Contemporary research on language and intercultural learning during study abroad programs has led scholars to
challenge the immersion assumption and to argue the need for interventions that would deepen and extend the learning potential of
this experience (Jackson, 2018). In an attempt to underscore this point, this paper
reports on an experimental study which explores the impact of a pedagogical intervention where two groups of Flemish students
(n = 34) are tracked during their Erasmus stay in Spain. One group of students (n = 14) is
enrolled in the intervention and encouraged to engage in linguistically and culturally challenging encounters while the other
group is not (n = 20). Both language use and social network formation are examined through an extended version of
the SASIQ questionnaire (Dewey et al., 2013), completed following their experience abroad. Although it is not straightforward to grasp the influence of such curricular initiatives on learner interaction and
language contact abroad, results from the study are consistent with previous findings on the importance of fostering social
interactions for L2 development. Furthermore, a number of social network variables also point out how L2 self-perceived progress
can be fostered abroad.
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Cited by (8)
Cited by eight other publications
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2024. Study Abroad Students’ Social Contacts in Different Linguistic Contexts and Their Relationship With English Use and Development. Language Learning
2024. From Caterpillar to Butterfly: Story of an Ordinarily Extraordinary Generation Z L2 Student Abroad. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad 36:1 ► pp. 312 ff.
MacDonald, Malcolm N. & Hans J. Ladegaard
2023. Editorial. Language and Intercultural Communication 23:2 ► pp. 145 ff.
2023. Shifting perspectives when it comes to the cultural ‘other’: students’ reflections of their intercultural encounters during study abroad. Language and Intercultural Communication 23:2 ► pp. 183 ff.
Strawbridge, Tripp
2023. The relationship between social network typology, L2 proficiency growth, and curriculum design in university study abroad. Studies in Second Language Acquisition 45:5 ► pp. 1131 ff.
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