Study abroad in Turkey: the role of homestays on second language learning.

Study Abroad (SA) has often been referred as the ideal means to learn a second language due to the unique opportunities it brings to the learners. SA provides learners access to both formal and communicative learning contexts where they can interact with the members of the target language community. Existing studies identified various contextual and cultural factors that support or hinder language learning during study abroad programmes. This paper focuses on the affordances of the homestay environment in terms of L2 learning experiences in the Turkish SA context. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted with the sojourner students indicated that the socio-cultural setting students were exposed to during their time in Turkey played a key role in improving their self-assessed proficiency in Turkish and their understanding of the Turkish culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]