Re-entry experience : how does study abroad influence international students' linguistic and cultural identifies?

Abstract

Functioning in a foreign language and culture involves the learning of new language skills and the acquisition of new cultural norms and values. Throughout this learning and acquisition process, there are losses and gains which end up modeling the linguistic and cultural identities of the language learner. Individuals immersed in a foreign language and culture acquire values from both their home and the foreign cultures. In the learning process, they develop a mixed identity which can be challenging in both home and host cultures. This phenomenological research explores the reverse cultural and linguistic experience of eleven international students who visited their home country after at least one-semester study in the United States of America. English is a second language or foreign language for all the participants. I strive to understand the reverse identity challenge those participants experienced during their home visit. Findings of this research will inform international students and advocates of exchange and international programs on some of the cultural and linguistic outcomes of studying abroad. My results will also contribute to the literature on acculturation, reverse culture, and second language acquisition.