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The role of practice has been largely overlooked in second/foreign (L2) pragmatics research. Furthermore, very few studies have directly compared the effects of different practice contexts (e.g. practice in a telecollaborative context versus practice in a face-to-face context) on L2 learners' pragmatic competence (e.g. in compliment responses [CRs]). Adopting the Skill Acquisition Theory (DeKeyser, 2015), the current study is the first to compare the influence of telecollaborative video-based practice and traditional face-to-face practice on L2 learners' pragmatic competence in CRs. Sixty-five third-year college students from a university in China received instruction on CRs. After the instruction, they were randomly assigned to a telecollaborative video-based group or a face-to-face group. Thirty-three learners participated in three-week video-based telecollaboration with first language (L1) speakers of English via WeChat (a multi-purpose application including making video calls), whereas 32 students engaged in three-week face-to-face communication with the L1 speakers of English in a classroom. The results from multi-modal discourse completion tasks on the immediate and delayed post-tests revealed that the telecollaborative video-based group outperformed the face-to-face group in pragmalinguistic accuracy, fluency, and diversity of CR strategies, demonstrating a facilitative and long-term influence of telecollaborative video-based practice on L2 pragmatic development. Pedagogical implications for L2 instructors are discussed (e.g. incorporating deliberate, authentic, and engaging telecollaborative activities into curricula). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interacting with target-language speakers online has become an important way for many second language students around the world to improve their skills in their target language. These types of learning interactions can take place on a wide range of online platforms, whether paid or unpaid, one-on-one or in small groups. Although research on these types of activities, often called virtual exchanges (VE), has increased, relatively little research has compared students’ experiences across different platforms. The present study compared the experiences of first and second-year university students with native speakers in in-person interactions as well as through several online services that connect language learners. Results indicate that students claimed to learn more in the in-person interactions than in the online settings. They also claimed to feel less anxiety in the in-person interactions. However, they also felt that certain online services improved their language learning in ways that were similar to the in-person interactions. In addition, each online or in-person setting offered unique advantages and disadvantages in terms of practicality and learning.

This study investigates the impact of telecollaborative practices grounded in internationalisation at home (IaH) on foreign or additional language learning and intercultural understanding. Two higher education institutions (HEIs) from Taiwan and Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) collaboratively re-innovate a virtual learning space to facilitate equitable access to intercultural communication experiences for first-year university language learners. Using a qualitative approach, data were collected through student e-portfolios, social networking sites, and reflections to evaluate the effectiveness of the telecollaborative learning design in achieving its goals. Findings demonstrated that the telecollaborative practices not only afforded students opportunities to practice with peers from native-language countries but also prompted them to strengthen their sense of belonging and identity as their intercultural knowledge broadened and deepened. Future research is suggested to explore the potential impact of IaH initiatives on a broader range of tertiary students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formulation of the construct of communicative competence (CC) was the consequence of the perceived "inappropriateness" of the theory of linguistic competence and performance. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of second language (L2) CC, a systematic review of 85 studies was conducted to assess how empirical studies have defined and operationalized the construct in the context of L2 learning and assessment. Four main themes emerged from the papers: (1) beliefs and perceptions about CC, (2) expansion of CC, (3) mixed specifications of CC, and (4) tests and measures of CC and communicative language ability (CLA). The analysis of these themes foregrounded several significant findings. First, the construct of L2 CC was significantly more prevalent in the body of research compared to L2 CLA. Second, CC has been perceived as a multifarious construct that has been researched from varied perspectives. It was found that older studies were more consistent with traditional approaches to defining CC and CLA, while the construct shifted focus to technology and self-appraisals in more recent studies. Third, there is no consensus amongst the reviewed studies about tests and methods of operationalization of CC, suggesting that the evidence provided is sample-specific and non-replicable. Importantly, it was found that over the years, CC has undergone a gradual evolution. With the multimodal and intercultural turn, CC has branched into new concepts namely intercultural and multimodal communicative competencies. Pertaining to these concepts, new notions such as telecollaboration, digital literacies, and multiliteracies have emerged. CC has also been, for long, analogous to performance, proficiency, social rules of language use, rules of appropriateness, willingness to communicate, self-perceptions of CC, and the goal of being a native speaker, which can add to the confusion surrounding the construct. The implications of the present research synthesis are two-fold. It becomes imperative to adapt world language classrooms to the rising trend in intercultural and multimodal communicative competencies. In addition, further replicable investigations should focus on developing optimal methods of operationalization that are in line with the new contemporary theoretical frameworks of language in the age of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study adopted a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach to explore the impact of e-tandem on English as a foreign language (EFL) learners' speaking skills (i.e. speaking fluency and coherence, lexicon, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation) and willingness to communicate (WTC). To this end, two classes at a language institute were randomly assigned to an experimental