Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

What Shapes Short-Term Study Abroad Experiences? A Comparative Case Study Of Students' Motives And Goals, Heather W. Allen

Heather Willis Allen

This comparative case study explored the motives and goals of two American students participating in a short-term study abroad program from an activity-theoretic perspective. Findings demonstrated that despite numerous shared characteristics and language-learning histories prior to study abroad, the students were learning French and participating in SA for different reasons. Dissimilarities between the two students' motives for language learning and initial goals for study abroad led to significant differences during study abroad in their experiences using French outside class and interacting with their host families and, later, to shifts in their goals and language-learning strategies. These findings offer support for …