10(1): 32–38. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mora, J.C.
2008 Learning context effects on the acquisition of a second language phonology. In A Portrait of the Young in the New Multilingual Spain , C. Pérez-Vidal, M. Juan-Garau & A. Bel (eds), 241–263. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters.Google Scholar
Mora, J.C. & Valls-Ferrer, M.
2012 Oral fluency, accuracy, and complexity in formal instruction and study abroad learning contexts. TESOL Quarterly 46(4): 610–641.Google Scholar
Morgan-Short, K., Steinhauer, K., Sanz, C. & Ullman, M.
2012 Explicit and implicit second language training differentially affect the achievement of native-like brain activation patterns. Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 24(4): 933–947. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Norris, J. & Ortega, L.
2000 Effectiveness of L2 instruction: A research synthesis and quantitative meta-analysis. Language Learning 50(3): 417–528. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
O’Brien, I., Segalowitz, N., Freed, B. & Collentine, J.
2007. Phonological memory predicts second language oral fluency gains in adults. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 29(4): 557–582.Google Scholar
Ortega, L. & Byrnes, H.
2008  The Longitudinal Study of Advanced L2 Capacities . New York NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Rivers, W.P.
1998 Is being there enough? The effects of homestay placements on language gain during study abroad. Foreign Language Annals 31(4): 492–500. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Schmidt, R.
1990 The role of consciousness in second language learning. Applied Linguistics 11(2): 129–158. DOI: 10.1093/applin/11.2.129Google Scholar
Segalowitz, N. & Freed, B.
2004 Context, contact, and cognition in oral fluency acquisition. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 26(2):173–199. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Simões, A.R.M.
1996 Phonetics in second language acquisition: An acoustic study of fluency in adult learners of Spanish. Hispania 79(1):87–95. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Spada, N. & Tomita, Y.
2010 Interactions between type of instruction and type of language feature: A meta-analysis. Language Learning 60(2): 263–308. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sunderman, G. & Kroll, J.F.
2009 When study-abroad experience fails to deliver: The internal resources threshold effect. Applied Psycholinguistics 30(1): 79–99. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Swain, M.
1995 Three functions of output in second language learning. In Principle and Practice in Applied Linguistics: Studies in Honour of HG Widdowson , H.G. Widdowson, G. Cook & B. Seidlhofer (eds.), 125–144. Oxford: OUP.Google Scholar
Taguchi, N.
2008 Cognition, language contact, and the development of pragmatic comprehension in a study-abroad context. Language Learning 58(1): 33–71. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 27 other publications

Albert, Agnes, Harriet Wood Bowden & Kata Csizér
2023. Chapter 13. Individual variables in study abroad contexts. In Methods in Study Abroad Research [Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 4], ► pp. 319 ff. DOI logo
Albert, Ágnes, Boglárka Spissich & Kata Csizér
2022. Külföldi tanulmányutak és egyéni különbségek. Magyar Pedagógia 122:2 ► pp. 89 ff. DOI logo
Bongiovanni, Silvina, Avizia Y. Long, Megan Solon & Erik W. Willis
2015. The effect of short-term study abroad on second language Spanish phonetic development. Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics 8:2 ► pp. 243 ff. DOI logo
Borràs, Judith & Àngels Llanes
2021. Investigating the impact of a semester-long study abroad program on L2 reading and vocabulary development. Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education 6:2 ► pp. 276 ff. DOI logo
Faretta-Stutenberg, Mandy & Kara Morgan-Short
2018. The interplay of individual differences and context of learning in behavioral and neurocognitive second language development. Second Language Research 34:1 ► pp. 67 ff. DOI logo
García‐Amaya, Lorenzo
2022. Exploring the connection between language use and oral performance during study abroad: Results from the Daily Language Questionnaire 2. Foreign Language Annals 55:1 ► pp. 198 ff. DOI logo