group (e-tandem group) with 22 EFL learners and a control group (conventional group) with 20 EFL learners. The learners in the e-tandem class communicated with foreign English speakers online using Tandem, a language exchange application, and those in the conventional class had collaborative speaking activities during the class time. IELTS speaking skill test, willingness-to-communicate scale, and an individual semi-structured interview were used to collect the required quantitative and qualitative data. Paired samples t-test and one-way ANCOVA, used to analyse the quantitative data, indicated that e-tandem and conventional classes developed the EFL learners' speaking skills and WTC; however, the e-tandem group outperformed the conventional group on speaking skills and WTC. Thematic analysis, applied to analyse the qualitative data, generated a number of themes and categories signifying the e-tandem learners' positive attitudes and perceptions towards the e-tandem-based collaborative speaking activities. Pedagogical implications are discussed for collaborative speaking courses in EFL settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractTeacher agency is essential for professional growth and teachers’ ability to support transformative student learning. This study looks into the potential of virtual reality (VR) as a joint practice teaching and reflective discussion environment for achieving language teacher agency. A group of teachers of an additional language (LX) participated in a telecollaborative project. They were provided with VR devices and language learning software, Immerse, for practice teaching and reflective discussions after each VR teaching. The data of this qualitative study were video recordings of the teaching and discussion sessions and the participants’ answers to an end-of-project questionnaire based on the Cognitive Affective Model of Immersive Learning (CAMIL) by Makransky and Petersen in 2021. The video recording analysis results showed that the participants used almost all the teaching facilitation functions (e.g., tools that allowed teachers to present content, conduct classroom management, and monitor students) provided by Immerse. The themes that emerged from the participants’ reflective discussions analysis also indicated mutual support for teacher agency development. Their responses to the questionnaire revealed that taking advantage of the teaching facilitation functions reflected the factors affecting learner agency as outlined in the CAMIL model. The findings of this study provided empirical evidence that VR environments can be a viable choice for teacher intercultural collaboration in which teachers of different backgrounds and experiences could together explore the potentiality of VR for teaching an additional language, sustain one another’s growth, and achieve teacher agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study offers an account of the coming out by Amy, a 20-year-old student of Japanese in Boston who has 'been out to most' as a cisgender lesbian woman, to Yoko, a 19-year-old student of English in Tokyo who experiences culture shock with Amy's revelation. The data originated from an exchange on Google Hangouts that was part of a US–Japan telecollaboration project. Our goal is to examine the impact of this coming-out event on the students' experience of the virtual exchange and on their long-term cross-cultural understandings of LGBTQ+ issues and sexual diversity. We first analyze how Amy and Yoko managed the critical event discursively. We then examine the participants' retrospections collected at the end of the project and again about 5 years later. We find that the two students co-constructed the coming-out event as one of transforming culture shock into a mutual opportunity for interpersonal bonding and intercultural learning. Nevertheless, they also reproduced stereotypical constructions of the US as a country that is open to sexual diversity and Japan as a country where queer lives are invisible. We call for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ identities and gender and sexuality diversity in language pedagogy and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guided by the framework of internationalization at home (IaH), this study employed a mixed-methods approach investigating the development of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) among a group of tertiary English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in Taiwan, facilitated through the means of telecollaboration. The telecollaboration incorporated 30 EFL learners and 30 learners of Chinese from Australia and New Zealand. Data collection encompassed EFL learners' responses to a self-assessment questionnaire, their reflective essays, alongside instructors' reflective journals. The findings showed that EFL learners held positive perceptions regarding their telecollaboration experience and reported substantial growth in ICC across three dimensions: cognitive, affective and behavioral. In applying various multimodal communication strategies, EFL learners realized and valued cultural similarities and differences. Their reflective accounts exhibited evidence of enhanced linguistic and cultural competences. The telecollaboration enabled them to increase their confidence in utilizing English, hone their digital literacy skills for effective communications, and establish conducive environments for their relational and emotional development with their teammates and instructors. The latter provided indispensable emotion in varying contingent situations. Incorporating the insights drawn from the instructors' reflective journals, the study argues that telecollaboration as a pedagogical practice is the significant essence of effective IaH curriculum design and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse the data collected in a six-week telecollaboration project between 9 Spanish-speaking learners of English and 5 international students from the Erasmus+ programme, who engaged in both synchronous and asynchronous activities with 10 English-speaking learners of Spanish. Data was gathered through a pre-questionnaire enquiring about learners’ expectations at the beginning of the project and a post-questionnaire seeking information about students’ satisfaction at the end of the project. The results revealed that students’ expectations mostly aligned with the perceived benefits after carrying out the exchange. However, some of the participants found it difficult to meet on a weekly basis with their virtual partners as was required. This suggests that students participating in telecollaboration projects may need further guidance and help to plan their meetings. Despite this, most of the comments received at the end of the project were positive and showed participants’ overall satisfaction.

