Effects of Short-term Study Abroad Programs on the Development of English Skills : Improvement of Writing Skill and Fossilization

本研究调查了两个与日本大学生英语习得有关的问题：(1)短期的英语留学项目能否帮助英语学习者提高写作能力；(2)第一语言(L1)迁移是否会导致僵化，如果是，这种僵化存在于JEFL的哪个语言成分中。我们分析了JEFL在三个不同测试-密歇根英语水平测试、机构英语书面测试和语法可接受性测试中的数据。我们的分析表明：(1)量身定做的以陈述为中心的留学项目确实有效地提高了初级外语学习者的英语写作逻辑和连贯能力；(2)母语迁移是影响屈折词法习得的重要因素，而狭义句法不同，后者似乎导致了初级外语学习者中第三人称单数/S/和名词复数/S/的僵化。

This research project investigated two questions pertinent to the acquisition of English by Japanese college students learning English as a foreign language (JEFL) : (1) Whether a short-term English study abroad program can help the JEFL improve their writing ability and (2) whether first language (L1) transfer results in fossilization, and if so, in which linguistic component such fossilization is found among the JEFL. We analyzed data from the JEFL's results on three different tests?the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency, the Institutional Test of Written English, and the grammar acceptability test. Our analyses have showed that (1) the tailor-made, presentation-centered study abroad program is indeed effective for the improvement of logical and coherent writing in English among the JEFL, and (2) L1 transfer is a serious factor in the acquisition of inflectional morphology, unlike in narrow syntax, which seemingly leads to the fossilization of 3rd person singular /s/ and noun plural /s/ among the JEFL.