“Hindsight is 20/20:” Student Perceptions of Language Learning and the Study Abroad Experience

Gathering student opinions about study abroad experience proves an effective way to address some of the issues these assumptions raise. In this project, 31 students who attended UMass Amherst (UMass) 2002 Salamanca Summer Program (four weeks) and 14 students who attended the UMass 2002 Granada Fall Program (14 weeks) agreed to participate. Five of these students, who studied abroad a second time with the UMass 2003 Oviedo Spring Program (18 weeks), also participated in a follow-up to the main study.