Perspectives on Mediated L2 Learning during Study Abroad: Identity, Motivation, and Learning Strategies

Introduction

Globalization, economic development and easier transportation have led to an increasing number of study abroad programs serving millions of students. China is the top country that sends most international students to the US. In 2014, China retained its leading place as sender of approximately 274,439 students to the US for academic degrees, taking up over one-quarter of the total international students’ enrollment in the US (IIE, 2014). The popularity of study abroad is also reflected in the increasing amount of scholarship in this field. The benefits and challenges in study abroad have been discussed for decades. While some scholars have argued that study abroad leads to linguistic gains, increased cultural competence and other communicative skills (i.e., Carlson, Burn, Useem & Yachimowitz, 1991; McCabe, 1994; Milstein, 2005); other researchers evidence that study abroad proposes risks in anxiety and varies in results depending on the context and individual differences (e.g., Barron, 2006).

Amid the substantial studies to explore the advantages and disadvantages of study abroad and to assess the effectiveness of programs, however, language learning during study abroad is researched in a measurable quantitative sphere. These measurable language gains include overall language proficiency (i.e., Brecht, Davidson & Ginsberg, 1993; Freed, 1998; Lindseth, 2010), nuanced growth in diverse linguistic aspects (i.e., Bretch et al., 1993; Kinginger, 2008; Lafford, 1995) and comparing linguistic gains across contexts (i.e., Freed, Segalowitz & Dewey, 2004). A large amount of the existing scholarship is ‘highly product-oriented, focusing on the measurable advances students [made] in language proficiency and linguistic knowledge while abroad’ (Pellegrino, 1998, p. 91).

Although previous studies have generated significant insights in the field, a missing piece is the participants’ own perspectives of their study abroad process. In recent decades, increasing scholars shifted their questions from what knowledge is learned to how knowledge is learned and why it is learned in a certain way. To unravel the learning process, scholars find the point of departure in learners themselves: their identity, motivation and strategies. For instance, Haneda (2005) explored the relationship between L2 learners’ participation in class and their desires; Chang (2011) evidenced the importance of considering students’ past histories and imagined community when studying their academic journey during study abroad through two doctoral students’ L2 experience. Gaining in-depth understanding of each person’s story will be a powerful tool to understand why this person learns the L2 in a certain way. Scholars continue to call for more light shed on the process of learning from the students’ point of view.