4 — 
Language skills

Speaking & Listening

When most people think about language improvement during Study Abroad, the first thing that comes to mind is often speaking. Research has shown that Study Abroad students show significant gains in oral proficiency and fluency compared to students in traditional at-home programmes (DuFon,Eton E. Churchill, 2006: 6). Listening skills have also been shown to improve significantly during Study Abroad periods (Kinginger, 2009). What’s more, even short Study Abroad experiences of 3 or 4 weeks have shown to be beneficial for the development of oral fluency and listening skills (Llanes and Muñoz, 2009). The same, however, may not be true for phonological development, with some studies showing either no improvement after SA, or showing higher improvement in instructional second language acquisition at home than in SA.
But remember, simply going abroad isn’t enough: you have to get out there and practice! The most important thing is to make the most of your Study Abroad, by practicing your skills as much as possible. In the activities section, there are lots of ideas to help you improve your speaking and listening skills, both inside and outside the classroom.

Reading & Writing

Most of the research on language acquisition during Study Abroad to date has focused on speaking, a bias in programmes themselves and in expectations for gains in aural and oral skills (Churchill & Dufon, 2006). Study Abroad students themselves also usually report more significant development of social interaction than reading and writing (Kinginger, 2009: 58). However, it’s important not to forget about literacy. Reading and writing skills have also been shown to improve considerably during SA (Dewey, 2004; Perez-Vidal, 2015), particularly during longer periods abroad (Fraser, 2002). What’s more, learning to read and write while abroad not only tests your linguistic and pragmatic skills, but also confronts you with “the need to negotiate new academic cultures and to adapt to new forms of literacy” (Kinginger, 2009: 61). Though you may not think it, studying abroad doesn’t just offer opportunities to improve your interaction skills. It also gives you the chance to develop your L2 literacy skills. Take a look at the activities section below for some ideas on how to improve your reading and writing skills while abroad. Remember: just like with speaking and listening, you get out of it what you put in!

Vocabulary

Research has shown that a deeper level of vocabulary knowledge is more likely to be acquired in study abroad contexts than in at home contexts, given that classroom instruction does not seem to offer the appropriate elements to trigger its development (Jimenez-Jimenez, Antonio F., 2010). In other words, learning vocabulary in a real life context rather than simply learning a list of words by heart is suggested to be more successful. That said, given the volume of new vocabulary that you are likely to be met with during your stay abroad, it is important to come up with a system. Whether you prefer to keep a notebook or use online language learning applications, keep track of all your new vocabulary and most importantly, use it!