Teachers' perspectives on pedagogy in short-term language study abroad

Abstract

Study abroad (SA) in North America is changing in two ways: short-term trips are becoming more popular, and more students are traveling in teacher-facilitated groups. These changes raise questions about how teaching methods can help to improve outcomes in short stays abroad, particularly in the case of language learners. To better understand teachers' perspectives on pedagogy, we conducted a series of group and individual interviews with 18 college teachers who facilitate short-term language SA. The results of a constructivist grounded theory analysis showed that teachers believed pedagogy in short-term SA could be improved by integrating the SA program into the at-home curriculum, by targeting both measurable and process-based objectives, by adopting a variety of teaching strategies including experiential teaching, and by integrating interactions between students and locals in different ways.