Impact of overseas immersion homestay experience on linguistic confidence and intercultural communication strategies

Abstract

This paper attempts to use Clements’ linguistic confidence theory (Clement, 1980) to explore the relationship between students' intercultural communication strategies, and their linguistic confidence in their second language (L2) both before and during immersion programmes, particularly in the context of the homestay experience. Questionnaire and student interviews were conducted before and after the immersion programmes to investigate levels of anxiety and linguistic confidence which in turn affected the intercultural communication strategies employed. With the results found in this study, this paper also attempts to modify and elaborate Clement’s (1980) linguistic confidence theory. Results indicated increased L2 linguistic confidence and lower anxiety levels after students interacted with their host families. Intercultural communication strategies employed at the pre-immersion stage and during immersion differed. The intercultural communication strategies employed in the pre-immersion stage were decidedly passive which directly affected students’ linguistic confidence, but students became less anxious as they interacted directly with host families which in turn led to stronger linguistic confidence.