Virtual exchange projects (VEP) are known for bringing learners together from all over the globe to develop skills and attitudes through collaborative tasks. However, the present understanding of learners' perspective transformation during a VEP remains limited. Based on a four-week VEP between students at a Japanese and Polish university, this study adapted transformative learning theory to offer a theoretical understanding into how students developed new perspectives during the VEP. Qualitative data was collected from the Japanese students and thematically analysed. Analysis of the data provided an emic perspective for identifying the participants' challenges, self-awareness, new goals, skills, attitudes and knowledge associated with global human resource learning outcomes. This study contributes to bridge the theory-practice gap in online pedagogical approaches that aim to foster learner development, and also bring an understanding of the development processes that occur in a VEP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study reports on the results of a semester-long Chinese-American telecollaborative exchange via WeChat, in which students from China and the U.S. shared thematically similar songs in their respective languages and discussed relevant cultural topics that were suggested by the students. Various types of qualitative data collected from the exchange (i.e. WeChat group discussion transcripts, videoconferencing audio recordings, final reflection journals, and end-of-semester interviews) showed that the students participated actively in the program and were able to engage in in-depth conversations on various topics with their partners through WeChat group discussion and one-on-one videoconferencing. Many students attributed their positive experience to the intrinsic ability of music to engage college students. In order to evaluate the students' intercultural learning, Byram's intercultural competence assessment model was adopted to guide the data analysis. Results showed that the students demonstrated evidence of developing four types of intercultural competences during the exchange: interest in knowing other people's way of life and introducing one's own culture to others, knowledge about one's own and others' culture for intercultural communication, ability to change perspective, and knowledge about the intercultural communication process, with particularly overwhelming evidence indicating the prominence of the first two types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document explores the integration of telecollaborative task design in a Content-Language-Integrated-Learning (CLIL) context for language courses. It emphasizes the importance of designing tasks that are communication-oriented, content-driven, intercultural-diverse, and cognitive-demanding. The document suggests that task design should consider factors such as task types, mediums supporting the tasks, task sequencing, and the balance between task support and task demand. Further research is needed to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of telecollaborative task design in a CLIL context. [Extracted from the article]

This study explores the affective aspects ― Willingness to communicate (WTC) and International Posture (IP) ― and speaking skills after using technological tools. Online synchronous meeting tool, Zoom, and the asynchronous tool, Padlet, were used as online learning platforms. Data were collected using an 8-item questionnaire on the WTC and a 20-item questionnaire on IP. They were pre-existing questionnaires developed for the Japanese context and were administered to 34 college students before and after their lessons. Participants’ speaking ability was tested twice (pre- and post-tests). Open-ended responses and participant reflections were also analyzed to gain further insights. Results showed significant effects on enhancing WTC, IP and speaking skills of participants with regard to ICT-based International Interactions. In addition, positive communication experiences with cross-cultural partners using Zoom and Padlet led to higher affective aspects and learning motivation. The findings suggest the viability of Padlet and Zoom as a tool for all proficient learners because of their relative ease of use and data management features. The implication of this study is relevant to a pedagogical tool in online exchanges for the current generation of students.

