Integration of the Period of Residence Abroad 
and De-Briefing

1.	Introduction									 2
2.	Practice in Institutions: De-briefing and Integration			 3
3.	De-Briefing: Some Suggestions						 8
4.	Integration: Some Suggestions						11
References									19
	Appendices									21

1. Introduction

After the period of residence abroad (PRA) most UK students return to their home university, normally for a final year, to complete their courses. In most cases we expect them to adapt to a foreign culture and on their return smoothly to re-adapt to their own or home-culture. If nothing goes terribly wrong, we tend to take this process for granted. Instinctively we assume that students have matured considerably during the PRA – and indeed, their own reports and evaluations of the changes wrought by it, tend to confirm this. The sheer number of students who mention becoming more confident, independent, self-reliant – or in other words “mature” – by living in a different culture is in itself telling.

This does not mean that the return to the home university is entirely problem-free. Some students may find it difficult, after the considerable freedom they have enjoyed during the PRA, to settle down again to a regular diet of lectures, tutorials and essay deadlines. They may even find that academic study has less meaning for them. What measures – if any – should universities take, a) to ensure that the transition from PRA to final the year is successful and b) to capitalise on the gains in maturity, linguistic proficiency and cultural awareness made by most students during this period? And what of the (hopefully) small number of students – and there must be some – for whom the period of residence abroad may have been a negative experience? Are they to be left to the University counselling service? Or do departments, which have made the PRA compulsory and promoted it as a highly formative experience, have a duty to those who do not find it so? 

Should we, in other words, be taking a more systematic approach to the de-briefing of students after a PRA whether to enable them to reinforce positive experiences or to give them the opportunity of subjecting any negative experiences to appropriate processing?

2. Practice in Institutions

2.1: De-briefing

The aftermath of the PRA is perhaps the most neglected aspect of the entire experience.

In the National Residence Abroad Survey (NRAD), institutions were asked which, if any, of the following debriefing encounters they used:

•	Informal chat with tutor on an individual basis
•	Structured debriefing with tutor on an individual basis
•	Structured group meeting
•	Informal group meeting
•	Student produces written report
•	Students are asked to complete standard documents

Of the 420 answers for different courses, 391 claimed to use de-briefing in one form or another. The most common form of de-briefing seems to be an informal chat with a tutor (289 responses), after this came questionnaires or other documents (196). 154 courses make use of informal group meetings. Structured de-briefing is much less common (78 courses employ individual, 84 structured group meetings). A written report on the period of residence abroad is also seen as a form of de-briefing in 113 cases.

The NRAD is based on answers to a quantitative survey, which allows a brief indication of the choice of de-briefing methods but no detailed responses. 

To find out more about what lay behind some of these necessarily brief formulations with regard to de-briefing and re-integration, we conducted a small, but open-ended survey of institutions which had previously participated in a similar study on diary use (see Sub-Project 2 Report: http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/users/interculture/reports.htm). Through interviews we have also collected subjective views from four final year students at Sheffield who study different courses and can give some insight into how these measures are received by the people they are aimed at.

Overall 50 individuals at 40 different institutions – apart from our own - were contacted and asked to answer the following questions regarding any courses that involve a period of residence abroad:

“1) In what way is the experience students have acquired through their PRA exploited for their final year courses (if at all)? e.g. use of the target language for teaching, learning and essays; or courses and help-lines provided by final year students for 2nd year students. 

2) In what way do you re-integrate or de-brief returning students into the department / school on their return? e.g. individual interviews with students; group meetings of final years etc.”

We received answers from 12 institutions. This relative paucity of response which could be due to a number of factors, makes it difficult to generalise about practice in the UK HE sector as a whole. Nevertheless, we will try to give at least a cursory overview of practice in the institutions which did respond to our survey and of practice in Sheffield itself.

The de-briefing of returning students is in most cases not carried out systematically. Although most year abroad tutors or personal tutors are available for informal discussions and we would assume – based on feedback from students as well as tutors – do spend considerable time exploring issues raised by the PRA with returnees, a considerably lower number of institutions report formal interviews with them. In one particular case in our detailed survey, this interview is carried out by the Personal Tutor and specifically devoted to the Personal Development Portfolio which students start before they go on their PRA. In two other cases the de-briefing forms part of an oral assessment. However, such a formal integration of de-briefing into the final year of study seems an exception rather than the rule.

According to our survey, de-briefing, of a kind, most frequently takes place in personal meetings with tutors, in language classes and at social functions.

