Why Study Abroad
With the goal to master English
as a second or foreign language, learners face questions on whether to stay in
their home countries or study abroad. For many, deciding to study abroad is a
big endeavor by which they have to give up or put to halt their jobs or school,
and even live away from families and friends. Other than the pleasure of seeing
the other side of the world or developing one’s language skill, it requires a
lot of hardwork to achieve such a life-changing adventure.
Upon landing in your chosen
destination, you will have the endless opportunity to learn the language in
authentic situations, get acquainted with people who share the same goal, and
learn English even when you are out of the classroom. Those are things you will never get to
experience in your home country. Research revealed that students, who study
English in a territory where it is spoken as a primary language, getting along
with people and taking part in their culture, improve language skills faster.
This can be rooted on the fact that real-life experiences and immersion in a
culture give learners the chance to gain familiarity on how language is
supposed to be used.
Understanding ESL Programs Abroad
English as a Second Language
(ESL), also known as English as a Foreign Language (EFL), are programs for
language study that aims to cater to the specific needs of non-native speakers.
Generally, these classes are small to ensure that each member receive the same
amount of attention from the teacher. In these settings, students do not only
study language but are exposed to the cultural and social activities of the
school and the community. This is
because language acquisition is directly related to the country’s culture and
social structures.
Generally, ESL classes aim to
produce students who are able to communicate in English. The four core language
skills; reading, writing, listening and speaking are taught with consideration
to language proficiency, interests, and purpose for studying. In almost all
cases, no matter how curricula differ from one school to another, ESL institution
offers courses in vocabulary development, listening comprehension, reading for
academic or professional purposes, grammar and writing, and conversation. Students will choose programs that fit their
needs. For example, if ESL learners wish to improve English skills to attend an
English-speaking university, intensive academic English classes can be taken. For
much older students, ESL institutions can offer courses in improving language
skills necessary for travelling or socializing. Some classes in general English
can range from business communication, situation-specific conversations, and
vocabulary for certain professions and social settings.
Benefits of Studying English Abroad
There may be many challenges when
studying abroad. All these require students’ adaptability, resourcefulness and
creativity in order to survive. As the
student progresses towards the goal for studying English abroad, the fruits of
their sacrifices in the form of self-confidence, maturation and flexibility to
get along with people and communicate in different circumstances can now be
reaped.
The following are the benefits of
studying English abroad:
1. Wider professional opportunities. There is a great need for individuals who
are able to communicate in English. With globalization, many companies require
their employees to speak English even at its simplest form as national boundaries
and economies continue to thrive. As a student learning English in a country
where it is spoken as a primary form of communication, you are able to acquire
the skills on how native speakers communicate. Additionally, as there is a need
to adjust and survive, personal skills are developed. These, when combined with
language ability, can be beneficial to one’s career in the future. Studying
English abroad is advantageous as students get the chance to enhance their
skills in specific subjects that address the needs just like business English.
Since companies go international, employees who have studied abroad get the
kind of language skills required to successfully close deals with foreign
counterparts.
2. Be academically prepared. Many second language learners go abroad to
study in an English-speaking environment as a preparation to get into main
stream school in that country. ESL programs offer subjects that focus on
academic language skills needed to successfully pass and survive life in a
college or professional endeavor. With many schools asking for English test
scores like that of IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge, students who study abroad get
the edge of getting into practice every day as they encounter English conversations
they wish to master. In a research done
by Cummins, it was concluded that ESL students who studied abroad for about two
years had acquired face-to-face communication skills that helped developed
their academic language proficiency. The same level of fluency can be achieved
by students in their home countries after about 5 to 7 years. It was also
mentioned that good communication skills acquired from exposure to the language
are essential in one’s academic success.
3. Use English exclusively. Perhaps one major challenge for many ESL
students is not having the chance to practice their language skills outside of
the classroom. In many cases, speaking English in public can be viewed as
arrogance or boastfulness. Often, ESL students living under these social
conditions finish years of studying the language without mastering it. When
they choose to study English abroad, they will be forced to improve their
existing language level or skills as there is a need to communicate to survive.
Because they can’t get by with their mother tongue, they must cash in on their
English basics and consequently able to grasps usage and complex sentences
quicker than they are home. In addition to this, they will be exposed to
culture and see the relevance in the correct choice of words. They will no
longer solely rely on their thesaurus to find varying synonyms for a
vocabulary, instead, they would use words according to how socially fitted they
are.
4. Gain multicultural friends. When students study abroad, they get to sit
in a class where people have differing interpretations of events as influenced
by their culture. As ESL students wanted to get along with classmates and
participate in discussions, they often struggle to get understood.
Consequently, as class members do not share any common language other than
English, they are not only forced to negotiate meanings but also learn from
their peers. It is in this situation that ESL classrooms can serve as a bridge
to forming friendship among peers of different nationalities. As the class
progresses, students might disprove common stereotypes and get to understand
people better. When the feeling of animosity towards another was eliminated,
the willingness to communicate widens. With the friendships that develop
abroad, both in school or in the community, the students will get to meet
people whom they can pair up with and become language partners after they go
back home.
5. Learn the language in authentic
situations. Nothing beats first-hand
experience when it comes to learning language. Though it is possible to be
fluent in English without leaving your home country, it often takes a long
time. Experts believed that studying abroad, in a country where the target
language is spoken as a mother tongue, one can develop accent and fluency
faster. This is because there is a great need to be understood as they talk
with the locals. Additionally, special language features like contractions and omissions
of words and letters can be discovered and used in correct contexts. Using “gonna” and “wanna” can be examples of
these. Additionally, as students may live with a home stay or a dormitory, they
get the chance to talk in English after school, even at different events and
situations. Authentic language learning can take place as students witness the
way native speakers express themselves. As time goes by, ESL students can
acquire language skills needed to satisfactorily express what they mean.
Wrapping it up
English is spoken in many
countries. As years go by, it has played important roles in making clear
communications possible. The popularity and its widespread use started the
influx of second or foreign language learners. In fact, it is spoken by 300
million people as their first language, 600 million as their second language and
millions more as their foreign language.
With English being the
predominant language for international business and communications, many countries
enacted laws that support its utilization as a language of the academics,
politics and economics. With this, English
have surged to become an important factor in finding success in school, work,
and international relations giving people the opportunity to find better employment,
received greater pay, and get promotions easily.
As the domains of English expand,
people also wanted to learn it faster. There are many possible ways to improve
one’s English skills, but one sure and quick way to achieving it is by studying
English abroad- in a country where it is considered dominant.