Abstract This study systematically reviews telecollaboration studies conducted between 2013 and 2023 in English language teacher education. This review scrutinized telecollaboration studies conducted in English language teacher education regarding their research focal points, study contexts, and the technological tools employed. The study also aimed to unveil emerging and recurring issues in telecollaboration studies. The findings of the systematic review highlighted the dual emphasis of telecollaboration studies on pedagogical and telecollaborative aspects. As for the pedagogical considerations, this review illustrated that telecollaboration was employed to enhance intercultural competence, techno-pedagogical skills, and instructional design in English language teacher education. Studies focusing on telecollaborative aspects explored telecollaborative competence, task design and implementation, and the challenges associated with telecollaboration in English language teacher education. This systematic review also revealed that partnerships for telecollaborative studies were established in America, Asia, and Europe. This review also explored that telecollaboration studies utilized various synchronous tools for immediate and dynamic interaction and a variety of asynchronous tools to initiate connections, establish rapport, and foster team exchange. In light of the findings, this review explored the role of telecollaboration as a virtual space for developing pedagogical skills, including intercultural competence, techno-pedagogical competence, and instructional design. The transformative role of telecollaboration also emerged from the findings in bridging the gap between pedagogical theory and practical application by increasing awareness and facilitating the application of knowledge to actual or future teaching practice. In addition, the supplementary role of telecollaboration was explored in cultivating telecollaborative competence through adopting various functions such as co-designer, assessor, facilitator, and mediator and engaging in task design and implementation.

This study systematically reviews telecollaboration studies conducted between 2013 and 2023 in English language teacher education. This review scrutinized telecollaboration studies conducted in English language teacher education regarding their research focal points, study contexts, and the technological tools employed. The study also aimed to unveil emerging and recurring issues in telecollaboration studies. The findings of the systematic review highlighted the dual emphasis of telecollaboration studies on pedagogical and telecollaborative aspects. As for the pedagogical considerations, this review illustrated that telecollaboration was employed to enhance intercultural competence, techno-pedagogical skills, and instructional design in English language teacher education. Studies focusing on telecollaborative aspects explored telecollaborative competence, task design and implementation, and the challenges associated with telecollaboration in English language teacher education. This systematic review also revealed that partnerships for telecollaborative studies were established in America, Asia, and Europe. This review also explored that telecollaboration studies utilized various synchronous tools for immediate and dynamic interaction and a variety of asynchronous tools to initiate connections, establish rapport, and foster team exchange. In light of the findings, this review explored the role of telecollaboration as a virtual space for developing pedagogical skills, including intercultural competence, techno-pedagogical competence, and instructional design. The transformative role of telecollaboration also emerged from the findings in bridging the gap between pedagogical theory and practical application by increasing awareness and facilitating the application of knowledge to actual or future teaching practice. In addition, the supplementary role of telecollaboration was explored in cultivating telecollaborative competence through adopting various functions such as co-designer, assessor, facilitator, and mediator and engaging in task design and implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this article is to investigate the interactional strategies that secondary school EFL learners use during telecollaboration with interlocutors from a different cultural and linguistic background. Its novelty lies in the educational level and cultural contexts explored as well as in the goal of examining whether frequency of strategy use may depend on the interlocutor and, if so, what the relevant factors are for such variation. The study focuses on two projects in which 10 participants from one Bulgarian school and 18 partners from two schools in Spain took part in dyadic synchronous videoconferences discussing culture-related topics. Data were collected via video recordings, field observations, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires. The article presents both descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis of the communicative behavior of three case study students interacting with different telecollaborative partners. We found that the participants demonstrate differences in interactional behavior and utilize strategies with varying frequency depending on their interlocutor. The results also reveal crucial factors in the design of telecollaborative educational projects if learners are to successfully implement skills of discovery and interaction in real time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the results of three telecollaboration projects carried out between Spanish-speaking students and their English-speaking counterparts. The aim is to explore the affordances of telecollaboration for the development of Spanish learners' use of apologies in English. To investigate its suitability, a control group and three experimental groups were set. Quantitative analysis of the responses to a pre- and post-test, as well as quantitative content analysis of the strategies used to apologise in role-playing tasks have been carried out. The results revealed that there is a tendency toward improvement in the three experimental groups, as opposed to the control group. In line with this, the control group used a smaller range of strategies to apologise. It is concluded that the first experimental group is the one that obtained better results than the rest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Lingüística y Lenguas Aplicadas (RLLA) is the property of Universidat Politecnica de Valencia, Department of Applied Linguistics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Theory & Practice of Second Language Acquisition is the property of Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Slaskiego and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Underpinned by [Bhabha, H. K. (2004). The location of culture (2nd ed). Routledge.] conceptualizations of the "third space," this study is a qualitative exploration of an attempt to create an intervening telecollaborative "third space" for English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in a Taiwan university. Students were engaged in language exchange with foreign language learning peers in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) and critical reflection on their own cultural norms and values. Data consisted of summative and formative assessments documented in E-portfolios and reflective essays by EFL learners who participated in the