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Article published In: Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education
Vol. 10:1 (2025) ► pp.40–74

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Attention to lexicon, private languaging, and student L2 journals in a study abroad context

ORCiD logo with link | Ain Shams University
 | University of Alberta
 | Saint Mary’s University
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Available under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) 4.0 license.

For any use beyond this license, please contact the publisher at rights@benjamins.nl.

Open Access publication of this article was funded through a Transformative Agreement with University of Alberta. An additional funding source was the University of Alberta Vargo Teaching Chair.

Published online: 29 August 2024
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https://doi.org/10.1075/sar.23001.fed
Abstract
We use guided language learning journals written in second language (L2) German by Canadian undergraduates while studying in Germany and apply structural linguistic analyses and Cognitive Discourse Analysis to examine lexical items students attend to and, drawing on Bloom’s taxonomy, trace their learning process through their narrative language use. We show that lexical acquisition in study abroad is diverse and complex, observing a preference for meaning over function, and attention to items that were highly specialized or personally meaningful. Students also engaged in what we call private languaging in a safe environment serving to engage language to think through and construct meanings as planning for future interaction. We shed light on the process of language development during study abroad, refine quantitative understandings of L2 gains in previous studies through our qualitative approach, and expand our knowledge of how to assist learners to optimize the personal linguistic benefits of studying abroad.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
  • 3.Research design and methodology
    • 3.1Setting
    • 3.2Participants
    • 3.3Instrument and procedures
    • 3.4Data analysis
      • 3.4.1Semantic and morphosyntactic analysis
      • 3.4.2Cognitive discourse analysis
  • 4.Findings
    • 4.1Research question 1: What lexical items did students become aware of in SA (as recorded by them in language learning journals)?
      • 4.1.1General patterns in quantity and format
      • 4.1.2Discourse frequency
      • 4.1.3Recommended proficiency level for the lexical items
      • 4.1.4Parts of speech
    • 4.2Research question 2: How do learners use these lexical items in their journals?
      • 4.2.1Do learners use their chosen lexical items accurately and repeatedly?
      • 4.2.2Are there any discursive patterns in how students use the lexical items that indicate cognitive processes?
  • 5.Discussion
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
References (68)
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