Capítulo II CRÉDITO TRIBUTARIO
DEVOLUCIÓN DE IMPUESTO AL VALOR AGREGADO
To date, very little is known about how study abroad affects language learners’ self-perceived proficiency and self-perceived confidence. The limited research that has been conducted so far suggests learners’ self-perceived proficiency is related to self-confidence (Clément 1986; Clément, Dörnyei & Noels 2004; Clément, Smythe & Gardner 1978; Li 2006; Magnan & Back 2007). Consistent with Li’s (2006) findings, the results of this study indeed indicate there were strong correlations between SALs’ self-perceived proficiency and self-perceived confidence scores in both T1 and T3 in the target language community. Moreover, the results
showed there were significant increases between SALs’ self-perceived proficiency and self- perceived confidence in speaking, communication and grammar from T1 to T3.
The results above suggest that a number of factors could contribute to learners’ overall increase in self-perceived proficiency and self-perceived confidence. Consistent with Clément’s (1986) finding that learners’ self-confidence is gained from the quantity and quality of contact with members of the target language community, the results of this study showed that by T3 there were significant correlations between learners’ listened and face-to-
face interaction and self-perceived confidence in speaking, communication and grammar. It is difficult to define what ‘quality’ contact is here. In this study not all learners had much interaction with English speakers. Most had contact with NNSs, but generally those who lived in a dormitory or host family had more opportunities to listen to and interact with English speakers. Chapter 6 will discuss results on whether the amount of input in English and the contact learners had with English speakers and NNSs were sufficient to promote pragmatic development.
The results also showed the types of living arrangements correlated to self-perceived proficiency in speaking and communication as well as self-perceived confidence in communication by T3. Those students with a host family and the dormitory had significantly
higher self-perceived proficiency and, self-perceived confidence scores in speaking and communication than those who lived alone/with other NNSs/English speakers. This might be partially due to the greater amount of interaction that learners in a dormitory and homestay had with English speakers and NNSs. Such opportunities were important in making students more confident to initiate interaction.
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As Li (2006) also found, even though learners reported their English was weak, their self- perceived confidence increased. They were also more willing to take the initiative to talk with increasing confidence. The results indicate the importance of environmental dimensions on the learners’ self-perceived proficiency and self-perceived confidence in study abroad contexts. With the exception of Prudence in this study, learners were somewhat hesitant in using English at the beginning of their sojourn in Australia. They particularly worried about their vocabulary and fluency. They always thought in Chinese and they had very rare opportunities to speak with English speakers. So they were uncertain and not confident with their communication skills. Consequently, these difficulties may have lowered the learners’ self-confidence and inhibited them from speaking English, thus affecting their willingness to further practise spoken English in real life and participate in informal conversations. The most proficient learner was more confident in their English ability than the other SALs. Even though Prudence acknowledged her English was far from perfect, she was confident interacting with English learners and fluent/native English speakers. Although learners reported they had difficulties in English aural understanding and the hindrance of thinking in Chinese by the end of the study, at least some learners’ self-confidence increased.
5.4 Summary
This chapter addressed the environmental and affective dimensions of SALs’ study abroad experience. The results illustrated that the target language environment provides learners with more opportunities to listen and have face-to-face interaction in English overall than when they were in Hong Kong. Though learners had comparatively more native-like English listening input and face-to-face interactions with English speakers in Australia than when they were in Hong Kong, a majority of students mostly interacted with other Hong Kong learners and NNSs in the first nine months of their sojourn abroad. The drastic increase in the SALs’ English listening input and interaction occurred from the beginning to about the fourth to fifth month, after which there appears to be a plateau effect where the hours remained steady. This suggests that learners may have established their main network of important and close friends early on in their sojourn abroad and it was difficult for them to go beyond their comfort zone to meet other friends. In addition, the most distinctive benefit of homestay in general is that learners can have more opportunities to interact with English speakers. However, as this study illustrated, the ‘homestay advantage’ is not always guaranteed. The
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SALs had a mixed experience. The SALs must initiate and actively take part in communication. According to the interview data from the SALs, this is also heavily dependent on SALs’ perception of whether the host family welcomes them into the family.
Even though the results presented here are based on learners’ self-report data, they also add to our understanding of the affective dimension of SALs’ experience abroad. This study showed learners’ self-perceived proficiency and self-perceived confidence in speaking, communication and grammar increased from T1 to T3, and there were strong correlations between SALs’ self-perceived proficiency and self-perceived confidence scores in both T1 and T3 in the target language community. It also suggests the environment and affective dimensions are related. The results showed that, overall, SALs’ self-perceived proficiency and self-perceived confidence in speaking, communication and grammar are related to the number of hours SALs listened and interacted face-to-face in English as well as their living environment. It appears those who lived in dormitories and homestay families had higher self-perceived proficiency and self-perceived confidence than those who lived alone/with other Hong Kong learners and NNSs. This may be partially due to the greater amount of interaction that learners in dormitories and homestays had with English speakers and NNSs. Such opportunities were important in making students more confident to initiate interaction. Chapter 6 will discuss whether SALs’ environment and affective experience are sufficient to promote pragmatic development.