Article published In:
Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education
Vol. 10:1 (2025) ► pp.1–39

Mapping interaction in short-term study abroad

The prevalence of service encounters

ORCID logo | Carnegie Mellon University
The variability of speaking proficiency outcomes in study abroad (SA) is often thought of as confounding, as conclusions regarding even the most basic assumptions are not agreed upon. While instruments such as language contact and social network surveys shed light on target language engagement, comparisons across studies are often obscured by individual differences, SA program variability, and differences in study design and instruments. Qualitative approaches to understanding learners’ contexts for interaction can provide a fuller picture of what actually occurs during SA. From an interactionist perspective centering learners’ reflections about their interactions in journals, this article presents ten university students’ experiences in an eight-week language program in Turkey. The program’s unstructured nature (no language pledge or homestay) allowed for diverse interactional patterns to emerge. Findings highlight the central role of service encounters in providing learner access to speaking opportunities.
Keywords: interaction, Turkish learners, service encounters, journal studies, less commonly taught languages
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Myths and expectations regarding study abroad contacts
    • 2.2Language use
    • 2.3Language use and service encounters
    • 2.4Social contacts and “locals” in study abroad
  • 3.Current study
    • 3.1Context and participants
    • 3.2Data collection
      • 3.2.1Interviews
      • 3.2.2Journals
    • 3.3Analysis
      • 3.3.1Grounded theory
      • 3.3.2ChatGPT-assisted analysis
  • 4.Results
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1The role of service encounters
    • 5.2Limitations
    • 5.3Conclusion and implications
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
Published online: 6 January 2025
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.23011.bro
References (55)
References
Alt, D., & Raichel, N. (2020). Reflective journaling and metacognitive awareness: Insights from a longitudinal study in higher education. Reflective Practice, 21 (2), 145–158. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Arndt, H. L., Granfeldt, J., & Gullberg, M. (2021). Reviewing the potential of the Experience Sampling Method (ESM) for capturing second language exposure and use. Second Language Research, 39 (1), 39–58. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Baker-Smemoe, W., Dewey, D. P., Bown, J., & Martinsen, R. A. (2014). Variables affecting L2 gains during study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 47 (3), 464–486. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bataller, R. (2010). Making a request for a service in Spanish: Pragmatic development in the study abroad setting. Foreign Language Annals, 43 (1), 160–175. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Bolger, N., Davis, A., & Rafaeli, E. (2003). Diary methods: Capturing life as it is lived. Annual Review of Psychology, 54 (1), 579–616. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Coleman, J. A. (2013). Researching whole people and whole lives. In C. Kinginger (Ed.), Social and cultural aspects of language learning in study abroad (pp. 17–44). John Benjamins. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Compiegne, I. (2021). At the crossroads: Rethinking study abroad students’ social networking and intercultural communication in the age of globalization. Intercultural Communication Education, 4 (1), 56–74. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2008). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory (3rd ed.). Sage Publications. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Davidson, D. E. (2010). Study abroad: When, how long, and with what results? New data from the Russian front. Foreign Language Annals, 43 (1), 6–26. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Denton, A. W. (2018). The use of a reflective learning journal in an introductory statistics course. Psychology Learning & Teaching, 17 (1), 84–93. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dewaele, J.-M., & Botes, E. (2020). Does multilingualism shape personality? An exploratory investigation. International Journal of Bilingualism, 24 (4), 811–823. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dewey, D. P. (2017). Measuring social interaction during study abroad: Quantitative methods and challenges. System, 71 1, 49–59. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Dewey, D. P., Belnap, R. K., & Hillstrom, R. (2013). Social network development, language use, and language acquisition during study abroad: Arabic language learners’ perspectives. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 22 (1), 84–110. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Díaz, L., Taulé, M., & Enríquez, N. (2018). Being polite at the railway or bus station. In C. Sanz & A. Morales-Front (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of study abroad research and practice (pp. 102–118). Routledge.Google Scholar
Fernandez, J., & Gates Tapia, A. M. (2016). An appraisal of the Language Contact Profile as a tool to research local engagement in study abroad. Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education, 1 (2), 248–276. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Fraser, C. C. (2002). Study abroad: An attempt to measure the gains. German as a Foreign Language Journal, 1 1, 45–65.Google Scholar
Freed, B. F., Dewey, D. P., Segalowitz, N., & Halter, R. (2004). The language contact profile. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 26 (2), 349–356. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
García-Amaya, L. (2021). A change of setting: Measuring language use in an overseas immersion context. Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education, 6 (1), 32–58. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Gass, S., & Mackey, A. J. (2015). Interaction approaches. In B. VanPatten, & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition: An introduction (2nd ed.) (pp. 180–206). Routledge.Google Scholar
Gautier, R., & Chevrot, J. P. (2015). Social networks and acquisition of sociolinguistic variation in a study abroad context: A preliminary study. In R. F. Mitchell, K. McManus, & N. T. Ventura (Eds.), Social interaction, identity and language learning during residence abroad: EURLOSLA Monograph Series 4 1 (pp. 169–184). European Second Language Association.Google Scholar
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). Multilingual Matters. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2010). Acquisition of Spanish gender agreement in two learning contexts: Study abroad and at home. Foreign Language Annals, 43 (2), 289–303. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Jackson, J. (2008). Language, identity and study abroad: Sociocultural perspectives. Equinox.Google Scholar
