The Effect of Study Abroad Homestay Placements: Participant Perspectives and Oral Proficiency Gains

“Study abroad is often viewed as the ideal environment for language learners to develop their abilities because it is assumed to provide a depth of immersion into the target language that is rife with interactions with native speakers.”

Background Early research on language learning in study abroad used criterion-referenced tests to measure language growth Later studies no longer used exclusive test-based data and began investigating the relationships between language development, student characteristics and specific experiences abroad

Continued The first studies attempted to correlate language gains with quantitative accounts of student activities and target language use Second: ethnographies and case studies assessed student perceptions of study abroad Third (Most recently): Researchers have begun mixed methods of studies incorporating analysis of student behaviors and language learning outcomes

This study was designed to further explore student and host family perspectives and their relationship to students’ oral proficiency gains during study abroad

Sample A group of 152 U.S. students (92 females, 60 males) enrolled in semester-long study abroad programs living in homestays in Peru, Chile, China and Russia 87 representatives of host families (Some were single parent households, host grandparents, families with no children, families who had hosted before and families that had never hosted before) Data was collected from spring 2011 to fall 2012 semester

Research Questions 1. How did students perceive their relationship with their host family? 2. To what extent were students’ perceptions related to both their satisfaction with their language learning experiences and their actual language gains? 3. How did host families perceive the disposition of the student they hosted? 4. To what extent were host families’ perceptions related to student language gains?

Variables Length of stay abroad Gender/Race of student Country in which student is studying

Data Collection Techniques Participation by students and host families was voluntary Surveys were handed out at the beginning and end of the semester abroad to the student and the host family (Pre&Post) Survey data was collected between week 2&3 and again at week 15 SOPIs were administered between week 2&3 and again during week 15

Data Analysis Techniques Results from Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (SOPI) Students were divided into groups of “gainers” and “nongainers” Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare participants perceptions across all language groups

Results 151 students who completed the post-survey provided mostly positive responses about their homestay experience (1 student didn’t take the survey) Students studying Spanish had overall the most positive results More than a quarter of Russian students disagreed they were glad to live with a host family, compared with 6% of Spanish and 10% of Mandarin students Nearly all students would recommend living w/a host family All participants maintained or improved their oral proficiency during their time abroad Student perceptions of the homestay experience were more closely related to their language learning satisfaction than to their actual oral proficiency gain

Limitations/Implications Not all students were prepared to handle the experiences that they encountered in the host community/host home Not all students were taught about cultural differences/values before their trips Some students might have been too nervous/anxious to communicate/engage in activates with their host family Host families may have spoken in simplified language to make it easier for the student to understand Some host families didn’t see helping the student improve speaking the language as the #1 priority

Limitations/Implications Lack of focus on specific oral gains or measures such as fluency, complexity and accuracy Lack of diverse population of study abroad participants (with regard to age, institution of origin, place of origin, etc.) Data was from self-reported surveys (bias)

Conclusion Learner engagement with the host community is a key factor in acquiring language during time abroad Students studying Spanish, Russian and Mandarin who lived in homestay placements made considerable gains on the SOPI scale Most students and host perceptions of the homestay relationship did not correlate with language gains By placing study abroad students in close contact with native speakers (homestay), it can facilitate significant language development