telecollaboration. Findings showed that 97% of the EFL learners agreed that telecollaboration should be part of language exchange programs. Through the affordance of the "third space," EFL learners were able not only to practice the target language through interaction, but also to build their confidence by critically engaging with individuals from different linguistic and sociocultural backgrounds and expressing their thoughts and idea. The telecollaboration also enhanced EFL learners' intercultural knowledge beyond generic understandings attached to particular countries and nations. Implications for practice and suggestions for future studies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we draw data from a tripartite telecollaborative project that involved 112 teacher candidates (TCs) from university-based teacher education programmes in France, Turkey, and the USA. Theoretically, we rely on Pantić's (2015. A model for study of teacher agency for social justice. Teachers and Teaching 21, no. 6: 759–778) model of teacher agency for social justice and use discourse analytic methods (Gee. 2018. Introducing Discourse Analysis; from Grammar to Society. Routledge) to examine how TCs negotiated their agency for social justice in small group discussions around the topics of social justice (e.g. conditions of refugees and immigrants, gender inequities, and LGBTQ+ rights) in their educational contexts. We found that when TCs used agentive positionings in their discussions, their discourse involved first person pronouns coupled with will + infinitive structure (e.g. I will teach ...) followed by specific plans of action, as opposed to when agentive positioning was lacking with the use of generic pronouns and hypothetical structures (e.g. teachers/everyone would/could ...). We also found that TCs used the discursive space of telecollaboration to negotiate their agencies and had variable success as they navigated tensions in their beliefs and positioned themselves as future social justice teachers in relation to the discussion topics. Their positionings demonstrated their level of engagement and their individual/collective efficacy. Our findings suggest that future research should continue to investigate the micro-level discourse involved in telecollaborative spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high-calibre education in Australia has attracted overseas students to pursue a Higher Degree by Research (HDR) every year. While HDR training is crucial for all HDR students, international students are relatively vulnerable due to the challenging demands of academic writing and research, coupled with the cultural and language barriers different from their own. To worsen the situation, the global pandemic forced face-to-face supervision into remote supervision mode, thus exacerbating students' social-emotional learning state even further. This article transports readers to a telecollaborative project that I initiated amid the pandemic through an autoethnographic approach. Propelled by the urgent need to better support supervisees beyond boundaries, I enacted a transnational telecollaboration to mentor international HDR students to position themselves as emerging researchers. Informed by participatory action research (PAR), I guided my junior colleagues (early career researchers (ECRs)) to conduct HDR needs analysis, hold HDR training webinars, build a virtual community via Facebook, and shadow HDR students throughout their reflection journaling via Google Docs. This viable supervision model broke down the power structure by creating an ecologically balanced framework, thus promoting collaboration rather than isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Technology & Chinese Language Teaching is the property of Middle Tennessee State University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study aims to analyse intercultural communicative competence, understood as the individual's ability to effectively and appropriately develop communication and behaviour, when interacting in an intercultural context. In this study, the Behavioural, Affective and Cognitive Dimensions, and their sub–dimensions, are considered by using videoconferencing as a tool for telecollaboration in Higher Education. These sub–dimensions are observed according to their positive and negative orientation (facilitating or inhibiting). The objectives of the current study are to analyse the dimensions and sub–dimensions distribution, to assess the incidence of the typology of generic and specific topics, and to assess the over time communication evolution. Content analysis of communications between university peers was carried out and we undertook a percentage frequency index. The results show behavioural communications to be in the majority, followed by affective and, finally, cognitive communications. Communications with a negative aspect are almost absent from this study. MANOVA was performed to investigate differences between typologies of topics (generic/specific) in dimensions. This research founds statistically significant differences in Affective Dimension. ANOVAs were conducted to observe if there are differences in the development over time of Behavioural, Affective and Cognitive Dimensions of intercultural online communications. There was a significant effect over time in Affective and Behavioural Dimension. The present study finds expressions that show a positive attitude towards communication, as well as interest in and an effort to maintain it. We can conclude that, in Affective Dimension, where generic topics enhance communication, while educational topics inhibit it. However, a sustained evolution over time has not been found, rather a significant incidence depending on topic themes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the premise that implementing telecollaboration can be a challenging enterprise, it is assumed that such virtual exchanges bring positive outcomes. Despite rich body of research on telecollaboration, few studies to date have explored group dynamics in the context of online exchange. The current research examined an Israeli-Polish (N = 100) telecollaborative intercultural experience. The Israeli participants were students from a BEd program in informal education and Polish students from a BA program in translation. The main purpose of the telecollaborative project was to develop English linguistic skills and intercultural communicative competence (Byram, 1997) of the students. However, the present study aimed to investigate how the group dynamics influenced the telecollaboration process and the project outcomes. The students engaged in the exchange of asynchronous video recordings (Vlogs), collaborative synchronous meetings on Zoom, and completed an on-line questionnaire. This paper outlines some of the challenges related to the international telecollaboration, including technological and institutional difficulties, context-specific demands, and some individual differences of the participants. Through “thematic analysis” (TA) (Braun & Clarke, 2012) the authors of the paper explored levels of “failed communication” (O’Dowd & Ritter, 2006) and how they impacted the ongoing development of the collaboration both technically and in terms of content and development of interaction skills to uncover certain themes that referred to learners’ and instructors’ challenges. The study concludes with pedagogical implications for more effective implementation of telecollaboration in higher education.

