Living the Language: Student Engagement and L2 Learning Resource Use through Lens of Experiential Learning

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 7:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Motivation and Engagement in Second Language Learning: Growth Mindset, Self-Efficacy, and Resource Use

Abstract

This mixed-methods study utilized an embedded QUAN (qual) design (Creswell & Plano Clark, 2018) to investigate how college-level students engage with experiential language learning and navigate different learning sources during a two-month Mandarin immersion program in Beijing. Drawing on Knutson’s (2003) four-phase model—Exposure, Participation, Internalization, Dissemination—the study combines survey data (N=35) with interviews (n=6) to examine patterns of engagement and perceptions of different learning sources. Findings show that structured instruction supports early-stage learning, while informal interactions and individualized feedback are critical in later phases, supported by joint display integrating quantitative and qualitative data. This study contributes to a process-oriented understanding of study-abroad language immersion and informs integrating experiential pedagogy in multilingual language classrooms.

Author

• Xiaole Shan, Fordham University