"When you speak to a police officer and you refer to them as du". The development of intercultural and pragmatic competence in Australian foreign language students on short-term study abroad in Germany

This thesis presents a study of the development of pragmatic and intercultural competence in 28 Australian students who participated in a short-term study abroad (SA) program in Germany. Drawing on language socialisation theory and utilising a mixed-methods approach, the data demonstrates that the program aided the development of these competencies. Participants showed increased address-term competence and growth in the attitudes, knowledge and skills required for intercultural competence. The findings suggest SA is valuable and should continue to enjoy support in Australia, and that sojourners require guidance before, during and after SA, especially in the context of short-term programs.