Does a Short Period of Going Abroad Have an Impact Students’ Writing?

The present study explores the impact of a short period of stay abroad on primary students’ communicative appropriateness in writing in English as a second language. It also investigates the perspectives of parents, teachers, and students on the importance of such experience for language learning. The study was conducted in the Valencian Community, in Spain, and involved 392 primary school students. Data were collected by means of a written task, a questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. Findings from the study show that students who have been abroad for a short period of time achieved higher scores in communicative appropriateness in writing than those who were not exposed to the second language outside the classroom. Additionally, while students’ perceptions varied across schools, teachers and parents positively viewed studying abroad as an opportunity to engage with the English language. However, teachers noted that, due to the economic difficulties reported by some families, combining classroom activities with online resources is an alternative to ensure that all students benefit from exposure to English beyond the school, regardless of their economic background.