To flesh out the kind of phrase used in the NRAD survey, it may be useful to look at some of the detailed responses to our own inquiry (see Appendix A). One account of an informal group meeting is as follows:

“All students are invited to a social function very early in year 4 where they can meet each other and members of staff, renew old acquaintances and recount their experiences to whoever will listen.”

In 1999, in our own institution, de-briefing was offered to the 40 students who participated on the Year Abroad Mailing List by sending out an invitation in June. The up-take was very low, only 5 students attended the de-briefing meeting in the following October. This may not have been wholly the result of indifference or experienced lack of need. A considerable time had elapsed between invitation and meeting. And it involved a change of medium and type of interaction: individuals who had only met each other “virtually”, by email, were invited to a face-to-face meeting.

It has to be said, nevertheless, that the way in which the meeting developed, though essentially positive, did not foster the sense that de-briefing was a desideratum for the vast majority of those returning from their PRA. Those who attended were well acquainted with one another. The meeting served primarily as a social reunion. It may well be that the most useful aspect of any such gathering especially for fourth year specialists of other disciplines who are in a minority on their course is precisely to engender a sense of group cohesion among those who have the year abroad experience in common.

All participants in the de-briefing meeting were specialists of disciplines other than languages. As far as we know, no other form of de-briefing is offered to these students. Yet those who have chosen a course in a non-language discipline which involves a year abroad have to cope with additional re-adaptation problems on return: most of their fellow students will have finished their course and left the university before these students enter their final year. So, in addition to a cultural change, they also have to cope with a change in their social sphere. To illustrate this, here is a quote from an interview with a non-specialist student:

“US: ...and when you come back from Europe in your final year then most of these will have gone?
DH: Quite a few have, yeah. You can do the three- or four-year course and a lot of people did the three year course and now disappeared. So if, if it would have been only one or two of us that have done a four year course then it would have been a bit strange coming back.”

Their home departments are often not equipped to deal with the dual cultural adaptation problems these students face or not even aware of them. Indeed, owing to curriculum constraints, some of our non-specialist students do not even have the opportunity to continue with their language studies in their final year. These considerations make it all the more worthwhile to plan de-briefing and re-integration for specialists of other disciplines with particular care.

2.2: Integration

8 institutions reported the use of the target language in all or some of their final year courses; for 6 institutions experience gathered during the period of residence abroad formed an important source of information for final year courses, either in the form of content input, dissertations or assignments based on the PRA, or for discussions in language and content courses.

The importance of using the target language in the final year of undergraduate language courses is emphasised by the following extract from an interview with a student in such a course, returning from a year abroad:

“US:	So, when you come back, is the level, the right level for you?
FG:	I think what the [target language] department could do is a lot more actually in [target language]. ‘cause we have language classes. They changed the system ‘cause we all complained, when we came back we complained that it wasn’t in English, uh, it wasn’t in [target language], y’know. And we felt that it was quite backwards, we felt like we were going backwards, it wasn’t like quite at the level that we were at.”

Little evidence was found – either in the survey or in students’ comments - that departments make use of the skills students have acquired during the period of residence abroad. One institution uses returnees to give information at A-Level Days, in another case returnees contribute to International Days for International students and language students.

The situation is slightly different for non-specialist learners since they take courses in their main subject during their PRA. One of our interviewees commented: 

“DH: We are finding that people are quite specialised in certain areas now. And so, if you have a problem with lectures or your project which, you know, someone else knows something about, you quite often go and ask him about it.”

Thus an informal network is established between students. But it is not organised by the department and not necessarily based on the encouragement of tutors.
Most institutions offer some form of communication between returnees and students preparing to go abroad (who are, in most cases, Year 2 students). This can be either questionnaires made available to Year 2 students, invitations to informal meetings (e.g. socials), presentations given by final year students to second year students as part of their courses, attendance at briefing sessions for outgoing students or email contact between the cohorts. Organising this on a voluntary basis is not always successful as this quote from our survey shows:

“We do ask final year students to come to second year Year Abroad meetings, but response is not always satisfactory - there is no compulsion.” (Paddy Manning, Middlesex University)

In at least two institutions other than Sheffield, Email mailing lists or discussion fora are being established or are planned. These serve not only as support for students during their PRA but also as a point of contact for year 2 students and, in one case, also students who have returned from their PRA.

