Study abroad: an essential part of language acquisition

The present qualitative study will demonstrate and provide evidence from personal interviews that other students had similar invaluable experiences after studying abroad. Two direct quotes from these interviews portray the impact studying abroad had on them. Lisa, a participant in the present study, stated, “It is impossible to explain to someone the emotions of living in a strange place with strange people and learning to love them in such a short amount of time.” Another participant, Rachel, expressed that, “You have lived experiences nobody here can ever understand, and you made memories you can try to share with people, and it is not going to be the same.” These personal changes that students undergo while studying abroad affect their language acquisition process and growth in the language. After carrying out my research, I discovered that the personal growth a student undergoes while abroad positively affects their second language acquisition