Short-term student exchanges can offer valuable opportunities for intercultural learning and to engage in intercultural communication using English (the language focus in this Element). However, research and educational practices often assume that the most effective intercultural learning occurs through interactions with local individuals in 'target' culture learning and adherence to standard English language norms. These assumptions overlook important learning opportunities from interactions in culturally and linguistically diverse settings as features of many international exchange experiences. This Element proposes a perspective in student exchange research and practice that reflects this diversity and encompasses the intercultural learning model of intercultural awareness, intercultural citizenship education, and Global Englishes.

The ability to recognise and understand your own cultural context is a prerequisite to understanding and interacting with people from different cultural backgrounds. An intercultural learning approach encourages us to develop an understanding of culture and cultural difference, through reflecting on our own context and experience.

FOR STUDENTS GOING ABROAD, THE EXCHANGE STUDENT SURVIVAL KIT IS THE FIRST THING TO PACK! Study exchange has never been more important. Ask anyone who has been an exchange student. As we come more and more to realize how interconnected our world is, living for a time in another culture may be the most valuable experience a young person needs in the 21st Century. Students embarking on this life-changing adventure need tried-and-true advice. THE EXCHANGE STUDENT SURVIVAL KIT is the essential guide for young people interested in traveling abroad on an international exchange program. In an approach that documents each phase of the experience, it shows students how to avoid many common misunderstandings and problems that can occur in the course of their adjustment to a new culture, a new family, a new school and a new community. The book is full of examples taken from the experiences of dozens of exchange students from a broad spectrum of cultures and shows how to manage the unexpected "culture shock" and deal with the specific issues that emerge when immersing yourself in an unfamiliar culture.

Comprehensive and evidence-based, this book presents the best practices for designing and sustaining study abroad programs to maximize the outcomes and benefits of education abroad for all students. Distilling the history, research, and variations of study abroad programs, Goertler and Schenker provide a clear-eyed analysis of the lessons learned and the common obstacles associated with education abroad. Organized in three parts – the state of education abroad in the US; research on education abroad outcomes; and best practices – Goertler and Schenker demonstrate the benefits of long-term study abroad for the development of advanced language skills and intercultural competence, and the need for diversity in participation. Chapters offer theory-based, practice-proven recommendations to invigorate, innovate, and implement successful study abroad programs that are sustainable and ethically engage with the local community. The authors discuss design features to maximize language proficiency and intercultural competence. Grounded in up-to-date research and theory, the book responds to the challenges associated with long-term education abroad programs and provides recommendations on (re)invigorating long-term programs and diversifying participation in education abroad. From Study Abroad to Education Abroad is vital reading for academics, researchers, and students in the fields of language education and education policy, as well as practitioners, such as language program coordinators and education abroad administrators.

This Element asserts how identity as a construct enables a critical awareness of how speakers position themselves and are positioned by others in intercultural encounters. It discusses how identity vis-à-vis culture has been theorized through social psychological, poststructuralist, and critical lenses, and how identity is discursively constructed and mediated. Rejecting essentialist notions of language and culture, this Element demonstrates how inscriptions of identity such as race, ethnicity, nationality, and class can be used to critically examine the dynamics of situated intercultural encounters and to understand how such interactions can index competing and colluding ideologies. By examining identity research from different parts of the world, it casts a light on how identities are performed in diverse intercultural contexts and discusses research methodologies that have been employed to examine identity in intercultural communication.

Over the past three decades, the population of international students throughout the world has steadily increased. Although university students choose to study in locations other than their home country for a variety of reasons, including professional development and disciplinary training, nearly all education abroad programs have intercultural learning as a central goal. In this Element, perspectives derived from cross-cultural psychological research are applied to an investigation of the effectiveness of study abroad as a mechanism for intercultural learning. Effectiveness is broadly defined and includes not only overall favorable program outcomes, such as gains in intercultural skills, knowledge, attitudes, and awareness, but also a recognition that study abroad experiences and outcomes may vary depending upon participants' diverse and intersectional identities. Best practices for facilitating intercultural learning through study abroad are identified and strategies are outlined for addressing the methodological challenges of research in this area.

As an exchange student, you receive the opportunity to experience another culture from the inside out. You live with a host family, you become part of the local community, and you learn the language. Even so, an exchange year is not one long holiday. It can be tough, and it may take time to adjust to the new culture and find new friends. In The Exchange Student Guidebook, author Olav Schewe presents a practical handbook to prepare you for life as an exchange student and help you tackle common challenges. Schewe considers • understanding the basics of student exchange; • evaluating reasons for going; • choosing a destination country and exchange organization; • living in a foreign culture; • staying with a host family; • finding new friends; and • dealing with homesickness and other challenges. Filled with practical advice and tips, The Exchange Student Guidebook provides you with a foundation to make your experience successful and memorable.