Psychological intervention

Second language

Linguistics

Mathematics education

Demography

Philosophy

Social psychology

Pedagogy

Psychiatry

Second-language acquisition

Willingness to communicate

Language assessment

Psychology

Language proficiency

First language

Foreign language

Sociology

Intercultural communication

Medicine

Language acquisition

Medical education

Residence

Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education

Second language acquisition scholars have long recognized that language attitudes and motivation can play a critical role in second language (L2) learning, leading to variations in willingness to communicate (WTC) and initiate interactions in that language. This paper reports on the pre-sojourn phase of a mixed-method study that investigated the language and intercultural learning of 149 Chinese students from a Hong Kong university who participated in a semester-long exchange program in an English-speaking country. By way of a questionnaire survey, document analysis (e.g., study plans), and in-depth interviews, the first phase examined their pre-sojourn language use, attitudes, and motivation, as well as their aims, expectations, and concerns about their impending study and residence in the host environment. Studies of this nature are essential to provide direction for pre-sojourn orientations and other interventions that can support and optimize the language enhancement and intercultural engagement of outgoing L2 international exchange students.

The language use, attitudes, and motivation of Chinese students prior to a semester-long sojourn in an English-speaking environment