HAAL 2016

Keynote Speakers

 

Professor Jane Jackson, Chinese University of Hong Kong

 

From research to practice: Intervening in the learning of L2 study abroad students

 

Abstract: In the past decade, the number of Hong Kong university students joining study abroad programs has risen sharply as internationalization efforts intensify, and nearly all of the participants study or take courses in a second language (L2) during their sojourn. While considerable effort is being expended to increase participation rates, it is also important to pay attention to the quality of sojourn learning. International education is widely assumed to be transformative, leading to significant gains in L2 proficiency, intercultural competence, and global-mindedness; however, study abroad researchers are discovering that a range of complex internal and external elements can lead to quite disparate outcomes. Accordingly, many scholars now advocate research-based interventions in study abroad programs to optimize the potential of L2 sojourns. After summarizing the findings of recent investigations of the L2 and intercultural development of student sojourners from Greater China, this presentation centers on courses that have been created to enhance the L2/intercultural learning of study abroad students from a Hong Kong university. Intercultural transitions has been designed for students with recent or current international experience, while Intercultural communication and engagement abroad, a fully online course, has been developed for international exchange students who are abroad when the course is offered.  Both draw on poststructuralist notions of identity change and L2 socialization (Block, 2009, Norton, 2000), experiential learning theory (Kolb, 1983; Passarelli & Kolb, 2012), and the Intercultural Development Continuum (Hammer, 2012) an updated version of the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (Bennett, 1993). At the heart of these research-inspired courses is structured, critical reflection and meaningful L2/intercultural engagement.  After providing an overview of the courses and the lessons learned from recent offerings, discussion centers on the potential benefits and challenges of employing critical praxis to deepen and extend the intercultural learning and L2/sociopragmatic awareness of student sojourners.  Underscoring the need to strengthen the research-teaching nexus, this presentation highlights the unique roles that applied linguists can play to help achieve the aims of internationalization.