ABSTRACT

Study abroad (SA) has recently become an increasingly popular option for language learners who wish to engage in an immersive educational experience while living in a different culture, but not all SA programmes are created equal. Length of time can vary significantly, from a days or weeks up to a year or more spent in the target culture, and this can affect not only linguistic development but also non-linguistic factors such as intercultural communication, confidence using the second/foreign language (L2), and a sense of L2 self. The purpose of this study was to examine how two groups of Japanese learners of English going abroad for different lengths of time (one month (n = 79) and one year (n = 70) respectively) were affected across a range of non-linguistic variables. Pre- and post-SA survey data were collected, and results indicate that both groups achieved significant benefits in increased L2 speaking confidence and a strengthening of sense of an ideal L2 self, while also undergoing a weakening of ought-to L2 self. However, the degree of change was not uniform across groups. Moreover, the short-term SA participants demonstrated a decrease in ethnocentricity whereas the long-term participants did not.

摘要

最近，出国留学 (SA) 已成为语言学习者越来越受欢迎的选择，他们希望在不同的文化中获得身临其境的教育体验，但并非所有 SA 项目都是一样的。在目标文化中度过的时间长度可能会有很大差异，从几天或几周到一年或更长时间，这不仅会影响语言发展，还会影响非语言因素，例如跨文化交流、使用第二语言/外语的信心(L2)，以及 L2 自我意识。本研究的目的是调查两组日本英语学习者出国不同时间（一个月（n  = 79）和一年（n = 70）分别）受到一系列非语言变量的影响。收集了 SA 之前和之后的调查数据，结果表明，两组都在提高 L2 口语信心和加强理想 L2 自我意识方面取得了显着的效果，同时也削弱了应该 L2 自我。然而，各组之间的变化程度并不统一。此外，短期SA参与者表现出种族中心性下降，而长期参与者则没有。