Volume 06 - Issue 1

Report A study abroad director’s response to unanticipated program disruptions

Author
Sebastian, Paul
Volume
Volume 06 - Issue 1
Date Issued
2026-04-01
Keywords
Study Abroad; Program Disruptions; Program Director Perspectives; COVID-19
Publisher
University of Hawaii National Foreign Language Resource Center; (co-sponsored by American Association of University of Supervisors and Coordinators; Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition; Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language, and Literacy; Second Language Teaching and Resource Center)
URI/DOI
/10125/69901
PDF
Citation
Sebastian, P. (2026). A study abroad director’s response to unanticipated program disruptions. Second Language Research & Practice, 6(1), 70–79. https://hdl.handle.net/10125/69901
Record Details
Full Record

View or download pdf

Abstract
Those involved in study abroad education know that unanticipated program disruptions present unique challenges. Such disruptions range from minor issues such as forgotten items to truly catastrophic events including natural disasters, health emergencies, and political unrest. This report is guided by an interpretive study approach to better understand the experiences of one study abroad program director as they navigated their own programmatic disruptions caused by COVID-19 during the spring 2020 semester. Reflective journal entries comprise the primary data for the report which are then analyzed using narrative inquiry as an interpretive guide. Recommendations include a call for better study abroad onboarding programs for faculty and staff program directors and for increased attention to faculty and staff perspectives in study abroad contexts.