Cover not available
Article published In:
Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education
Vol. 3:2 (2018) ► pp.167–190

Study-abroad students’ identity and social integration

| Georgia Gwinnett College

Students’ experiences abroad can vary a great deal and their identity plays a critical role in shaping their experiences. This study employed sociocultural theory, Critical Race Theory and Bourdieu’s notions of habitus and capital to explore the experiences of four groups of US undergraduates enrolled in four study abroad programs in Spain sponsored by a large US university located in the South East. Findings showed how students’ identity intersected and shaped their journey and impacted their social integration. The examples of Albert, Theresa, and Rebecca, three focal students, allowed for the analysis of how differently students’ identity, notably gender, race, ethnicity, age, social class, and nationality, affected their interactions with locals and perceptions of the target language, culture, and society. Important implications are discussed, including the importance of training study abroad participants before, during and after the trip, and selecting activities that facilitate greater and more sustained social integration.

Keywords: foreign language education, Spanish, study abroad, identity, social integration
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Review of literature
  • 3.Theoretical framework
  • 4.Methods
    • 4.1Participants and program of study
    • 4.2Data collection
    • 4.3Data analysis
  • 5.Findings and discussion
    • 5.1Albert’s experiences in Valencia
    • 5.2Theresa’s experiences in Valencia
    • 5.3Rebecca’s experiences in Cádiz
    • 5.4Rebecca, Albert, and Theresa’s reactions and learning process
      • 5.4.1Theresa
      • 5.4.2Albert
      • 5.4.3Rebecca
    • 5.5Implications
  • 6.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 12 October 2018
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.16015.gol
References

References

Benson, P., Barkhuizen, G., Bodycott, P., & Brown, J.
(2013) Second language identity in narratives of study abroad. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Block, D.
(2007) Second language identities. London: Continuum.Google Scholar
Bourdieu, P.
(1986) The forms of capital. In J. F. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory of research for sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York, NY: Greenwood Press.Google Scholar
Braun, V., & Clarke, V.
(2006) Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 31, 77–101. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Celce-Murcia, C., Dörnyei, Z., & Thurrell, S.
(1995) Communicative competence: A pedagogically motivated model with content specifications. Issues in Applied Linguistics, 61, 5–35.Google Scholar
Coleman, J.
(2010) What is the year abroad for? Insights and principles to inform assessment. Key-note speech, Assessment of the year abroad in modern language degrees. University of Bath.Google Scholar
Colombiani, J. -M.
(2009) El precio de la victoria. El País, 20 January 2009, retrieved from [URL] (17 October, 2017).
de Federico de la Rúa, A.
(2008) How do Erasmus students make friends. In S. Ehrenreich, G. Woodman, & M. Perrefort (Eds.), Auslandaufenthalte in Schule und Studium: Bestandesaufnahmen aus Forschung und Praxis (pp. 89–104). Münster: Waxmann.Google Scholar
Editorial
(2008) Torturas bendecidas. El País 26 December 2008, retrieved from [URL] (17 October, 2017).
Falk, R., & Kanach, N.
(2000) Globalization and study abroad: An illusion of paradox. Frontiers, 41, 155–168. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fuentes, C.
(2009) Bienvenido, señor Obama. El País 20 January 2009, retrieved from [URL] (17 October, 2017).
García-Ormaechea, S.
(2009) Los retos ambientales. El País 1 February 2009, retrieved from [URL] (17 October, 2017).
Goldoni, F.
(2013) Students’ immersion experiences in study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 46(3), 359–376. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2015) Preparing students for studying abroad: Modules for a pre-departure class. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 15(4), 1–20.Google Scholar
(2017) Study abroad and racial microaggressions. Journal of Language, Identity, and Education, 16(5), 328–341. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gore, J.
(2005) Dominant beliefs and alternative voices: Discourse, belief, and gender in American study abroad. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
IIE, Institute for International Education
(2016a) Open doors report 2015, retrieved from [URL] (17 October, 2017).
(2016b) Generation SA, retrieved from [URL] (21 October 2017).
Isabelli-García, C.
(2006) Study abroad social networks, motivation and attitudes: Implications for second language acquisition. In M. A. DuFon & E. Churchill (Eds.), Language learners in study abroad contexts (pp. 231–258). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kinginger, C.
(2009) Language learning and study abroad: A critical reading of research. Houndmills: Palgrave Macmillan. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2013a) (Ed.) Social and cultural aspects of language learning in study abroad. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2013b) Identity and language learning in study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 461, 339–358. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kline, R.
(1998) Literacy and language learning in a study abroad context. Frontiers, 41, 139–165. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kramsch, C. J.
(2009) The multilingual subject: What foreign language learners say about their experience and why it matters. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Meier, G.
(2010) Review of the assessment of the year abroad in the modern language degrees at Bath: Assessment for experiential and autonomous learning based on the continuity model. Research Report. Retrieved from [URL] (21 October 2017).
Meier, G., & Daniels, H.
(2013) “Just not being able to make friends:” Social interaction during the year abroad in modern language degrees. Research Papers in Education, 281, 212–238. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Patron, M. -C.
(2007) Culture and identity in study abroad contexts: After Australia, French without France. Bern: Peter Lang. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pearson-Evans, A.
(2006) Recording the journey: Diaries of Irish students in Japan. In M. Byram & A. Feng (Eds.), Living and studying abroad. Research and practice (pp. 38–55). Clevedon: Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pellegrino, V. A.
(2005) Study abroad and second language use: Constructing the self. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pitts, M.
(2009) Identity and the role of expectations, stress, and talk in short-term student sojourner adjustment: An application of the integrative theory of communication and cross-cultural adaptation. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 331, 450–462. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Poole, D.
(1992) Language socialization in the second language classroom. Language Learning, 421, 593–616. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Smith, W., Allen, W., & Danley, L.
(2007) ‘Assume the position… you fit the description’. Psychosocial experiences and racial battle fatigue among African American male college students. American Behavioral Scientist, 51(4), 551–578. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Twombly, S. B.
(1995) Piropos and friendship: Gender and culture clash in study abroad. Frontiers, 11, 1–27. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Vygotsky, L. S.
(1978) Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
(1987) Thinking and speech. In L. S. Vygotsky (Ed.), Collected works, Vol. 11, (pp. 39–285). New York, NY: Plenum.Google Scholar
Yosso, T.
(2005) Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 81, 69–91. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Cited by

Cited by 1 other publications

Moreno, Rhia
2021. Disrupting Neoliberal and Neocolonial Ideologies in U.S. Study Abroad: From Discourse to Intervention. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad 33:2 ► pp. 93 ff. DOI logo

This list is based on CrossRef data as of 13 april 2024. 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.