What could work in preparing students for the Year Abroad? Student Perspectives

CELT Seminar Series in Language Education 

These seminars provide an informal space for colleagues involved in language teaching to discuss shared challenges, explore current issues in language education, and engage with ongoing scholarship projects. Each session is led by a colleague developing scholarship in the area and is designed as a facilitated discussion grounded in relevant evidence and practice.

Delivered by Isabel Molina-Vidal

Students’ perception of lack of preparation in some challenging areas and lack of support from the University of Leeds not only before or during the YA, but also when returning from it has led to questioning what the University of Leeds is already offering to minimise the challenge that the year abroad can be, and what can we do so that students make the best of this compulsory year.

Additionally, aspects such as the reverse cultural shock, emotional distancing or identity shifts when speaking an additional language while being abroad or when returning, emphasise the importance of conducting studies which go beyond becoming linguistically proficient in the language of the destination country.

This project is aimed at gathering perceptions of Leeds students returning from a compulsory year abroad on which challenging aspects of their residence abroad should have been addressed before departure and/or after returning, and in which format they would prefer to have such support.

Participants in this study were University of Leeds students taking a language degree at the School of Languages Cultures and Societies and who have returned from their compulsory year abroad.

Colleagues attending will be invited to reflect on the challenges identified by students, share examples of current practice, and discuss how preparation, support during the Year Abroad, and re-integration on return might be implemented. The session aims to create a collaborative space for staff to exchange ideas and identify practical approaches to supporting Year Abroad students more effectively.