2019 Volume 63 Pages 27-45
This paper describes a four-year longitudinal study, investigating how English teachers collaborate in their teaching before study abroad, how university students’ study overseas, and to what extent they develop both academic and general English skills. Twenty-seven female students out of ninety in a department of international studies participated. These students had to study overseas for about one year. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were used. Observations were adopted to examine collective teachers’ efficacy (Hattie, 2009).Students’ diaries were examined to see how they studied overseas. Preparation for the TOEFL iBT and TOEIC IP tests were employed respectively for academic and general English skills development throughout four years. Post study abroad interviews were carried out to examine students’ beliefs and attitudes about learning English. The results showed high collective teacher efficacy helped to develop students’ English skills. Students studied intensively not only before study abroad (BSA) but also during study abroad (DSA) and after study abroad (ASA). Standardized tests showed that there were significant differences in general reading and listening, but not in academic reading and listening before and after study abroad. The results suggest that the study abroad program helps learners develop their general English proficiency, but does not always help improve some parts of their academic English proficiency.
