Learning Spanish in Mexico: The Effect of Informal Contact and Student Attitudes on Language Gain

Students' informal interactive and noninteractive contact with the second language, as well as their cultural and linguistic attitudes and motivation, may affect oral proficiency gains in summer study abroad programs. However, these gains are difficult to measure with instruments such as the Oral Proficiency Interview. Thirty-two trained native speakers' assessment of 30 students' gain in Spanish over a seven-week period of summer study in Mexico indicate that 22 of them improved significantly in some aspect of their Spanish. Statistical correlations indicate that students-especially beginning students-who report more informal interactive contact show greater gain in Spanish. Both beginning and advanced students reporting more noninteractive contact show less progress. Greater integrative and less instrumental motivation correspond with greater gain in advanced students. Several other variables correlate significantly with language gain. The results indicate directions for both study abroad and stateside classroom planning.