Abstract

 

Previous narrative reviews (Taguchi, 2015, 2018) as well as meta-analysis (Yang, 2016) have identified the beneficial role of study abroad (SA) experience on second language (L2) learners’ development of linguistic skills. However, previous meta-analysis (Yang, 2016) focused on the development of general second language skills, not specifically on their L2 pragmatic development. The present meta-analysis defined pragmatic competence as L2 learners’ production and recognition of speech acts and seeks to provide more insight on the effects of SA experience on the development of pragmatic competence in both production and recognition studies. Specifically, the research questions comprise of:

1. What is the overall effectiveness of SA on L2 pragmatic development?

2. Is there a systematic relationship between the types of outcome measures (i.e., production task  

    v.s. comprehension task) and observed effectiveness of SA on L2 pragmatic development?

3. What is the relationship between length of residence and the effects of SA on L2 pragmatic

    development?

Searches were conducted on databases such as ERIC, ProQuest and electronic journals such as Applied Linguistics, Journal of Pragmatics and Intercultural Pragmatics with the keywords combinations of study abroad”, “pragmatic development”, “speech act”, “second language learning” for identification of relevant studies. Reference sections of previous meta-analysis (Yang, 2016) and narrative reviews (Taguchi, 2015, 2018) were also consulted to locate book chapters and dissertations that may have been missed during the database and e-Journal searches. The search procedure resulted in the identification of 30 relevant studies (22 journal articles, 1 monograph, 6 book chapters and 2 dissertations).

 

A weighted Hedge’s g was calculated for the 30 sample studies, followed by a test of homogeneity of variance. A Q-between and Q-within analysis with the three moderators (sample size, outcome measure, length of residence) was conducted to assess the statistical impact of these moderators. 

               Results showed SA had a moderate but positive influence on L2 development (Hedges’ g=.70), consistent with previous research (Taguchi, 2015, 2018; Yang, 2016). In addition, longer length of residence (5 months or more) in the target language countries resulted in more statistically significant effectiveness over shorter period of stay (4 months or less). Moreover, comprehension studies yielded larger effect sizes than production studies. The current meta-analysis validated findings from previous research and extended Yang’s (2016) meta-analysis by employment of more systematic statistical methods for meta-analysis.

Word Count: 39188 Words

 

 

References

Taguchi, N. (2015). “Contextually” speaking: A survey of pragmatic learning abroad, in class, and online. System, 48, 3-20. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2014.09.001

Taguchi, N. (2018). Contexts and pragmatics learning: Problems and opportunities of the study

abroad research. Language Teaching, 51, 124-137. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0261444815000440

Yang, J. K. (2016). The effectiveness of study-abroad on second language learning: A meta-analysis. The Canadian Modern Language Review, 72, 66-94. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/cmlr.2344