Dear colleagues,

We are putting together a proposal for a Special Issue entitled “What’s the point of Study Abroad? Challenges and opportunities for Study Abroad research post-pandemic” to be submitted to JESLA – The Journal of EuroSLA and we would like to invite you to submit an abstract for the Special Issue.

Description of the Special Issue
The present and future of Study Abroad (SA) transnational mobility research is at a crossroad – the recent explosion in SA research has highlighted the individualised nature of SA, challenging both persistent naive myths around native-speaker norms for language learning, and stereotyped assumptions about cross-cultural experiences. Post-pandemic, and with rising costs of living, the contexts and opportunities for SA have been disrupted. Therefore, fresh scientifically-informed insights into the challenges and benefits of SA-focused transnational mobility remain important to explore for an increasingly globalised, hybrid and superdiverse world.

With this in mind, the proposed special issue aims to broaden the focus on transnational mobility by focusing on the challenges and new opportunities that a post-pandemic world is offering.
Authors are invited to submit a proposal of max 400 words to the guest editors (see below) by 10 January 2024.
Issues to be considered include but are not limited to:

• Linguistic diversity in transnational mobility
• Identity and individual differences
• Turning research and practice into impact
• Methodological innovations in SA research
• Online communication & virtual mobility
• Sojourn preparation programmes
• Language development and language engagement while abroad

Key dates

10 January 2024: submission of a 400-word abstract to the guest editors
Late January 2024: notification of acceptance of the Special Issue Proposal
March 2024: submission of the article (7500-8500 words)
March-September 2025: publication of the Special Issue

We look forward to receiving your abstract. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.
Have a lovely Christmas break and a wonderful start of the new year!

Annarita, Anne Marie, Claire

Guest-editors:
Annarita Magliacane – University of Liverpool – A.Magliacane@liverpool.ac.uk
Anne Marie Devlin – University College Cork – amdevlin@ucc.ie
Clare Wright – University of Leeds - C.E.M.Wright@leeds.ac.uk