Short-term study abroad: conditions for intercultural learning and ELF understanding

Short-term study abroad (SA) can provide important intercultural learning opportunities and opportunities to develop ELF awareness through intercultural communication. However, differences in SA programme type and organisation can lead to different learning opportunities and outcomes. Focusing on the experiences of 15 Japanese students, the aim of this qualitative interview study was to build understanding of the kinds of experiences offered by short-term SA which led to more intercultural learning, conceptualised through intercultural awareness (ICA), as well as which conditions led to ELF awareness. Findings revealed more ICA and ELF awareness developed following experiences in multicultural and multilingual SA contexts, with developments limited on programmes characterised by essentialist educational practices and few opportunities to use English in communication. The paper argues that ICA and ELF awareness can represent important aspects of learning on short-term SA. It offers a schematic representation of learning on short-term SA which may support practitioners' reflections on learning opportunities and outcomes on SA provisions in their own institutions.