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Spring 5-2017
Reconceptualizing Study Abroad: American and
Japanese Students' Subjective Construction of
Identity Through Language Learning Abroad
Tomoko Oda Nuske
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RECONCEPTUALIZING STUDY ABROAD:
AMERICAN AND JAPANESE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ SUBJECTIVE CONSTRUCTION
OF IDENTITY THROUGH LANGUAGE LEARNING ABROAD
A Dissertation
Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies and Research
in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
Tomoko Oda Nuske
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
May 2017
© 2017 Tomoko Oda Nuske
All Rights Reserved
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Indiana University of Pennsylvania
School of Graduate Studies and Research
Department of English
We hereby approve the dissertation of
Tomoko Oda Nuske
Candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
____________________ ________________________________________
David I. Hanauer, Ph.D.
Professor of English, Advisor
____________________ ________________________________________
Sharon K. Deckert, Ph.D.
Professor of English
____________________ ________________________________________
Stuart Chandler, Ph.D.
Professor of Religious Studies
ACCEPTED
___________________________________ ____________________
Randy L. Martin, Ph.D.
Dean
School of Graduate Studies and Research
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Title: Reconceptualizing Study Aboard: American and Japanese University Students’
Subjective Construction of Identity Through Language Learning Abroad
Author: Tomoko Oda Nuske
Dissertation Chair: Dr. David I. Hanauer
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Sharon K. Deckert
Dr. Stuart Chandler
Study abroad is an under-researched domain of language learning. Moreover, most
investigations of this phenomenon adopt traditional structuralist approaches, wherein outcomes
of study abroad are assessed solely in terms of proficiency gains as measured through
conventional exams. The present study builds upon an emerging body of poststructuralist
research that foregrounds connections between language study abroad and the reconstruction of
learners’ identities (e.g., Block, 2007; Kinginger, 2010). More specifically, it utilizes Kramsch’s
(2009) notion of subjectivity to argue that language learning is a phenomenon that affects the
entire human being (Hanauer, 2012) while bringing focus to how learners themselves define and
evaluate the successfulness of their study abroad experiences.
The study adopted a longitudinal mixed-method approach encompassing interviews,
narrative essay writing, and poetry writing tasks to investigate how perceptions of self and
language learning evolved among Americans studying Japanese in Japan (n=9) and Japanese
studying English in the United States (n=10). The specific research questions were:
1. How do students’ subjective understandings of language learning and study abroad
experiences involve views of the self?
2. In collecting data on personal experience in different genres (narrative interview,
narrative essay writing, and poetry writing), what are the values and qualities of each
of the data elicitation methods used?
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Individuals who most consistently provided all three data types (4 Americans; 3 Japanese) were
selected for qualitative case studies. Results demonstrated that their understandings of their
experiences abroad changed according to idiosyncratic dynamics, yet they all eventually viewed
their experiences abroad as significant life transitions into adulthood. Some derived great
meaning from moments when they were able to use the target language in authentic situations
outside the classroom, while others abandoned language learning and determined other goals for
their study abroad. Quantitative analysis of the entire dataset made use of a computational
linguistic approach to systematically measure the degrees of expressivity present in the corpus of
texts in each genre.
The study concludes by recommending the establishment of a system of routine
mentoring sessions or conferences wherein study abroad learners are provided with more
opportunities to contemplate the meanings of their ongoing language learning experiences.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As I reflect on a journey that has occupied the past seven years of my life, I find myself
overwhelmed with gratitude to mentors, peers, family, and friends who have made the
completion of my dissertation possible. I fear that it will not be possible to properly thank
everyone who helped me along the way. Indeed, if I were to start making a list of all of the
people who provided encouragement, feedback, or sympathy, I doubt that it would ever end!
Nonetheless, I would like to share the following words of appreciation for six individuals in
particular. First, I thank my committee members not only for their expert guidance but also for
their continual patience, understanding, and support throughout the long and periodically
arduous process of writing my dissertation. I cannot count the number of times that my chair, Dr.
