Experiences of 12 American families who hosted American Field Service (AFS) international exchange students (ages 16-18) are documented. The purpose of the study was to understand more fully the dynamics of the normal, reasonably satisfactory hosting experience. Each case study presents background information on the family, a narration of…

The study reviews 50 foreign language programs in the United States that are said to be both inspirational and useful for providing concrete information about the creation and preservation of successful language programs. The programs cited are exemplary and can serve as models for educators and administrators to study and visit. Program selection…

Two doctoral dissertations (one a case study and the other, quantitative research) which examine the experience of secondary school international exchange students are reviewed. The first, "Case Study of a Latin American Sojourner: Crossing Hard Times," by Nancy B. King (Wayne State University, 1981) documents the difficult relationship…

The dynamics of hosting foreign exchange students were studied by means of a longitudinal documentation of the experiences and feelings of 15 U.S. families before, during, and after the 10 months when they hosted an American Field Service (AFS) exchange student. Data were gathered by means of semistructured, open-ended, audio-taped interviews…

The American Field Service (AFS) Impact Study has documented that adolescents in AFS programs show greater increases in learning and competence than could be expected through the normal maturing process. Research findings on how people learn and under what circumstances explain why an AFS experience accelerates learning. For example, it is known…