3.  De-Briefing: Some Suggestions

Although in the majority of cases de-briefing seems to take place informally, there are good reasons for a more structured approach especially where the experience of the PRA has not been an entirely pleasant one. De-briefing can help to make sense of negative feelings like helplessness or lack of control, dissatisfaction or a perceived lack of achievement and put other negative experiences into perspective.

For one-to-one interviews, the Rapport webpage offers some suggestions on questions that can be used in de-briefing <http://userwww.port.ac.uk/hudsonn/fdtl/staff/debriefsta.html>, another possible source of inspiration is the questions proposed for Interculture interviews <http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/deliver12.htm>. Generally, as for all interviewing situations, the focus should be on the interviewee, with a majority of open questions and space and time for self-exploration. In this respect, a formal examination is not the ideal structure for a de-briefing interview.

De-briefing has been developed as a special form of counselling after traumata or critical incidents. Although it is questionable whether the PRA can be seen as either of those, some inspiration can be taken from a counselling context for group de-briefing techniques. After all, students are faced with a considerable change in their personal life twice in a relatively short time and - in some cases - may have experienced “shock” or traumatic incidents.

Critical incident de-briefing (Parkinson 1997) is a fairly structured group counselling approach that allows victims or witnesses of traumatic or stressful situations to come to terms with their experience and put it into perspective. 

From this model we can take the basic structure of a de-briefing session, divided into three stages: facts - feeling - future. After introducing the meaning and purpose of a de-briefing session, all participants should have an opportunity to relate the main facts they want to report from their PRA. This allows for some comparison and also as an introduction to other participants.

The next step is to talk about feelings concerning the PRA. Asking the direct question, e.g. “How did you feel during the PRA” will most probably not produce very valuable responses. Parkinson suggests that one leads from the fact to the feeling stage by using sensory memory.

One activity we devised for our own de-briefing meeting was posters according to the five senses, sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste, prepared with a few impressions by non-native speakers of English about sensory impressions in England, to stimulate contributions from the participants. Although the de-briefing meeting was mainly a social event, this activity was taken up by the students and they wrote down their own sensory impressions from their PRA. E.g. Touch: “Spain is great for affectionate people, lots of lovely ‘besitos’ and ‘abrazos’!” or Smell: “Walking past patisseries early in the morning”.

Another way of introducing feelings can be the use of taxonomy developed for the qualitative analysis of the SARA data (see <http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/deliver2.htm> and Appendix C). These categories are derived from the feelings mentioned by students in interviews, focus groups and diaries and can be presented to participants of the de-briefing session as an open-ended list of the kind of feelings former students associated with the PRA. Presented with an invitation to discuss their relevance and add new categories or examples, they can be a helpful tool to lead from facts to feelings. 

Talking about feelings can be difficult and sometimes the tutor conducting the de-briefing meeting may not feel entirely comfortable in allowing too much affective input. We should certainly be aware that there is a potential for the revelation of negative as well as positive feelings and keep in mind the possibility of a referral to an university counselling service should this become necessary. But if the department takes on responsibility for de-briefing students on return from a period of residence abroad, it will have to be prepared to deal with the issues presented in a professional manner. One way of ensuring that feelings do not become overwhelming is to provide a carefully planned structure from the outset, in which students are informed how much time is dedicated to each part of the de-briefing issues and agree to a fair and - if possible - fairly equal distribution of time amongst themselves. If issues cannot be discussed adequately in the allocated time, a possibility of one-to-one de-briefing as a follow-up should be considered.

The last stage of de-briefing, which is of particular importance to successful de-briefing after the PRA, is dedicated to the future. The gains made through this period deserve to be thoroughly integrated into the future plans of students and their self-concept. Here is the place, as suggested by one respondent to our survey, to up-date the students CV. (For more ideas on specific exercises, see an extract of the work placement diary, Appendix D) In the case of negative experiences, successful strategies for overcoming deficiencies of the PRA can be implemented at this stage. Every participant should contribute to the discussion on a personal level and the non-judgmental attitude of the de-briefer will ensure that everyone can make personal plans without any risk of being “assessed” on them.
De-briefing in the sense of post-traumatic counselling will (hopefully) not be necessary for many students who return from an extended period of residence abroad. Nevertheless, ideas taken from this context can inform a sensitive practice, conducive to the consolidation of gains in personal development as well as intercultural awareness.

