Target language use and development and sociocultural and psychological adaptation during study abroad: A systematic narrative review of barriers and facilitators

Authors

  • Anne Marie Devlin University College Cork
  • Emma Riordan University College Cork
  • Judith Borràs Universitat de Lleida
  • María Victoria Soulé University of Cyprus
  • Zeynep Köylü University of Basel
  • Anna Nicolaou Cyprus University of Technology
  • Sanja Marinov Vranješ University of Split
  • Neslihan Onder-Ozdemir Bursa Uludağ University
  • Kristina Ehrsam St.Gallen University of Teacher Education
  • Sybille Heinzmann University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland
  • Yasemin Kırkgöz Çukurova University
  • Annarita Magliacane University of Liverpool
  • Visnja Pavicic Takac University of Osijek

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v38i1.1131

Keywords:

Language acquisition, language use, narrative review, psychological adaptation, sociocultural adaptation

Abstract

Through the lens of Applied Linguistics, this current paper explores and synthesizes findings regarding the interplay between the use and development of the target language of the mobility experience and students’ sociocultural and psychological adaptation to the new environment. It does so by adopting a systematic narrative approach. This approach facilitates a wide exploration of the topic, encompassing multiple methodologies and contexts in a non-prescriptive manner. Following an initial search yielding 17,942 returns, 37 papers were deemed suitable for inclusion in the review. Findings firstly indicate that the role of the target language is under-represented in the literature. However, the papers under review highlight the centrality of language issues in erecting barriers to and facilitating adaptation, especially regarding preparation for mobility, relationship building during the sojourn and learner internal factors. It also reveals gaps in the literature regarding the role of technology and the impact of discrimination.

Abstract in Spanish

En el marco de la Lingüística Aplicada, este artículo explora y sintetiza hallazgos sobre la interacción entre el uso y el desarrollo de la lengua meta durante experiencias de movilidad, así como la adaptación sociocultural y psicológica de los estudiantes al nuevo entorno. Para ello, se adopta un enfoque narrativo sistemático que permite una exploración exhaustiva del tema, integrando múltiples metodologías y contextos desde una perspectiva no prescriptiva. Tras una búsqueda inicial que arrojó 17.942 resultados, se seleccionaron 37 artículos para su inclusión en la revisión. Los resultados indican, en primer lugar, que el papel de la lengua meta se encuentra insuficientemente representado en los trabajos publicados. No obstante, los estudios analizados ponen de relieve la centralidad de los factores lingüísticos tanto en la generación de barreras como en la facilitación de los procesos de adaptación, especialmente en lo relativo a la preparación para la movilidad, el establecimiento de relaciones durante la estancia en el extranjero y las características individuales del estudiante. Asimismo, la revisión identifica lagunas relevantes en investigaciones previas, en particular en lo que respecta al papel de la tecnología y al impacto de la discriminación.

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Author Biographies

Anne Marie Devlin, University College Cork

Anne Marie Devlin is a lecturer in Applied Linguistics at University College Cork, Ireland where she is the director of the MA in Applied Linguistics and co-convenor of the Language: Cognition, Practice, Policy and Ideology research cluster. Her research interests lie in the intersection between learner identity, learning context and social aspects of language. She is currently Principal Investigator for the MOVE project which explores mobilising vectors for engagement in Study Abroad.

Emma Riordan, University College Cork

Emma Riordan is Schuler Assistant Professor in German Applied Linguistics with a research and teaching portfolio that spans language education, multilingual classroom discourse, and teacher language use. Her monograph Language for Teaching Purposes and a range of peer-reviewed publications reflect a sustained engagement with applied linguistics in educational contexts. She is currently president of the Irish Association for Applied Linguistics.

Judith Borràs, Universitat de Lleida

Judith Borràs is an assistant professor at Universitat de Lleida, where she conducts research ointo applied linguistics. In particular, she is interested in international student mobility, multilingualism, and interculturality. Her publications are varied and include journal articles, book chapters, and also technical and transference reports. She is a member and the science communication director of the ENIS network, an association dedicated to bridging the gap between research and practice in the field of international student mobility.

María Victoria Soulé, University of Cyprus

María Victoria Soulé is a Lecturer in Spanish Language and Culture in the University of Cyprus. Her primary research areas are:  international student mobility, language learning and plurilingual identities, classroom-based research, and second language acquisition. Dr. Soulé has contributed as a researcher to many EU-funded projects. She has represented Cyprus as a management committee member on a number of COST Actions including ENIS, the European Network for International Student Mobility.

Zeynep Köylü, University of Basel

Zeynep Köylü is a Swiss National Science Foundation Professor and a senior research associate at the Department of English, University of Basel. Her research foci include second language acquisition in different learning contexts, particularly study abroad, in which she investigates the role of English as a lingua franca, intercultural communication, and the dynamic interaction between learner-internal and learner-external variables. She is also a working group leader in the European Network on International Student Mobility (ENIS).

