Developing proactive communicators through short-term intensive recursive techniques

Study abroad preparation courses for EFL learners form an important part of the curriculum at many Japanese tertiary institutions. This article discusses one such constructivist-based preparation course developed at a private university in Japan in which learners were found to exhibit marked engagement and improvement throughout their participation. The students\u27 initial positive responses compelled the designers of the course (the authors) to document in this article the course, activities and participants as a first step toward better understanding the mechanisms at work in this uniquely-structured learning environment