The Effects of Long-Term Study Abroad on Second Language Identity: The Case of Korean International Students in Australia

Abstract

In this globalisation era, the number of people studying abroad is growing rapidly. The context of study abroad in the construction of one's second language identity itself is particularly important. As for the majority of learners who are studying abroad, their efforts to engage and interact in their second language are creating natural effects in the construction of their second language identities. Sato (2014) assumed that study abroad with longer duration could lead to a more intensive experience which affects the construction of learners' second language identities differently from the shorter period. Based on that assumption, this study is discussing second language identity in a long-term study abroad context; specifically, second language identity amongst Korean international students in Australia. The method used in this qualitative study is a narrative inquiry and for triangulation purpose, a combination of three sources of data collection is used: 1) self-reports about English language learning experience in Australia written by participants; 2) one-on-one semi-structured interviews; 3) in-class observations. Focusing on the outcomes on participants' second language competence with personal and social identity, it was found that even though all participants claimed to have developed something in their long-term SA experiences, not all participants were positively affected by it. This indicates that study abroad, despite all the positive outcomes that many people believe, is not always a good thing for learners.



Author Information
Dhanisa K. Miftahul Huda, Macquarie University, Australia

Paper Information
Conference: CHER-HongKong2018
Stream: Globalisation/internalisation of education and impact on student learning

This paper is part of the CHER-HongKong2018 Conference Proceedings (View)
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Posted by James Alexander Gordon