This study aims to qualitatively investigate a Japanese high school student's 10-month study abroad experience in the U.S. Focusing on the homestay context, the study illustrates the kind of interactional challenges the student and her host family faced, and how they addressed them.Drawing on Language Management Theory (Jernudd Kimura 2) When engaging in the interactions regarding the use of humor, the student used different processes depending on the context; and 3) Both participants perceived the above issues as the sociolinguistic and sociocultural factors intermixed, and even when they implemented an adjustment to remove a problem, the implementation created another issue which consequently caused them to face another challenge.have noted the importance of consideration not only for international students but also of their hosts, indicating the need for further qualitative research including host families' perspectives (Iino, 2006; Kinginger, Wu, Lee & Tan, 2016).SA is also closely related to Japanese education.The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has been promoting SA for high school and university students since the launch of the Japan Revitalization Strategy in 2013.Although the number of students studying overseas has decreased since 2019 due to the pandemic, over the long term it is on the rise (Japan Student Services Organization, 2022), and many studies have been conducted on SA targeting students from Japan.However, compared to university students, there have been fewer studies focusing on high school students studying abroad.Therefore, a qualitative investigation of the homestay experience of a Japanese high school student would be meaningful for prospective students, host families, and educators. Literature Review Past Research on Pre-University SA ExperiencesAlthough the number of studies is smaller than in university-age SA, pre-university SA has been explored through various approaches.For example, a study by Yashima, Zenuk-Nishide and Shimizu ( 2004), targeted 160 Japanese high school students involved in a one-year exchange program in the U.S. and examined the correlations between their willingness to communicate (WTC) in English before departure and their frequency of communication with local people while abroad.The questionnaire-based survey revealed that those who scored higher on WTC before departure were apt to have more communication with local people both in frequency and amount, compared to those who scored lower on WTC.Study results suggest that students with more interaction with locals are more satisfied with their social network development than those with less interaction.Targeting Japanese high school students studying in the U.S., Churchill (2006) conducted a qualitative study comparing two types of high schools which hosted Japanese students.Japanese participants received the instructors' comprehensive assistance in a small boarding school that provided the teachers with training to assist international students.In contrast, the participants who studied at a large public school did not receive such proactive support from the teachers, who had not received training in international student care.Consequently, while the participants at the smaller school were likely to be well integrated into both curricular and extra-curricular activities, the SA students at the larger school tended to be isolated and struggled to participate in the local community.The results suggest the success factors of high school SA programs lie not only in the attitude of the students but
Mayumi Kawashima (Sat,) studied this question.