Karaoke in Costa Rica: A Multidimensional Approach to Study Abroad 1a Danielle Geary Abstract This case study was conducted to determine the benefits of a ARTICLE HISTORY: multi-dimensional study abroad program that included a community service component. It encompassed the Received January 2015 following aspects of the study abroad experience: Received in revised form April 2015 motivation for travel, language learning research, the Accepted April 2015 role of autonomy in language learning, and cultural Available online April 2015 awareness, behaviors, and attitudes. The researcher acted as a participant and an observer through ongoing ethnographical observations as the program took place. The researcher also implemented an oral assessment to determine the subjects’ language skills, and conducted one-on-one interviews with participants about the KEYWORDS: culture of Costa Rica and the comprehensive impact of Study abroad the study abroad experience. To assess what aspects of Language and culture the program facilitated and impeded target language Intercultural communication fluency, the researcher collected information on Community service student participation in the everyday lives of the Language and identity natives, their living accommodations, the number of hours per week of formal second language (L2) instruction, and the opportunities for consistent, daily conversation in the target language. © 2015 IJSCL. All rights reserved. 1 Lecturer, Email:
[email protected] Tel: +1-404-894-7327 a Georgia Institute of Technology, USA 58 Karaoke in Costa Rica: A Multidimensional Approach to Study Abroad 1. Introduction 2. Theoretical Framework tudy abroad is not new to the college In 1899, Mark Twain (as quoted in “Travelling experience.