4. Integration: Some Suggestions

If we want to ensure a maximum gain in intercultural awareness or competence through the PRA, careful integration of the experience is very valuable (see Byram 1997, p. 121ff.). Our first concern in this regard was the support students receive while away from their home universities and this has been dealt with to some extent in our report on diaries <http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/subproj2.htm> and on the use of an electronic mailing list <http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/conf.htm>. For an evaluated survey of support during the Period of Residence Abroad, see the LARA Report on <http://lara.fdtl.ac.uk/lara/support>.

In the following, we should like to present some suggestions on how different media can be used to support intercultural awareness-raising before, during and after the PRA. But first, a description of what is meant by the intercultural awareness that we expect from our learners.

“When learners understand, even if only partially, the perspective of other people, and simultaneously acquire a reflective perspective on themselves, their means of communication and interaction with others are profoundly affected. They acquire not only the ability to manipulate the language with some degree of fluency and accuracy, they also acquire the potential to create a relationship between the two perspectives, between the two cultures involved. They have the potential to see each in terms of the other, to anticipate conflict and misunderstanding, to establish a meaningful relationship with speakers of another language-and-culture.” (Zarate 1995, quoted in Byram 1997, p. 8)

Based on information about practice at different UK Higher Education Institution, we divided activities offered to integrate the PRA experience by preparation (before), support (during) and de-briefing or exploitation of the gains (after the PRA) into 5 levels of involvement: information, information retrieval skills, independent study skills, direct contact with the target culture and activities designed to further cultural awareness  (for an overview, see Appendix B). On the question, how an integrated approach to the PRA can be assessed and accredited, see LARA <http://lara.fdtl.ac.uk/lara/asstacc.html>.

4.1 Information

On the most basic level, students need information about the culture but also about practicalities and administrative matters. In terms of preparation for a PRA, information may not be the most important aspect and should not be the limit of what we offer students, but nevertheless, it would be foolhardy if not cruel to ignore their real need to have some certainty about what to expect in a period which they may be anticipating with a considerable degree of insecurity. During the PRA, information can help them to keep abreast of what is happening at the home university and to provide a line of contact or assistance if necessary. The PRA itself may induce in students the desire for more or continued information about the target language culture. This makes it advisable to provide some means of satisfying this curiosity.

Pure information media can be booklets or guides for specific languages or target language countries or courses specifically geared for certain categories of students. For Foreign Language Assistants, for example, the Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges (CBEVE: see: <http://www.britcoun.org/cbiet/index.htm>) provides information before the beginning of the PRA; in the TL country, the local equivalent of the CBEVE may offer training courses for their FLAs.

The SARA database, although based on subjective accounts from students, can also be used as a source of information, provided the tutor selects and verifies the content beforehand. A medium used by students in Sheffield and, no doubt in the future elsewhere, is the Year Abroad Mailing list which allows access to fellow students abroad who can be asked to forward specific information or judgements. Both these media, the database and the Email discussion list, can also be used during the PRA, and in some cases after the PRA.

Meetings between returnees and outgoing students are used as a source of information. Although this is mainly one-directional, the returnees providing information as the “experts”, it is also worth encouraging outgoing students to prepare the session with specific questions which they research prior to the meeting.

4.2 Information Retrieval Skills

Providing every single student with useful and dependable information regarding their future place of residence abroad can be particularly difficult in the case of specialists of other disciplines who will often come from a variety of different main subjects. In our preparation we have therefore decided to focus on developing the capacity of our students for autonomous self-development rather than on offering irrelevant or unreliable guides or booklets. Instead of delivering content, the preparation of our students focuses on information retrieval skills. Since these are transferable they will also stand them in good stead during and after their PRA and in their future career. (For more information on transferable skills, see the FDTL project TransLang: <http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/class/languages/translang/tlweb.htm>)

The ideal medium for information retrieval is the worldwideweb: it is relatively fast and cheap, most of the relevant websites (especially those for European universities) are up-to-date and well maintained, and students gain useful computer skills, in addition to finding out details about their future place of study or work abroad. But there are some areas where training may be needed. Apart from basic computing skills, these are in the evaluation of the reliability of websites and the use of specific vocabulary in the target language. Compilation and organisation of the retrieved information, e.g. in portfolios or projects, are also necessary. Depending on the focus of the course, all these tasks can also provide useful training in independent language learning.

The Interculture databases (SARA and STEFE) can be used to train students in the skills necessary to make the most of the accessible information. They are accompanied by learning activities which can be adapted for use by particular groups with a shared set of interests or by individual students pursuing lines of inquiry of specific personal interest to them. (For learning activities, see <http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/learnact1.htm#top>) As an introduction a few simple tasks, for example “find out what sports facilities are like at French universities”, can be set to show students how they can use the database to retrieve specific information they are interested in (for some examples, see Appendix E).

