This article offers a critical review of the existing literature on gains in a second language (L2) as a result of a study abroad (SA) experience. The aim of this article is (a) to provide an updated overview of the empirical evidence of L2 gains emerging during an SA experience in order to know what the current situation is, and (b) to identify…

Despite extensive discussion on critical thinking (CT) by Chinese students, there are still debates over the question of why Chinese higher education students, when studying abroad, lack (or rather do not demonstrate) CT skills. The main objective of this paper is to explore how far it can be established from the published research literature…

While there has been an increase in students studying abroad in China, this increase has not been seen in the respective number of articles published in scholarly journals on education abroad in China. This paper summarizes articles from journals on the types of education abroad programs in China, organized by topic, and by the outcomes and…

This article--the first in the Council for the Study of Community Colleges (CSCC) Review Essays Series--reviews the literature concerning education-abroad opportunities for community college students. The article examines the benefits accrued to students through overseas study, briefly notes the history of education-abroad programs, and summarizes…

In July 2009, a group of over 80 FSL teachers from British Columbia (BC) participated in a two-week sojourn at the "Centre d'Approches vivantes des Langues et des Medias" (CAVILAM) in Vichy, France, as part of an initiative to address the critical shortage of qualified French language teachers in the province. After almost four decades…

This review seeks to answer two central questions: (1) who studies abroad (or who does not) and why? and (2) what are the outcomes of studying abroad? Participation in study abroad and outcomes of study abroad must be considered in context. Consequently, who participates and the expected outcomes are framed by the reality that, in addition to…

Teacher educators are challenged to break their "virtual wall of silence" and begin preparing educators for the globally interdependent world in which they will work and their students will live, by opening the world to students through international experience and integrating a global perspective throughout the curriculum. Through reflection on…

As the US student population becomes increasingly diverse, teacher education programs need to enable prospective teachers to meet the varied needs and expectations of students and families, while simultaneously creating viable classroom communities. Learning opportunities, such as travel and teaching abroad and the perceptions of "otherness" this…

Although Firth and Wagner (1997) did not explicitly discuss the issue of identity in second language acquisition (SLA) research, their article was symptomatic of a general trend to open up SLA to social theory and sociological and sociolinguistic research, which in turn led some researchers to explore links between second language (L2) learning…

International service-learning (SL) and study abroad (SA) courses are increasingly part of university curricula. A literature review shows these two types of experiential learning share similarities that offer potential synergies for the growing numbers of both types of experiences. This possibility is explored further by analyzing results from a…

Provides a detailed look at Finland's efforts at internationalizing education. This article is based on interview-based research project at the University of Turku, Finland.(Author/VWL)

Outlines the present situation in Greek universities, their goals and characteristics, and the conditions under which these goals can be accomplished. The advantages and disadvantages and legislative framework and internal regulations of Greek universities are discussed. (Author/VWL)

(Purpose) The purpose of this study was to investigate features of Japanese students' contact with the target language (English) outside the classroom in a study abroad context. (Methodology) The participants in this study were 29 Japanese students taking general English courses, for 12 weeks, at two private English language schools in New…

This research was conducted to explore the impact of participation in an international education program on youth leadership development and how youth can more effectively engage in civic and community issues. The findings and recommendations offer international education programs, educators and youth workers strategies and best practices to…

Discusses diversity in science education in Europe. Provides a global overview of education in Europe and then presents two European models for global education for engineers and scientists that are becoming increasingly important components of their curricula. (Author/VWL)