English, Literature, and Modern Languages Faculty Publications

Writing in Study Abroad Contexts

Cristi Vallejos

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2022

First Page

254

Last Page

267

Abstract

Although the numbers of students who participate in study abroad continue to grow, the research on writing in these programs is scarce. This chapter presents the context of study abroad as one suitable for the development of writing through the exploration of a handful of cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that suggest that study abroad aids in the development of different aspects of second language writing – fluency, lexical complexity – and the creation of imagined communities that motivate learners to improve their writing. The context of study abroad is ripe for more studies with a wider variety of participants, program lengths and designs and individual variables that affect writing. The chapter ends with suggestions for best practices in designing programs to improve writing.

Keywords

Writing, second language, study abroad, learning, linguistics

Comments

In R. M. Manchón and C. Polio's (Eds.) The Handbook of Second Language Acquisition and Writing. New York: Routledge, 2022.

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