L’article se penche sur l’importance des métaphores dans la coconstruction du savoir lors d’échanges interculturels dans le cadre d’un dispositif de télécollaboration en contexte multilingue et multiculturel. L’objectif de ce projet mené entre l’université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie et l’Université de Valence en Espagne est de favoriser l’acquisition de compétences linguistiques des étudiants en français et en espagnol, ainsi que de renforcer leurs aptitudes interculturelles et numériques. Il s’agit aussi d’accompagner les étudiants dans l’exploration des possibilités offertes par la construction collaborative de connaissances, afin qu’ils appréhendent leur répertoire d’identités et de stratégies de communication comme autant de ressources dans ce processus. L’étude s’appuie sur des entretiens menés auprès d’étudiants calédoniens et valenciens ayant produit ensemble des « outcomes solides publiables » durant leurs visioconférences. Ceux-ci constituent les résultats visibles et l’aboutissement des tâches comportant une dimension sociale et exigeant une coopération mutuelle pour leur réalisation. Le recours à une gamme étendue d’images métaphoriques par les étudiants participe à la coconstruction symbolique du sens entre pairs, mais aussi au partage et à la redéfinition de leur identité plurielle dans un effet miroir.

Telecollaboration Applications in Foreign Language Classrooms Edited by Sofia Di Sarno-García, Salvador Montaner-Villalba, and Ana Mª Gimeno-Sanz Published in 2023 by IGI Global Pages: 374 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-7080- ISBN13: 9781668470800 Website https://www.igi-global.com/book/telecollaboration-applications-foreign-language-classrooms/306185

Telecollaboration has proved to be an excellent means for the development of students’ intercultural skills (O’Dowd & Dooly, 2012). Based on this presumption, a telecollaborative project was carried out between B2 level (CEFR) learners of English from Universitat Politècnica de València (Spain) and B1 level (CEFR) students of Spanish as a foreign language from the University of Bath (UK). The aim of the project was to help learners from both universities, Aerospace Engineering students in particular, to develop their intercultural communicative competence. Throughout a six-week period, students carried out asynchronous discussions focusing on two cultural topics in groups of four and participated in synchronous Zoom sessions in pairs. The topics at the core of the discussions were a) Catalan Independence b) Digital Education. Topic a) was conducted entirely in Spanish and topic b), in English. The social network used for students’ written interaction was MeWe (www.mewe.com). To conclude the project, the participants completed a collaborative task with their overseas partners that was assessed by the instructor. Qualitative data was gathered through the students’ posts on MeWe (which was then analysed following Byram’s (1997) proposed objectives for the assessment of Intercultural Communicative Competence), analysis of transcripts from the Zoom sessions as well as a final project survey. The results from the qualitative analysis show traces and instances of all the objectives proposed by Byram (1997), while the findings from the final project questionnaire reveal that at the end of the course all participants felt they had learnt something about their partners’ culture. The quantitative analysis further demonstrates a correlation between the number of videoconference sessions and spontaneous conversation about cultural topics, which suggests that, in order for a telecollaborative project to be successful, students should attend the scheduled sessions.

This paper reports an experiment carried out between French students at Université Grenoble Alpes (hence UGA, France) and Japanese students at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (hence TUFS, Japan). The experimental framework encompasses French and Japanese translation and revision issues between distant languages and cultures from the perspective of translation trainees at UGA and French learners at TUFS. Zoom and Line are at the core of the telecollaboration between French and Japanese students who worked in pairs. The aim of the experiment is twofold: develop linguistic, intercultural, and interpersonal competences based on the European Master’s in Translation Framework (EMT, 2022) as well as communicative and pragmatic competences based on the Common European Framework Reference for Languages (CEFR 2020). The data collected through the Zoom sessions inform us on the extent to which this pedagogical activity helps students acquire the range of competences the experiment is aimed at.

