ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 presents the second multinational research project undertaken between 2015–16, which expands upon the work and findings of the Initial Research Project: The research design and plan provides a description of the project, lists participating countries involved in this study (Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Japan, and the USA), describes modifications and expansions made to the research instrument, the advantages and limitations of the project, and approaches to data compilation and organization and findings. A major change in the Follow-on Research Project was the availability of SurveyMonkey, an online program, allowing direct access to participants, facilitating their ability to respond, and providing instantaneous statistical data compilation. The quantitative and qualitative data represent responses from over 2,000 sojourners and 200 host families, and were again obtained through survey questionnaires and telephone interviews. This study supports and confirms findings in the initial study, plus it provides new information regarding the relative value of individual program components toward supporting the development of intercultural communicative competence. The core component remains undoubtedly the homestay sojourn and all respondents affirm the significance of learning to function in the host language. Results are reported based on data from individual countries to identify particularist aspects (those specific to a given language-cultural group) and subsequently compiled to reflect universal aspects (those that apply across language-culture groups).
