ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the methodological issues of the present research on the socialization process of short-term study abroad participants in Japan. The chapter starts with the two analytical frameworks employed for this study, social network analysis and conversation analysis, and how these two frameworks are different and compatible. Both were born out of sociological traditions and are interested in the intersubjective reality of sociality. Then, the chapter presents the details of the three study abroad programs examined in this study. These programs were all located in the Kansai region of Japan but showed significant differences in terms of program environment and design, which generated interesting contrasts. The chapter concludes with the types of data collected for this research and the detailed data collection procedures, which included social network surveys, activity logs, participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and recordings of daily interactions.
