| Description: |
Focusing on the actual experiences of L2 students who travelled from their homes to foreign lands as part of a faculty-led, short-term SA program, the author explores the linkage between intercultural awareness and sensitivity, language development (e.g., sociopragmatic awareness), and identity reconstruction in young adult L2 learners. |
| Synopsis: |
Intercultural Journeys: From Study to Residence Abroad explores the language and (inter)cultural learning of second language students before, during, and after a short-term sojourn in the host culture. Drawing on current theories of intercultural (communicative)/ global competences and the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), it examines the students' developmental trajectories. The findings raise awareness of the multifarious internal and external factors that can influence sojourn outcomes. Linking theory with the actual experience of sojourners, the author suggests innovative ways to enhance language and intercultural learning both at home and abroad. While the book examines the linguistic, intercultural, and identity development of Chinese sojourners, elements of their stories reach across ethnic, linguistic, and geographic lines and resonate with L2 learners in other parts of the world. The book provides a valuable reference for international educators, second language specialists, interculturalists, study abroad professionals, adult educators, and sojourners. |