Some students will get additional training in information retrieval skills during their PRA (e.g. those on work placements). But even without such specific incentive, students who have received training in the use of information gathering skills beforehand using both, the data bases and the WWW, will find plenty of opportunity to exercise their skills independently during the PRA. 

On return, the skills of students in this area can be used for project work or for the preparation of presentations and examinations. A focus on autonomous and student-centred learning in the final year will guarantee that students continue to use and sharpen their skills.

4.3 Independent Study Skills

Feedback from Erasmus students studying at European universities where levels of tutorial and pastoral support are historically lower than those in the UK suggests that the demands on their capacity for independent learning are much higher than in the home institution. For all these reasons, independent study skills are a valuable prerequisite for the successful completion of the PRA. Learning autonomously is not achieved automatically and we should not assume that students come to university with the skills necessary for it. Integrating the development of learner autonomy into the preparation for a PRA should seriously be considered.

Various forms of learning lend themselves to this goal; amongst the most promising is certainly Tandem learning, a form of language learning where two native speakers of different languages help each other to improve their respective target language and knowledge about the target culture. (For more information, see the mirror of the Tandem network website: <http://www.shef.ac.uk/mirrors/tandem/>).

Tandem can be conducted face-to-face, provided that enough native speakers of the student’s target language are present, or via Email. Through well-structured Tandem learning students will improve not only their language, but also their knowledge about the target culture and their ability to plan and organise their own learning, including setting their own goals and measuring their success. It may also benefit them more fundamentally by lowering the level of anxiety they experience in social interaction in the target language with a native speaker. (For more information on the use of Tandem in preparing students for a PRA, see Lewis, Walker and Stickler, forthcoming.)

The role of anxiety in impairing learning and performance in a foreign language has been well known for approximately two decades. Such anxiety has various forms which are succinctly characterised by Coleman:
“Anxiety [...] may be a permanent characteristic of personality (trait anxiety), a response to a particular set of circumstances (situation-specific anxiety) or a combination of the two, when a person liable to anxiety encounters a situation which triggers it (state anxiety).” (Coleman 1996, p. 190)

Coleman follows MacIntyre and Gardner in describing what he terms ‘language anxiety’ as the probability of experiencing anxiety arousal in a second language context such as in a language classroom or when communicating in the second language.
In fact, it seems quite possible that the anxiety experienced by learners attempting to communicate in an L2 environment (e.g. on a PRA) stems from a range of factors, rather than being purely classroom- or language-related. A useful concept in this context may be that of ‘social anxiety’ which, according to Schenker & Leary, arises from the prospect or presence of interpersonal evaluation in real or imagined social settings (Schenker & Leary, cited in Leary & Kowalski 1995, p. 6). Social anxiety may be either anticipatory or reactive and can be precipitated or heightened by any situational factor which increases an individual’s uncertainty that (s)he will be successful in making the impression (s)he desires on those around him/her. Such factors include, for example, meeting new people, talking to authority figures, finding themselves in novel situations, perceiving that others are uninterested or rejecting (see Leary & Kowalski 1995, p. 15 & 28).

The relevance of the concept to language learners undertaking a period of residence abroad seems so obvious as to require little further comment. It may even be that, for this situation, we should coin the specific term of “cultural anxiety”.One of the recommended treatments for social anxiety is to undertake practice interactions in relatively non-threatening conditions (Leary & Kowalski 1995, p. 187). Self-reports by Tandem learners consistently mention the gains in confidence they feel in having collaborated successfully with a learning partner who is a member of the L2 culture. Tandem learning therefore appears to be a means, both of reducing reactive anxiety, in the learning situation and anticipatory anxiety, stemming from the prospect of a year spent struggling to communicate in an L2 cultural environment.

For use during the PRA, diaries have been developed, which support independent learning through a given structure (To download these diaries, see <http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/deliver9.htm>). 

Although it may at first seem a threat to a successful PRA, once the independent learning style of continental Europe has been mastered, students may find it difficult to revert to a more directive form of teaching and learning at UK universities. To counteract this and to make use of the progress most students will have made in terms of independence during their PRA, be that on a personal level or in terms of learning, there should be options available that allow them to work on an independent basis. Projects, portfolio work, the use of students’ expertise for presentations or informal discussions in classes and tandem courses are suited to this form of learning.