Kaun, A. (2010). Open-ended online diaries: Capturing life as it is narrated. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 9 (2), 133–148. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kennedy Terry, K. (2022). At the intersection of SLA and sociolinguistics: The predictive power of social networks during study abroad. The Modern Language Journal, 106 (1), 245–266. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2023). Learning from locals: The impact of social networks with target-language speakers during study abroad. L2 Journal, 15 (2), 92–109. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kennedy Terry, K., & Bayley, R. (2024). Social network analysis in second language research: Theory and methods. Second language acquisition research series. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Kinginger, C., & Carnine, J. (2019). Language learning at the dinner table: Two case studies of French homestays. Foreign Language Annals, 52 (4), 850–872. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Lybeck, K. (2002). Cultural identification and second language pronunciation of Americans in Norway. The Modern Language Journal, 86 (2), 174–191. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Magnan, S. S., & Back, M. (2007). Social interaction and linguistic gain during study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 40 (1), 43–61. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Martinsen, R. A. (2010). Short-term study abroad: Predicting changes in oral skills. Foreign Language Annals, 43 (3), 504–530. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Martinsen, R., Baker, W., Dewey, D., Bown, J., & Johnson, C. (2010). Exploring diverse settings for language acquisition and use: Comparing study abroad, service learning abroad, and foreign language housing. Applied Language Learning, 20 (1–2), 45–69.Google Scholar
Mas-Alcolea, S., & Torres-Purroy, H. (2022). Discourses of foreign language development in study abroad: Social networks and other intervening factors. Foreign Language Annals, 55 (2), 494–516. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
McManus, K. (2019). Relationships between social networks and language development during study abroad. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 32 (3), 270–284. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, R. (2021). Documenting L2 input and interaction during study abroad: Approaches, instruments and challenges. Second Language Research, 39 (1), 59–83. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Mitchell, R., Tracy-Ventura, N., & McManus, K. (2017). Anglophone students abroad: Identity, social relationships and language learning. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ning, R. (2020). Chinese graduate students in Catalonia: Learning Catalan within the social networks in a bilingual society. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 43 (10), 935–950. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT-3 (Sept. 14 version) [Large language model]. [URL]
Potter, J., & Hepburn, A. (2005). Qualitative interviews in psychology: Problems and possibilities. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 2 (4), 281–307. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Pozzi, R., & Bayley, R. (2021). The development of a regional phonological feature during a semester abroad in Argentina. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 43 (1), 109–132. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Ranta, L., & Meckelborg, A. (2013). How much exposure to English do international graduate students really get? Measuring language use in a naturalistic setting. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 69 (1), 1–33. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Riegelhaupt, F., & Carrasco, R. (2000). Mexico host family reactions to a bilingual Chicana teacher in Mexico: A case study of language and culture clash. Bilingual Research Journal, 24 1, 333–349. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Rivers, W. P. (1998). Is being there enough? The effects of homestay placements on language gain during study abroad. Foreign Language Annals, 31 1, 492–500. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Salaberry, M. R., White, K., & Burch, A. R. (2019). Language learning and interactional experiences in study abroad settings: An introduction to the special issue. Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition & International Education, 4 (1), 1–18. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Sanz, C., & Morales-Front, A. (Eds.). (2018). The Routledge handbook of study abroad research and practice. Routledge. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Segalowitz, N., & Freed, B. (2004). Context, contact, and cognition in oral fluency acquisition: Learning Spanish in at home and study abroad contexts. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 26 1, 173–199. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Shiri, S. (2015). The homestay in intensive language study abroad: Social networks, language socialization, and developing intercultural competence. Foreign Language Annals, 48 (1), 5–25. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Shively, R. L. (2011). L2 pragmatic development in study abroad: A longitudinal study of Spanish service encounters. Journal of Pragmatics, 43 (6), 1818–1835. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
(2013). Out-of-class interaction during study abroad: Service encounters in Spain. Spanish in Context, 10 (1), 53–91. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Strawbridge, T. (2023). The relationship between social network typology, L2 proficiency growth, and curriculum design in university study abroad. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 45(5), 1131–1161. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Tanaka, K. (2007). Japanese students’ contact with English outside the classroom during study abroad. New Zealand Studies in Applied Linguistics, 13 (1), 36–54.Google Scholar
Trentman, E. (2017). Oral fluency, sociolinguistic competence, and language contact: Arabic learners studying abroad in Egypt. System, 69 1, 54–64. DOI logoGoogle Scholar
Wenger, E. (1998). Communities of practice: Learning as a social system. Systems Thinker, 9 (5), 2–3.Google Scholar
Whitworth, K. F. (2006). Access to language learning during study abroad: The roles of identity and subject positioning (Publication No. 3229461) [Doctoral dissertation, Pennsylvania State University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.
Zappa-Hollman, S., & Duff, P. A. (2015). Academic English socialization through individual networks of practice. TESOL Quarterly, 49 (2), 333–368. DOI logoGoogle Scholar