Gaugler, Kevin M. & Carolyn C. Matheus
2019. Engineering engagement: Perceived L2 development and short‐term service learning abroad. Foreign Language Annals 52:2 ► pp. 314 ff. DOI logo
Grey, Sarah, Jessica G. Cox, Ellen J. Serafini & Cristina Sanz
2015. The Role of Individual Differences in the Study Abroad Context: Cognitive Capacity and Language Development During Short‐Term Intensive Language Exposure. The Modern Language Journal 99:1 ► pp. 137 ff. DOI logo
Isabelli-García, Christina, Jennifer Bown, John L. Plews & Dan P. Dewey
2018. Language learning and study abroad. Language Teaching 51:4 ► pp. 439 ff. DOI logo
Leonard, Karen Ruth & Christine E. Shea
2017. L2 Speaking Development During Study Abroad: Fluency, Accuracy, Complexity, and Underlying Cognitive Factors. The Modern Language Journal 101:1 ► pp. 179 ff. DOI logo
Li, Dang
2018. Chinese-dialect film and its translation: A case study ofThe World(2004). Journal of Chinese Cinemas 12:3 ► pp. 267 ff. DOI logo
Long, Avizia Y. & Megan Solon
2021. The impact of a short-term stay abroad on L2 Spanish syntactic complexity development in narratives. Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education 6:1 ► pp. 163 ff. DOI logo
Marijuan, Silvia & Cristina Sanz
2018. Expanding Boundaries: Current and New Directions in Study Abroad Research and Practice. Foreign Language Annals 51:1 ► pp. 185 ff. DOI logo
Marijuan, Silvia & Cristi Vallejos
2023. Chapter 9. Complexity, fluency and accuracy in study abroad research. In Methods in Study Abroad Research [Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 4], ► pp. 209 ff. DOI logo
Montero, Lidia
2019. Developing effective L2 communication strategies abroad and at home. The Language Learning Journal 47:5 ► pp. 642 ff. DOI logo
Morales-Front, Alfonso
2023. Chapter 12. Phonological and phonetic development in study abroad research. In Methods in Study Abroad Research [Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 4], ► pp. 291 ff. DOI logo
Moranski, Kara, Juan Godoy-Peñas, Bernard Issa, Mandy Faretta-Stutenberg & Harriet Wood Bowden
2023. Spanish L2 Development in a Short-Term Domestic Immersion Program. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad 35:1 ► pp. 345 ff. DOI logo
Nightingale, Richard & Eva Alcón-Soler
2023. Chapter 11. Investigating pragmatic development in study abroad contexts. In Methods in Study Abroad Research [Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 4], ► pp. 265 ff. DOI logo
Pérez-Vidal, Carmen
2015. Practice makes best: contrasting learning contexts, comparing learner progress. International Journal of Multilingualism 12:4 ► pp. 453 ff. DOI logo
Pérez-Vidal, Carmen & Cristina Sanz
2023. Chapter 1. Research methods in study abroad. In Methods in Study Abroad Research [Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 4], ► pp. 9 ff. DOI logo
Róg, Tomasz, Zofia Moros-Pałys, Aleksandra Wróbel & Marta Książek-Róg
2020. Intercultural Competence and L2 Acquisition in the Study Abroad Context. Journal of Intercultural Communication 20:1 ► pp. 76 ff. DOI logo
Schenker, Theresa
2018. Making short‐term study abroad count—Effects on German language skills. Foreign Language Annals 51:2 ► pp. 411 ff. DOI logo
Schwieter, John W., Aline Ferreira & Paul Chamness Miller
2018. Study abroad learners’ metalinguistic and sociocultural reflections on short- and long-term international experiences. Intercultural Education 29:2 ► pp. 236 ff. DOI logo
Strobl, Carola & Kristof Baten
2021. Writing development during study abroad. Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education 6:1 ► pp. 124 ff. DOI logo
Wright, Clare
2020. Effects of task type on L2 Mandarin fluency development. Journal of Second Language Studies 3:2 ► pp. 157 ff. DOI logo
Zalbidea, Janire & Bernard Issa
2023. Chapter 2. Quantitative approaches in L2 research abroad. In Methods in Study Abroad Research [Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 4], ► pp. 33 ff. DOI logo
Zhang, Songshan & Xian Zhang
2022. The relationship between vocabulary knowledge and L2 reading/listening comprehension: A meta-analysis. Language Teaching Research 26:4 ► pp. 696 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 15 november 2023. Please note that it may not be complete. Sources presented here have been supplied by the respective publishers. Any errors therein should be reported to them.