Counterfactual Understandings: What Japanese Undergraduate Students Wish They Had Known before a Short-Term Study Abroad Experience

Autor/in	Douglas, Scott Roy
Titel	Counterfactual Understandings: What Japanese Undergraduate Students Wish They Had Known before a Short-Term Study Abroad Experience
Quelle	In: TESL-EJ, 23 (2020) 4, (19 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1072-4303
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Undergraduate Students; Student Attitudes; Study Abroad; English (Second Language); Food; Money Management; Climate; Geography; Community Characteristics; Adjustment (to Environment); Facilities; Retailing; Japan; Canada + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Schülerverhalten; Studies abroad; Auslandsstudium; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Lebensmittel; Klima; Geografie; Warenwirtschaft; Kanada
Abstract	Making the most out of a short-term study abroad program is vital for students who are investing in an experience they hope will benefit them personally and academically. This study explores participants' counterfactual understandings of a three-week short-term study abroad program focusing on content and English as an additional language learning for Japanese undergraduate students at a university in British Columbia, Canada. It identifies what participants wish they had known about where they were going and what they would have done if they had known that information. Qualitative methods were used to gather written narrative data from 37 participants and analyze that data for themes emerging from the participants' counterfactual reflections. Results point to six themes related to the participants' unexpected short-term study abroad experiences: food and drink, facilities, money matters, shopping, climate and geography, and community characteristics. On reflection, if the students had known more about those themes, they may have prepared differently for their trip and they might have had different experiences during the program. To prepare students to get the most out of a short-term study abroad program, pre-departure activities making use of inquiry and task-based/experiential learning are recommended. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	TESL-EJ. e-mail: editor@tesl-ej.org; Web site: http://tesl-ej.org
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01