ABSTRACT
The main goal of the study presented here is to examine the effects of mobility periods spent in the target language country during Study Abroad (SA), in contrast with the effects of formal instruction (FI) at home.We present the case of a group of higher education (HE) English as a foreign language (EFL) advanced level learners majoring in a language specialised degree, who experience an obligatory three-month SA sojourn in their target language country, on the second year of their degree, following FI in their home university during their first year. We thus consider to what extent having benefitted from the differential opportunities which a sojourn abroad offers – the SA combination of academic, linguistic and socio-cultural experiences (Howard, 2005)-, they actually have made greater linguistic progress upon return than after the period of FI they undergo before going abroad, as measured in terms of their relative gains accrued in oral and written skills.
