What is it about?

This case study focuses on a white male university student on a semester abroad studying French in France who, seeking to identify as a French speaker, actively negotiates membership in a local gaming community of practice (COP) as well as the COP established by his host dad.

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Why is it important?

Chev (the study abroad participant) makes use of his hobbies and interests to meet the goal of becoming a better French speaker. Following the framework of language socialization and legitimate peripheral participation, Chev becomes a member of both a board-gaming community and his host dad's social community by acknowledging his novice-level cultural and linguistic understanding, taking time to observe and learn the rules and routines, and working toward the common goal(s) of each COP. The process of joining each of these COPs gave Chev the space to construct a positive perception of his L2 identity, gaining confidence in increasingly varied situations in which he used the L2.

Perspectives

This study fascinated me because of several unique attitudes I observed in Chev. First was Chev's motivation to connect his personal interest in the medieval themed tabletop game "Warhammer" with that of his local French community during his study abroad and the steps he took to do that. Second was his willingness to learn and follow his host dad Jean's strict rules and routines in order to gain access to Jean's community, where Chev knew he would be able to improve his French and cultural understanding. Finally, this study is important in highlighting how study abroad is an endeavor of a mostly white, middle-to-upper class group in which Americans are held in greater regard. In Chev's case, his communities of practice consisted primarily of white men who seemed to show respect for him not only because of his gender and his whiteness, but also because of his nationality.

Laura Edwards
Illinois State University

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: No longer a wacky foreigner, Study Abroad Research in Second Language Acquisition and International Education, March 2021, John Benjamins,
DOI: 10.1075/sar.19012.edw.
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