Conclusions and Thinking to the Future

This concluding chapter reiterates the purpose, significance, and rationale for writing this book. It, again, indicates the appropriateness of poststructuralist point of views to explore the sociocultural contexts of second language learners’ lived experiences and to interpret the shaping factors that affect their (un)successful endeavors. It also sheds light on the fruitfulness of small culture approach to investigate the emergent cohesive behaviors/activities of L2 learners’ lived experiences in the form of narrative inquiry. Going beyond the discussions and recommendations in Chap. 5, we further share thoughts on implications and impact of educational contexts to stakeholders (e.g., normal and/or dynamic contexts interrupted by a global public health crisis and pandemic outbreak). The aspects of thinking are related to (1) the host institutions of higher education, (2) English language teaching in China, (3) Chinese international students, and (4) directions for future research. We highlight research gaps in each area of thought and suggest possible directions for future research respectively. We conclude this book with suggestions for how the model of The Dimensions and Impact of Study Abroad Learning Experiences in L2 Learners/Users could possibly be used as a tool to further explore the continuum of the subgroup of non-native English-speaking Chinese (and other) international students’ lived experiences when seeking a degree in Anglophone countries. This contributes to our understanding of Chinese international students whose subjective perceptions on the lived experience as L2 learners and users are seldom the center of research investigation when examining the host institute’s internationalization and home country’s EFL education, from a participation standpoint rather than a deficit one.