4.4 Direct Contact with the Target Culture

Direct contact with the culture is by no means a guarantee that students will become more interculturally competent. In addition they also need a reflective attitude, which can be fostered by intercultural awareness raising (see below, 5.5). But direct contact with the culture is a starting point that allows learners to form their own impressions, start making enquiries about the culture that are informed by their own interests, rather than a given “catalogue” of cultural items. It is a starting point from which they can negotiate their own way of dealing with differences in cultures, whether from a perspective of minority or majority, whether as the “stranger” or the “native”.

The most obvious way of achieving this is by organising preparatory visits. Some departments offer their students the opportunity for brief visits to their future host universities in the academic session preceding the PRA. This helps to familiarise students with the physical and cultural environment they will have to cope with for a semester or a year and should help to lower anticipatory anxiety. Apart from financial assistance, the home university can support this endeavour by helping students to prepare relevant questions to ask and putting them in contact with students already at their future place of residence, for example via the Year Abroad mailing list.

As means of direct contact with representatives of the target culture, face-to-face Tandem and Email Tandem learning have great advantages. Not only those outlined above, i.e. information, the support of independence in learning, and the lowering of social anxiety. In addition, if students take part in face-to-face tandem exchanges with European students present at their home universities prior to their own period of residence abroad, they can also use their tandem partner as an informant on what it is like to study abroad, to live in the L2 environment. In some cases they may be paired with a student of their own discipline which gives them the opportunity to form some preliminary impressions on how teaching in European universities differs from what they are used to.

The mailing list is also a point of contact - if indirect - with the target culture in the phase of preparation. In contrast to contact with representatives of the target culture, the perspective it offers is one of the “foreigner” living in the target culture. This can be useful in preparing students for their own experience. During the PRA it can help to remind participants that their particular impression of the target culture is not the only possible perspective and thereby relativise their experience. 

After the PRA, a number of students choose tandem learning particularly to keep in contact with the culture. Email tandem allows them to learn what is going on in the place where they spent the previous year; face-to-face tandem learning also helps them to maintain their fluency in the spoken language at a high level. 

4.5 Cultural Awareness

Specifically for the development of cultural competence, various models of preparation and support have been developed. Amongst the most prominent is the ethnographic model developed for the LARA project (see <http://lara.fdtl.ac.uk/lara/ethno.html>). In an integrated format students learn to view their own culture as “observers” and adopt the perspective of an objective investigator. Then, during their PRA, they can use the skills they have acquired to access the target culture in more depth than a casual visitor or tourist.

Similarly, the intercultural awareness module developed by the University of Central Lancashire for the Interculture Project <http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/mod.htm> integrates preparation, tasks undertaken during the PRA and post-PRA activities into an overall model that should help students to work actively on improving their competence as mediators between cultures. 

Specific exercises for Intercultural Awareness Raising can also be found in the Interculture Project’s Subproject 1, undertaken by the University of Central Lancashire and St Martins College, Lancaster.
 <http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/subproj1>

Not all institutions can devote a full module to the preparation of students in terms of cultural awareness or competence. This is particularly the case for non-specialists who have notoriously little space in their curricula for language learning. It is of necessity, therefore, that a less extensive exploration of cultural differences forms part of the Placement Preparation Module at Sheffield University, a course which is specifically devoted to the preparation of specialists in other disciplines for a period of residence abroad. By means of a series of specific tasks students are encouraged to contact representatives of the target culture either directly, by approaching Erasmus students at their home university in the UK, or via the Internet, using the ‘dating agency’ of the International Tandem Network <http://www.shef.ac.uk/mirrors/tandem/>, or by contacting individuals at their future place of study. In discussions or essays students compare their findings with others in the same language group.
Tandem learning is also a medium for raising intercultural awareness. The need to constantly negotiate with a native speaker of the target language gives a first impression in a limited time and safe environment of what it will be like to negotiate between two cultures. Personal insights from the tandem partner help to make the target culture more approachable. But most of all, the reciprocity of tandem learning - half of the time is always devoted to the other language - ensures that learners have to take a new perspective on their own language and learn to see their own culture with the eyes of a “foreigner”.

Some of the exercises accompanying the SARA and STEFE databases have been developed specifically to stimulate cultural awareness amongst users. “Intercultural incidents”, based on the notion of “critical incidents”, (see, <http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/deliver11.htm>) can be used to start discussions in groups which can lead to the heightened awareness of cultural differences.