Telecollaboration has been widely used in teacher training (Dooly & Vinagre, 2022) and several research projects have explored this field. However, these have been either case studies of student online exchange data in a single type of telecollaboration (eg Dooly & Sadler, 2020), or large-scale studies relying on student self-evaluation in several telecollaborations (as with the Evolve project, 2019). Our proposal aims to present a research project on a large interactional dataset from four virtual exchanges in order to identify which techno-pedagogical skills (Guichon & Cohen, 2016) can be developed in telecollaboration. This project is based on 84 videoconferencing sessions, each lasting around an hour. Our approach followed a multimodal conversation analysis integrating eye-tracking (Cappellini & Hsu, 2022) and a comparative approach (Cappellini & Azaoui, 2017). We will show two studies that have been carried out on this corpus in which we were able to identify which skills are developed during telecollaboration and, among these, which techno-pedagogical skills require formal training to be developed.

Abstract Being described as two sides of one coin, language and culture are increasingly recommended to be inseparably addressed. Thanks to technological advances, this is now more feasible than before. In response, this study examined the comparative effects of synchronous and asynchronous telecollaborative digital media projects (DMPs) on learners’ macro-and micro-level oral proficiency and intercultural competence. Telecollaboration took place between Egyptian TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) student-teachers (N = 56, randomly selected) and a convenient sample of English natives (N = 28) at Michigan State University in the US. Each group was randomly assigned to two groups: synchronous and asynchronous. The concurrent triangulation mixed-method design was followed to collect and analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. The study concluded that synchronous and asynchronous telecollaborative DMPs yielded improvements in all micro-and macro-level oral proficiency skills except discourse management, which did not only improve among the synchronous participants but also retreated among the asynchronous ones. Also, synchronous telecollaborators outperformed the asynchronous ones in all macro-and micro-level skills except vocabulary and grammar. Besides, despite improvement after telecollaboration, none of the four groups outdid the others either in overall or factor-level intercultural competence. Qualitative findings revealed that TEFL participants appreciated telecollaboration and DMP generation and exchange activities, whereas they were dissatisfied with the inadequate and unequal opportunities for interaction with the natives, native speakers being too natural, and being restricted to single-mode interaction. However, they reported a number of linguistic, cultural, and emotional gains from these experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractFor heritage speakers (HSs), speaking their heritage language (HL) sometimes comes accompanied by HL anxiety and/or lack of confidence in their HL skills Although, HL anxiety and lack of confidence in the HL usually intertwine with few opportunities to use the language and/or being perceived as speakers of a stigmatized variety of the HL, the present study focuses on telecollaboration as a catalyst for linguistic confidence in the HL. For six weeks, 13 dyads of HSs and Mexican Spanish speakers synchronously interacted via Zoom and Google Docs. To observe the effects of telecollaboration on HSs’ linguistic confidence, data were collected via weekly written reflections and the recordings of the Zoom meetings. Although all HSs participants were enrolled in third-year courses for Spanish HSs at a large public U.S. university in Texas, their proficiency levels varied from low self-perceived to high self-perceived proficiency. Results exhibited that these differences did not derive in distinct outcomes and all the participants could develop linguistic confidence when interacting in their HL. These results shed light into the importance of providing HSs with more resources to maintain their HL and encouraging them to use Spanish in different contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates to what extent telecollaboration can be integrated as an effective medium for the enhancement of intercultural communicative competence (ICC) in the foreign-language classroom. The data was obtained over one semester from a series of asynchronous exchanges in language-exchange class settings using Google drives shared between United States-based students learning Arabic as a foreign language at three American universities, and students at a Saudi university in Saudi Arabia learning English as a foreign language. The one-on-one interactions covered a variety of topics related to cultural knowledge, perspectives, values, practices, behaviors, and products. The data from this collaborative online project also included two reflection surveys that students responded to before and after the study. Byram's 2021 model (including its objectives) was applied, and the findings reveal that many ICC objectives are clearly reflected in students' telecollaborative exchanges, indicating that this type of exchange can be used effectively as a tool to develop students' intercultural competence. The findings also show a noticeable increase in students' interests in cultural learning and understanding the culture of others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Several studies have found that virtual exchange (VE) has a positive impact on intercultural effectiveness (IE) development. However, few VE studies have measured and unpacked perceived learning gains from VE in this area using data from multiple VEs and mixed-methods approaches. In this study, we explored the impact of VE on perceived IE development among pre-service teachers in two exchanges. Using k -means cluster analysis of reported gains in IE, we identified three groups of students