LANGUAGE LEARNING AND STUDY ABROAD: A CRITICAL READING OF RESEARCH

Kinginger argues that although study abroad generally results in increased proficiency and oral fluency--slightly superior to gains resulting from at-home formal study--it is important to note the design flaws of many studies such as lack of a true control group as well as reliance on monologic, situationless tasks to measure language gains, even in the areas of discursive, pragmatic, and sociocultural competencies. [...]the volume highlights several qualitative investigations of learner experiences abroad, emphasizing the stances taken by students and native speakers and relating those stances to issues of language socialization, gender, culturally constructed linguistic folklore, and nationalism, among others. The variety of topics addressed and the avoidance of alienating disciplinary jargon make this volume a helpful resource for study-abroad students, program directors, language teachers, and even host families; it has the potential to inform and improve their current practices.