During the PRA, ongoing support for the development of cultural awareness can help prevent a negative attitude towards the target culture where a feeling of “foreignness” hinders the adoption of new and flexible perspectives and can lead to the fossilisation of prejudices as a reaction. This support can, for example, be given through diaries. The diaries for the Year Abroad, developed by Sheffield University, contain specific guidelines on cultural awareness and associated tasks to keep students’ interest in the target culture alive and their attitudes flexible. The Email discussion list can also prevent them from placing exclusive relevance on their own perspective, taking it rigorously as “the truth”, especially where the opportunity is given for exchanges between students spending their PRA in different cultures. A similar result can be achieved by utilising the SARA database as a source of alternative insights into the target culture, provided that sensitive and well-structured tasks are set for students using it independently.

After the PRA, maintaining intercultural competence at a high level or even - if possible - improving on it, becomes an important focus for de-briefing and re-integration. Apart from the exercises suggested under 4. (De-Briefing), critical incidents, based on reports from students or on the Interculture databases, can be integrated into group discussions or language classes. But most importantly, students need to be aware that their ability to negotiate between two cultures as well as between two languages is a valuable skill that is appreciated by their university as it will be by their future employer. 

References:
Byram, M (ed.) (1997): Face to Face. Learning ‘language-and-culture’ through visits and exchanges. London: CILT.
Coleman, J (1996): Studying Languages. A survey of British and European students. London: CILT.
Leary, M R & Kowalsky R M (1995): Social Anxiety. New York & London: The Guilford Press.
Lewis, T, Walker, L & Stickler, U (forthcoming): “Do It Yourself: The Role of Autonomy in the Preparation of Non-Specialist Language Learners for Residence Abroad”. In: Fay, M & King, L (eds.): Institution Wide Language Programmes. Proceedings of the 8th National Conference, Sept. 1999: Convergence and Diversification. London: CILT. forthcoming.
Parkinson, F (1997): Critical Incident Debriefing. Understanding and Dealing with Trauma. London: Souvenir Press.

WEBPAGES

The Interculture Website and individual pages

Interculture Project:
Homepage:
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/ 

Subproject 1: Intercultural Activities
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/subproj1.htm

Subproject 2: Diaries as Learner Support during the PRA
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/subproj2.htm

The Intercultural Competence Module:
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/mod.htm

The Year Abroad Mailing List:
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/subproj5.htm
and
http://www.lancs.ac.uk/users/interculture/conf.htm

RAM Website and individual pages

RAM: Residence Abroad Matters
http://ram.fdtl.ac.uk/

LARA: Ethnography
http://lara.fdtl.ac.uk/lara/ethno.html

LARA: Support
http://lara.fdtl.ac.uk/lara/support

Rapport: De-briefing
http://userwww.port.ac.uk/hudsonn/fdtl/staff/debriefsta.html

NRAD:
http://nrad.fdtl.ac.uk/nrad/index.htm

Websites of other FDTL Projects:

FDTL Webpage: overview of projects
http://lang.fdtl.ac.uk/Wwwmat/ov.htm1

TransLang: transferable skills, autonomous learning for non-specialists
http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/class/languages/translang/tlweb.htm

CIEL: independent language learning
http://ciel.lang.soton.ac.uk/

Other related websites:

Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges:
http://www.britcoun.org/cbiet/index.htm
or
http://www.britcoun.org/cbiet/cbefhe.htm

Tandem learning:
http://www.shef.ac.uk/mirrors/tandem/

APPENDIX A:	Integration of PRA into final year: Answers from 12 Institutions	SUMMARY:

Questions: 
1) In what way is the experience students have acquired through their PRA exploited for their final year courses (if at all)? e.g. use of the target language for teaching, learning and essays; or courses and help-lines provided by final year students for 2nd year students. 
2) In what way do you re-integrate or de-brief returning students into the department / school on their return? e.g. individual interviews with students; group meetings of final years etc.

