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Article published In: Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education
Vol. 9:1 (2024) ► pp.1–25

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When heritage speakers study in their heritage countries

An exploration of identity dynamics and their implications for study abroad program success

ORCiD logo with link | Texas Tech University
 | University of Florida
 | University of Groningen
Published online: 9 February 2024
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.22012.gue
Abstract
With a well-established bedrock of literature exploring the benefits of study abroad (SA) in second/foreign/additional language learning contexts (e.g., Anderson, P. H., Lawton, L., Rexeisen, R. J., & Hubbard, A. C. (2006). Short-term study abroad and intercultural sensitivity: A pilot study. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 30(4), 457–469. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Smith, D. E., & Mitry, D. J. (2008). Benefits of study abroad and creating opportunities: The case for short-term programs. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching, 1(1), 236–246.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Williams, T. R. (2005). Exploring the impact of study abroad on students’ intercultural communication skills: Adaptability and sensitivity. Journal of Studies in International Education, 9(4), 356–371. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar), Spanish as a heritage language scholars have only recently begun to explore SA settings (e.g., Pozzi, R., Quan, T., & Escalante, C. (Eds.). (2021). Heritage speakers of Spanish and study abroad. Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Quan, T., Pozzi, R., Kehoe, S., & Menard-Warwick, J. (2018). Spanish heritage language learners in study abroad across three national contexts. In C. Sanz & A. Morales-Front (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of study abroad research and practice (pp. 437–451). Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Shively, R. (2018). Spanish heritage speakers studying abroad. In K. Potowski (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of Spanish as a heritage language (pp. 403–419). Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar). This short-term longitudinal multiple case study examines the experiences of four Mexican American college students during a SA program in Mexico, their heritage country, and their interplay with their evolving identities. We draw from social identity theory concepts and tools (e.g., Bucholtz, M., & Hall, K. (2005). Identity and interaction: A sociocultural linguistic approach. Discourse Studies, 7(4–5), 585–614. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar; Hogg, M. A., & Abrams, D. (1988). Social identifications: A social psychology of intergroup relations and group processes. Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar) to compare the students’ individual expectations, experiences, and outcomes of participating in the program. Data were collected using personal reflections and individual interviews at three stages (prior to, during, and after completing the program). Results reveal general positive experiences at the superficial level, with changes in each individual’s ethnic identification, supporting the need to further examine individual differences in future SA research. Finally, drawing from these findings, we make recommendations to prepare students, host families, and instructors to engage practices that will aid in SA program success.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Identity: A working definition
  • 3.Heritage speakers in SA contexts
  • 4.Methods
    • 4.1Participants
    • 4.2The context: A SA program
    • 4.3Data collection and analysis
  • 5.Results
    • 5.1Gerardo
    • 5.2Tennessee
    • 5.3Leandro
    • 5.4Elisa
  • 6.Discussion
  • 7.Deriving pedagogical implications
    • Pre-SA experience
    • During the SA experience
    • After the SA experience
  • 8.Conclusions
  • Notes
  • References
References (45)
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Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Pozzi, Rebecca, Chelsea Escalante & Tracy Quan
2025. Mi lengua, mi identidad: formación para docentes en programas de estudios en el extranjero sobre hablantes de herencia. Journal of Spanish Language Teaching 12:2 ► pp. 168 ff. DOI logo

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