Confirmed Beliefs or False Assumptions? A Study of Home Stay Experiences in the French Study Abroad Context

Abstract

What has emerged from what might be called the second generation of study abroad research is the questioning of some of the most long-standing beliefs about the study abroad experience itself. The belief that: (1) the amount and frequency of contact that students have with native speakers will increase their language gain; (2) that study abroad assures immersion experiences for students; and (3) that homestay is the richest and most important source of L2 learning are what motivates this study. The purpose of the research described in this article is to help clarify the extent to which either prior assumptions or recent criticism, which casts doubt on these assumptions, may have been exaggerated or if indeed, there is a balance between the two.