Institution	Question  1) 
a) final year course 	Question  1 
b) help for outgoing students 	Question  2) re-integration or de-briefing of returning students 	
University of Lancaster
(Ed Moffatt)	1.	use of PRA knowledge in language courses
2.	use of TL in option courses	1.	not systematic but opportunities to meet	1.	not systematic
2.	social function early in final year
3.	in language classes (random)
4.	oral exam	
University of Reading (French)
(Dr Tony Simons)	1.	preparation for Final year content during PRA
2.	dissertation
3.	oral exam	1.	meetings
2.	questionnaires	1.	personal tutors on Personal Development Portfolio	
Oxford Brookes University
(Natalia Benjamin)	1.	use of TL for all teaching
2.	preparation for Final year content in PRA	1.	in seminars / courses	1.	de-briefing meeting
2.	questionnaire during PRA	
London Guildhall University
(Alex Ostmann)	1.	use of TL (50% - 100%)	1.	meetings	1.	not formal
2.	questionnaire	
Leeds Metropolitan University
(Ricarda Zoellner)	1.	oral (straight after PRA)
2.	report on PRA	1.	in planning	1.	in planning	
University of Hull (Dutch)
(R.M.Vismans)	1.	content of final year language modules
2.	dissertations
3.	preparation for Final year content in PRA	1.	informal meetings	1.	written report / oral module
2.	informal de-briefing	
University of Manchester
(Clive Griffiths)	1.	use of TL for some teaching	1.	ITALRETE (discussion group / chat room) open to 2nd years, during PRA and final years	1.	no formal de-brief
2.	party
3.	summative report
4.	questionnaire
5.	planned: TL sessions where returnees talk about PRA	
University of Sunderland
(Kim Willis)	1.	use of TL in classes & for essays
2.	web-pages & guides produced by final year students
3.	use of final year students for “A-Level Days)
4.	dissertation based on PRA topics
5.	language classes: discussion of PRA	1.	meeting	1.	group meetings in September
2.	individual interviews (assessed)	
Middlesex University
(Paddy Manning)	1.	use of TL for all courses	1.	meetings (optional) 	1.	no specific re-integration
2.	informal: see YA tutors (individually)	
University of Luton
(Chantal Lewis-Villien)	1.	use of TL for all final year courses
2.	assignments on PRA
3.	choice of translating & interpreting modules
4.	dissertation	1.	briefing sessions	1.	individual, informal interviews	
Brunel University (LLB Law with German / French)
(Martin Hedeman-Robinson)	1.	language course
2.	project on comparative law	1.	feedback	1.	individual interviews
2.	feedback	
University of Central Lancashire
(Sylvie Toll)	1.	use of TL 
2.	up-dating CV
3.	experiences recorded in essays, presentations, discussions
4.	discussion of employability and intercultural experience	1.	presentations on placement
2.	International Day
3.	available via Email, telephone	1.	informal on return
2.	in core language session (week 2)
3.	International Day (end of October)	

APPENDIX B

Integration of the Year Abroad

Some Suggestions on the Use of Media for the Support of Intercultural Awareness Raising before, during and after the Period of Residence Abroad
Overview

	Media used for	Before	During	After	
1	Information	courses, booklets, data-base, email contact with colleagues abroad (discussion list)	support organisations (e.g. Erasmus Student Network ESN, or CBEVE for FLAs), data-base, email discussion list	final year - second year meetings, data-base	
2	Information retrieval skills	portfolios, projects, data-base	WWW-training, data-base	topical projects / presentations / examinations	
3	Independent study skills	courses, tandem, exercises
	diaries	projects, portfolios, presentations	
4	Direct contact with culture	tandem, email tandem, preparatory visits. email discussion list	ongoing	tandem, email tandem	
5	Cultural Awareness 	ethnographic tasks, intercultural incidents, cultural awareness discussions, tandem and data-base exercises	diaries, email discussion list, data-base	de-briefing discussion or interview, data-base exercises	

Appendix C
List of “feelings”-categories for qualitative data analysis as prepared for Sheffield De-briefing meeting

The Interculture Project has been collecting data from returning year abroad students for the last two years. These are some of the main catogories of feelings that these students associated with the year abroad experience:

Feelings:
acculturation
achievement
anger & frustration
confidence
depression
embarrassment
enjoyment
expectation
fear & nervousness
independence
loneliness
maturation
motivation
optimism
stress-level

Physical states;
ill
tired

Please add any ideas of your own.......

Appendix D:
Extract from the Year Abroad diary for Work Placements

New Skills Review:

List all the new skills you have acquired over the past weeks and compare them to your priorities list at the beginning. How much have you achieved? Where are there still gaps? What areas will you have to work on in the future?

Imagine a prospective employer asks you about your work experience in the target language country! How would you describe the benefits this work placement has had for you? What are the most important skills you have learned? 

Write a job advert that fits your qualifications, skills and experience by the time you will have finished your university course! 

Update your CV to include all the new skills you have learned!