Exploring the impact of online study aboard on students' development of cognitive skills and L2 proficiency

Research Project

Project/Area Number	22K00771
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Review Section	Basic Section 02100:Foreign language education-related
Research Institution	Kanda University of International Studies
Principal Investigator	PARK Siwon 神田外語大学, グローバル・リベラルアーツ学部, 教授 (00458639)
Project Period (FY)	2022-04-01 – 2025-03-31
Project Status	Granted (Fiscal Year 2022)
Budget Amount *help	¥2,990,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥690,000) Fiscal Year 2024: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000) Fiscal Year 2023: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000) Fiscal Year 2022: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
Keywords	study abroad / cognitive skills / L2 proficiency / Study Abroad
Outline of Research at the Start	The project compares the online and onsite study-abroad programs and identifies their features that differentially affect the students’ development of cognitive and socio-affective and English skills. It also examines the transferability of the skills to their academic and career development.
Outline of Annual Research Achievements	The first-year goal was to build a research foundation. Therefore, I first collected and reviewed prior studies concerning the effects of study abroad (SA) on student learning. l then participated in two SA programs: an online program held in Japan for two weeks and an onsite program held in Malaysia/Borneo for another two weeks. I observed all online SA sessions delivered by four institutions from four different countries while keeping notes of learning activities and program features. I also video-recorded the students while they were interacting with the instructors and other student participants. Using an e-portfolio, I collected students' reflective journals on their learning experiences while they were participating in the online sessions. While attending the onsite program in Malaysia/Borneo, I participated in all activities with the students so that I could understand the program’s features and observe students’ responses to the features. I kept a record of those program features and students' interactions whenever possible. From time to time, I conducted informal interviews with the students to understand how they were feeling about their learning experiences and how program features may relate to them. Using an e-portfolio, I collected students' reflective learning journals while they were participating in the onsite program as well. Once I returned to Japan from Malaysia, I sorted out some of the data I collected from the two programs and conducted a preliminary analysis. I presented the findings from the analysis at a conference in the US.
Current Status of Research Progress	Current Status of Research Progress 2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned. Reason Overall, the research is progressing as planned. Its first-year goal was to build the foundation by examining the specific technical and contextual characteristics of online and onsite study abroad (SA) programs. I participated in two SA programs, one online and the other onsite, conducted in Malaysia/Borneo. I was able to closely examine and take notes of the characteristics of each program in relation to student learning experiences. I was also able to collect their reflective journals on their learning experiences via an e-portfolio. I analyzed the data to understand how they perceived the SA programs and how the program features influenced their learning. I put together the preliminary findings and presented them at a conference held in the US.
Strategy for Future Research Activity	In 2023, I'll continue to collect data by participating in an online SA program and an onsite one to be held in Pune, India. I'll continue to collect students' reflective journals while they are attending the two programs and after their return from the programs as well. This year, I'll also collect data concerning students' English proficiency, problem-solving skills, and self-efficacy and begin to analyze them in relation to their SA experiences. In addition, I'll devise and administer a questionnaire to examine the impact of SA experiences on their intercultural awareness, motivation, and attitude toward L2 learning and career choice.