Study abroad in multilingual contexts:‎ The linguistic investment and development of Japanese ‎adolescents in and beyond year-long exchange programs

Examining the experiences of Japanese adolescents on year-long exchange programs, this thesis ‎explores how social and material environments shape sojourners’ language learning. It highlights ‎the role of host families and other key individuals in fostering social connections and a sense of ‎belonging, contributing to their desire and opportunity to learn English and other languages in ‎multilingual settings. The importance of location and of online connection is also explored. The ‎study also investigates the longer-term challenges students face in maintaining the competencies ‎and social connections developed abroad once they returned to Japan. ‎