Measuring social interaction during study abroad: Quantitative methods and challenges

Keywords

Study Abroad, social Interaction, language, quantitative measuring

Abstract

This paper examines ways of measuring (assigning numbers to) social interaction and language use during study abroad. It reviews the development of instruments for such measurement and describes some of the connections that have been made between quantitative measures of social second language use and language development while abroad. Measures addressed include the Language Contact Profile, language logs, the Social Network Questionnaire, the Study Abroad Social Interaction Questionnaire, online social media, photo elicitation, mobile phone surveys, and other computational methodologies. The paper encourages mixed methods for clearer and more elaborate understanding and more detailed documentation of tools and procedures for better understanding of cross-study similarities and differences.

Original Publication Citation

Dewey, D. P. (2017). Measuring social interaction during study abroad: Quantitative methods and challenges. System, 71, 49-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2017.09.026

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2017

Publisher

Elsevier Ltd

Language

English

College

Humanities

Department

Linguistics

University Standing at Time of Publication

Full Professor

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