David I. Hanauer, provided incredibly thoughtful advice and bolstered my motivation when I
was on the verge of giving into to despair. My work would have been far less rigorous if I had
not received so many perceptive questions and suggestions from Dr. Sharon Deckert. I am also
immensely thankful for special efforts that she made on my behalf in order for me to be able to
complete my dissertation and persist through some very trying experiences in my life. Dr. Stuart
Chandler has been one of my most steadfast supporters since the time that I began my studies at
IUP in 2006. I simply could have not become the teacher, scholar, and researcher that I am today
without the benefit of his compassionate mentoring. Additionally, I am indebted to my peer, Jun
Akiyoshi, who graciously assisted with various preparations related to my final defense and
document submission. I also want to express my most profound gratitude to two people: my
mother, Tayoko Oda, who has been my guiding light throughout entire my life, and my husband,
Kyle Nuske. They are the most special treasures in my life. I could have not attained my
ambition to complete this study without their great support.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................1
Background ..............................................................................................................1
Statement of Problems .............................................................................................4
Research Questions ..................................................................................................6
Significance of the Study .........................................................................................6
II REVIEW OF LITERATURE ..................................................................................9
Current Study Abroad Trends ................................................................................11
Overview of Research on Language Learning Abroad..........................................31
Current Issues in Research on Identity and Language Learning Abroad ..............46
Closing Remarks ....................................................................................................59
III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...........................................................................60
Theoretical Framework ..........................................................................................61
Rationales for the Research Methods and Their Potential Shortcomings..............62
My Positioning as a Researcher .............................................................................75
Research Design.....................................................................................................77
Data Analysis .........................................................................................................84
IV RESULTS PART I .................................................................................................88
Case Study 1: Sophie .............................................................................................88
Case Study 2: Dustin ............................................................................................108
Case Study 3: Connor ..........................................................................................127
Case Study 4: Noah ..............................................................................................155
Case Study 5: Mare ..............................................................................................179
Case Study 6: Ayana ............................................................................................205
Case Study 7: Haruna...........................................................................................233
V RESULTS PART II .............................................................................................264
Participants’ Willingness .....................................................................................264
Quantitative Analyses: Textual Features of the Corpus ......................................276
Qualitative Analyses of Content Types Elicited by Each Tool ...........................286
Implications..........................................................................................................313
VI DISCUSSION ......................................................................................................319
Interrelations Among Key Perceptions ................................................................320
Changes in Subjective Definitions of Language Learning Abroad .....................331
Delving into the Analyses: Rationales for the Outcomes ....................................333
Recommendations for Second and Foreign Language Education
and Future Research .............................................................................................339
Closing Remarks ..................................................................................................342
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Chapter Page
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................343
APPENDICES .............................................................................................................................364
Appendix A - Data Collection Procedure ............................................................364
Appendix B - Informed Consent Form for American Students ...........................367
Appendix C - Informed Consent Form for Japanese Students ............................368
Appendix D - Informed Consent Form for Japanese Students
(translated into Japanese) .....................................................................................369
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LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1 Similarities and Differences in Current Study Abroad Tendencies between
the U.S. and Japan ............................................................................................................... 30
2 Research on Japanese Language Learning During Study Abroad ...................................... 37
3 Research on English Language Learning by Japanese Students During Study Abroad ..... 40
4 Data to Be Collected and Collection Methods .................................................................... 82
5 Overall Contours of Sophie’s Case ................................................................................... 107
6 Overall Contours of Dustin’s Case ................................................................................... 126
7 Overall Contours of Connor’s Case .................................................................................. 153
8 Overall Contours of Noah’s Case ..................................................................................... 178
9 Overall Contours of Mare’s Case ..................................................................................... 204
10 Overall Contours of Ayana’s Case ................................................................................... 232
11 Overall Contours of Haruna’s Case .................................................................................. 262
12 Frequencies of Participation ............................................................................................. 267
13 Frequency of Topics Raised in Two or More Data Types ................................................ 272
14 Frequencies of Participation in Multiple Tasks ................................................................ 273
15 Levels of Anxiety and Perceived Difficulty Associated with the Data Types ................. 275
16 Intelligibility and Characteristics of the Data ................................................................... 278
17 Percentage of Words from the Total Word Count Regarding Linguistic Dimension
and Personal Concerns ...................................................................................................... 279
18 Percentage of Word Frequency According to Analytical Thinking and Clout ................. 280
19 Percentage of Words in the Linguistic Dimensions and Social Processes Categories ..... 282
20 Percentage of Words from Total Word Count According to Affective Processes ........... 283
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Description:Oda Nuske, Tomoko, "Reconceptualizing Study Abroad: American and Japanese Students' Subjective Construction of Identity Title: Reconceptualizing Study Aboard: American and Japanese University Students' . Current Issues in Research on Identity and Language Learning Abroad ..46.
