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Article published In: Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education
Vol. 2:1 (2017) ► pp.21–52

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Turkish students and their experiences during a short-term summer visit to the U.S.

 | Trakya University
Published online: 13 July 2017
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https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.2.1.02guv
Abstract
This study examined the language-related experiences of Turkish students during their time in the U.S., and how these experiences related to their perceptions about learning English in an English-speaking community and interacting with host community members. The study also examined why Turkish students preferred a native speaker environment such as the U.S. as a venue for learning English. The participants of the study included 31 Turkish students who took English classes in a short-term summer study program in the U.S. The study used face-to-face interviews for data collection and content analysis to categorize students’ experiences. Findings show that although the majority of the students benefited from their stay in the U.S., they faced various challenges that limited their interaction with the host community and restricted their access to language input.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Method
    • 2.1Participants and their short-term summer study program
    • 2.2Data collection and data analysis
  • 3.Results
    • 3.1Language-related reasons for choosing an English-speaking country as a venue for learning English
    • 3.2Non-linguistic reasons for choosing an English-speaking country as a venue for learning English
    • 3.3Positive opinions and perceived L2 gains
    • 3.4The linguistic and interactional problems and disappointments
    • 3.5Final opinions about learning English in an English-speaking environment
  • 4.Discussion
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • References
References (87)
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