Change in French second language writing in study abroad and domestic contexts

Abstract: This descriptive case study examines the writing of eight university learners of French-four during study abroad and four in on-campus courses-over the course of a semester. The study abroad students all improved their ACTFL writing proficiency scores, while the domestic students' writing proficiency levels tended to stay the same or even decreased. But what specific features of students' writing changed over the semester? This study applied fine-grained measures focused on the complexity, accuracy, fluency, and form-function relationships of writing samples collected at the beginning and end of the semester. Results showed that students' writing developed in both study abroad and domestic contexts, although in different ways. Given the complexity of writing development, multiple measures should be used to assess second language writing across learning contexts.Key words: French, academic language, study abroad, university level, writing in a second languageIntroductionAmerican university language departments frequently send students abroad with the goal of improving their knowledge of the language and culture of the countries they visit. However, several years of empirical studies (e.g., Freed, Segalowitz, & Dewey, 2004; Magnan & Back, 2007; Kinginger, 2008; Storch, 2009) have suggested that students' gains in language proficiency dur- ing study abroad are often both difficult to measure and mixed. Kinginger's (2011) re- view of these studies showed that research- ers have focused almost exclusively on language learners' development of oral pro- ficiency while abroad. However, studies of foreign language learners' writing develop- ment during study abroad are relatively scarce: The only study cited in Kinginger's review with a focus on writing examined Japanese students studying in "English speaking environments" (Sasaki, 2009). This relative scarcity of empirical data on foreign language students' writing during study abroad points to an area of research that needs exploration.A related area of growing importance in our field is the development of advanced levels of proficiency in writing in different genres to complete a variety of academic functions (see Barnes-Karol & Broner, 2010, 2013; Byrnes, 2006, 2011; Byrnes, Maxim, & Norris, 2010; Byrnes & Ortega, 2008; Tarone et al., 2013). The present study investigated changes in second language (L2) students' writing in French over the course of a semester, either in a study abroad context in France or in a domestic context in the United States.BackgroundIt is generally agreed that an individual needs an advanced or superior level of pro- ficiency to complete serious academic work in a foreign language at the postsecondary level or to use the foreign language for other professional purposes beyond the university setting. It is also thought that functional approaches to grammar provide a necessary, if not obligatory, path to such mastery. Ac- cording to the 2007 report of the MLA Ad Hoc Committee on Foreign Languages:In the course of acquiring functional language abilities, students are taught critical language awareness, interpre- tation and translation, historical and political consciousness, social sensibi- lity, and aesthetic perception. They acquire a basic knowledge of the history, geography, culture, and literature of the society or societies whose language they are learning; the ability to understand and interpret its radio, television, and print media; and the capacity to do re- search in the language using parameters specific to the target culture. (MLA, 2007, n.p.)The MLA's growing interest in nurtur- ing the functional use of a foreign language for academic purposes in postsecondary contexts is paralleled in English as a second language (ESL) classrooms in K-12 public schools. Here, the Common Core State Standards for ESL in K-12 settings empha- size the importance of literacy skills for suc- cessful learning of math, science, and technical content areas, which as the Com- mon Core Web site states, are difficult for ESL students. …