Anna Nicolaou, Cyprus University of Technology

Anna Nicolaou is an English Language Instructor at the Language Centre of the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT). She holds a Ph.D. from Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), focusing on Intercultural Education and Global Competence She currently teaches English for Academic and Specific Academic Purposes. Her research interests include Intercultural Education, Virtual Exchange, Multilingualism, as well as Computer-Assisted Language Learning. She has published scientific articles in internationally acclaimed journals and has participated in research programs and academic conferences.

Sanja Marinov Vranješ, University of Split

Sanja Marinov Vranješ is a lecturer specializing in languages for specific purposes at the Faculty of Economics, Business, and Tourism in Split, Croatia. Her professional and research interests include data-driven learning, vocabulary learning strategies, development of lexical competence, plurilingual identity, and social integration of study abroad students.

Neslihan Onder-Ozdemir, Bursa Uludağ University

Neslihan Onder-Ozdemir is an interdisciplinary researcher specializing in multilingual disciplinary literacies, curriculum development, and academic writing across linguistics, medicine, and engineering. She has extensive international collaboration experience as researcher, assistant, and advisor, and currently coordinates and teaches English for Medicine and Engineering. Her 2025 study Trajectories for Creating a Dictionary for International Students was selected for the De Gruyter Showcase on Kudos. She has received the Most Successful Young Researcher Award and the Graduate Student Award.

Kristina Ehrsam, St.Gallen University of Teacher Education

Kristina Ehrsam is a lecturer in English language and literature at the Institute for Linguistic and Literary Education, University of Teacher Education St.Gallen, Switzerland. She defended her doctoral thesis, English as a Mediating Language in German as a Foreign Language Courses, Investigating Language Choices at Swiss University Language Centers from a Multilingua Franca Perspective, in 2025 with summa cum laude. She has participated in large-scale empirical studies that have led to publications in internationally renowned journals.

Sybille Heinzmann, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland

Sybille Heinzmann is professor for English teaching and learning at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (PH FHNW), School of Education. Her research and teaching focuses on foreign language learning motivation and attitudes in young learners, plurilingual teaching approaches and plurilingual competence development / assessment as well as proficiency, intercultural competence and motivational development in language exchange and student mobility. She has conducted a series of large-scale empirical studies the results of which are published in renowned international journals such as Language Learning, Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education or International Journal of Multilingualism

Yasemin Kırkgöz, Çukurova University

Yasemin Kırkgöz has taught English for Academic/Specific Purposes and teacher education courses at Cukurova University in Turkey since 1985. She has published widely in relevant fields. She received the Third Annual David E. Eskey Memorial Award for Curricular Innovation for her publication Innovation as a Curriculum Renewal Process in a Turkish University in 2006, and the Leadership and Management Special Interest Group (SIG) award from IATEFL in 2013.

Annarita Magliacane, University of Liverpool

Annarita Magliacane lectures in TESOL and Applied Linguistics at the University of Liverpool (United Kingdom). Prior to this appointment, she was Research Fellow at the University of Naples L'Orientale (Italy) and she also lectured in Applied Linguistics at University College Cork (Ireland) and Aston University (United Kingdom). Her research interests include interlingual pragmatics, second language acquisition and study abroad. She has published extensively on these issues.

Visnja Pavicic Takac, University of Osijek

Visnja Pavicic Takac is a professor of English in Josip Juraj Strossmayer University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Osijek, Croatia where she specialises in second and foreign language acquisition. Her research interests include individual differences in SLA, communicative competence, lexical competence, and metadiscourse.

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Published

2026-04-23

How to Cite

Devlin, A. M., Riordan, E., Borràs, J. ., Soulé, M. V. ., Köylü, Z. ., Nicolaou, A., Marinov Vranješ, S. ., Onder-Ozdemir, N. ., Ehrsam, K. ., Heinzmann, S. ., Kırkgöz, Y. ., Magliacane, A., & Pavicic Takac, V. . (2026). Target language use and development and sociocultural and psychological adaptation during study abroad: A systematic narrative review of barriers and facilitators. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 38(1), 255–288. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v38i1.1131

Issue

Vol. 38 No. 1 (2026): April 2026

Section

Research Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Anne Marie Devlin, Judith Borràs, Emma, Judith Borràs, Zeynep Köylü, Anna Nicolaou, Sanja Marinov Vranješ, María Victoria Soulé, Neslihan Onder-Ozdemir, Kristina Ehrsam, Sybille Heinzmann, Yasemin Kırkgöz, Annarita Magliacane, Visnja Pavicic Takac

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