ABSTRACT
After defining key terms related to education abroad, this chapter identifies critical issues and topics that have emerged in the literature in this increasingly important area of intercultural communication research and practice. Attention is drawn to the theories, research designs, and methodologies that have guided investigations of the language and intercultural learning of education abroad students, with a focus on second language speakers. Examples are given of studies that have examined the language learning, identity reconstruction, social networks, and intercultural competence development of education abroad students. In her review, the author identifies some of the many individual differences and external or environmental elements that can impact the developmental trajectories of participants and result in divergent outcomes. Stressing the need to bridge the research–practice divide, the chapter highlights the pedagogical implications of the research findings for the enhancement of education abroad programming. The author calls for more in-depth, longitudinal studies in various contexts to deepen our understanding of the most effective ways to scaffold, support, and extend the language and intercultural learning of education abroad participants and help them to develop the skills and attributes commonly associated with intercultural–global citizenship.
