The effects of short-term study abroad on L2 anxiety, international posture, and L2 willingness to communicate

The present study was designed to examine the effects of short-term study abroad (SA) on learners’ L2 anxiety, international posture, and L2 willingness to communicate (WTC). To this end, the SA experience of 69 L2 learners in four different SA programmes was investigated. The data were obtained from participant questionnaires, which were administered before and after the five-week SA experience. The results showed that the participants made gains in international posture and L2 WTC, and their anxiety level decreased significantly through short-term SA. When divided into three proficiency level groups, however, only intermediate and beginner level groups were found to make significant gains in these variables, whereas the advanced level group did not. On the other hand, there was no significant difference among different SA programmes in terms of their influence on the gains in L2 anxiety, international posture, and L2 WTC. Finally, the participants’ perception of adjustment in the target country, gains in international posture, and decrease in L2 anxiety level were found to account for a significant amount of variance in the gain in L2 WTC. Pedagogical implications regarding the short-term study abroad are discussed.