On the Nature of Immersion During Study Abroad: Some Participant Perspectives

Authors

  • Sharon Wilkinson

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v4i1.65

Keywords:

Language acquisition, participant perspective, study abroad, French

Abstract

The Valcourt program founded in 1990 with the aim of supplementing existing semester and academic-year programs available through Collegiate University and providing an opportunity for students with as little as two semesters of language instruction to study in France.

In this article, perspectives from Molise and Ashley, who along with five other participants from Collegiate, agreed to serve as informants in a qualitative research project which sought to understand–from their point of view–the transition they were making from language learning in an American classroom to language use in Valcourt and back again. The resulting data show, among other things, how truly unique each participant’s perspective can be, even when backgrounds seem similar.

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Author Biography

Sharon Wilkinson

Sharon Wilkinson is Assistant Professor of French and Coordinator of the Basic French Program at West Virginia University. Her research interests include using qualitative methods to investigate the nature of the American undergraduate study abroad experience and the process of acquiring foreign language discourse norms while immersed in the host culture. 

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Published

1998-11-15

How to Cite

Wilkinson, S. (1998). On the Nature of Immersion During Study Abroad: Some Participant Perspectives. Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad, 4(1), 121–138. https://doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v4i1.65