Abstract
Intent on developing methods of evaluation of L2 study abroad (SA) programs relevant for the 21st
century, this study centered on sixteen Generation Z undergraduates affiliated with two U.S. universities
and enrolled in the same Parisian program. To mitigate previous methodological issues, the study aimed
to provide a big picture evaluation of the selected program with a purposeful focus on variables
characteristic of Gen Zers. To do so, it adopted an innovative mosaic approach entailing the
simultaneous collection and comparison of a multiplicity of data across different domains of interest. The
study shows how pre-existing relationships between oral quality, cultural readiness, psychosocial
measures attributed to Gen Z, phone affinity and usage, and demographic/academic characteristics
evolved as outcomes of SA. It confirms the complex mediation involved in oral and cross-cultural growth
abroad by notably unveiling a mechanism of inertia at play in language and cultural development linked
to academic choices made before but set in motion by SA. The study also establishes how students’ preexisting anxiety decreased congruently with fear of missing out and shaped their SA experiences. Finally,
it demonstrates how the meaning attached to the role of smartphones morphed into a more positive
relationship linked to emotional regulation and productivity.
century, this study centered on sixteen Generation Z undergraduates affiliated with two U.S. universities
and enrolled in the same Parisian program. To mitigate previous methodological issues, the study aimed
to provide a big picture evaluation of the selected program with a purposeful focus on variables
characteristic of Gen Zers. To do so, it adopted an innovative mosaic approach entailing the
simultaneous collection and comparison of a multiplicity of data across different domains of interest. The
study shows how pre-existing relationships between oral quality, cultural readiness, psychosocial
measures attributed to Gen Z, phone affinity and usage, and demographic/academic characteristics
evolved as outcomes of SA. It confirms the complex mediation involved in oral and cross-cultural growth
abroad by notably unveiling a mechanism of inertia at play in language and cultural development linked
to academic choices made before but set in motion by SA. The study also establishes how students’ preexisting anxiety decreased congruently with fear of missing out and shaped their SA experiences. Finally,
it demonstrates how the meaning attached to the role of smartphones morphed into a more positive
relationship linked to emotional regulation and productivity.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 67-87 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Second Language Research & Practice |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - Oct 2023 |
| Externally published | Yes |