who reported high-medium-low IE gains. Cluster analysis informed our qualitative analysis of students' reflections on VE. Having analysed data from 486 diary entries at four successive time measurements, we identified three factors critical to students' perceived IE development: students' ability to overcome challenges during VE, level of engagement with their partners, and engagement with cultural difference. These findings shed light on what experiences in VE influence participants' perceptions of their intercultural learning. The study provides recommendations for the design of online collaborative learning programmes, such as VE, that might help address students' diverse needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we propose a framework of skills for telecollaboration in a plurilingual environment. It can be used by language teachers in higher education to prepare students for telecollaboration, using plurilingual practices and digital resources. The framework we have designed is anchored in a humanistic conception of education (Maslow & Rogers, 1971; Ryan & Deci, 2017). More specifically, we place the skill of collaborating at distance (Henri & Lundgren-Cayrol, 2003; Daele & Charlier, 2006) at the very centre of the telecollaboration skill. Digital literacies (Ollivier et al., 2018) and plurilingual practices (CARAP, 2012; REFIC, 2019) complete the skills framework. An example of a task, which relies on the framework, is proposed. The task is intended for engineering students and doctoral students from two French higher education institutions.

Copyright of Ensayos: Revista de la Facultad de Educacion de Albacete is the property of Ensayos Revista de la Facultad de Educacion de Albacete and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Telecollaboration in the language classroom promotes both second-language development and Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC). However, previous research identified its potential limitations, including instances of failure, misunderstanding, tension, and a reluctance to participate. The current study contributes to emerging literature concerning the role of prior pedagogical mentoring in supporting learner interaction during telecollaborative exchanges by examining the online interactions of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. A total of 38 undergraduate students from Kuwait and Colombia participated in pedagogical mentoring before engaging in an eight-week series of online activities. The students' online discussions are analysed herein using a content analysis framework triangulated with their responses to a post-questionnaire. The findings reveal the students engage in various socio-affective and cognitive interactional behaviours that correspond to Byram's (1997) ICC framework. The micro-level analysis of the students' interaction and post-questionnaire demonstrates that most of these interactional behaviours correlate with descriptors pertaining to aspects of attitudes (curiosity and openness) and knowledge. Instances of the skills of discovery and interaction are also observed when the students engage with religious and socially related topics. The study concludes that prior pedagogical mentoring is beneficial for equipping learners with essential skills, including the collaborative skills that are an indispensable prerequisite for effective participation in telecollaborative exchanges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most recent concerns of foreign language education is intercultural competence, which has been recognized as one of its major objectives due to the increasingly globalized context. Intercultural competence was even incorporated in the National Standards of Teaching Quality for Undergraduate English Majors issued by the Ministry of Education of China in 2015. Telecollaboration is argued to be an effective tool to develop students' intercultural competence, especially in the post-epidemic era, in which face-to-face intercultural communication seems increasingly difficult to realize. Based on Chinese scholars' assessment framework, the research aims to explore effective ways to improve English learners' intercultural competence by carrying out an empirical study of intercultural engagement among 30 junior English major students at Hebei Finance University in China. They were paired up with 27 students who majored in graphic design at Ibrahim Sultan Polytechnic in Malaysia and communicated through WeChat on given culture topics for six weeks. Quantitative data was collected through pre- and post-project self-evaluative questionnaires, and analyzed by SPSS paired samples T-test analysis. Qualitative data was collected through reflective journals and post-project interviews and analyzed by content analysis. The results show the telecollaboration project between Chinese and Malaysian students benefited the development of Chinese English majors' intercultural competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teletandem is a learning mode in which two people with different mother tongues work together to learn from each other based on three principles: autonomy, reciprocity, and the separate use of languages. As a result of the exchange, partners improve their communicative ability in their target language, develop cultural understanding, and benefit from their partner's knowledge in different areas. In a BA in English language teaching program at a Mexican university, we have implemented teletandem for over two years to explore its benefits for language and cultural learning. Findings have revealed that students consider it useful because it allows them to improve their language skills, gain confidence, and learn culture. However, areas of improvement have also been identified to help learners benefit more from the exchange by developing their learning autonomy and working toward the accomplishment of their learning goals with the support of their partners. In this paper, we share findings from one study that was conducted with students who were taking a learning autonomy class to provide them with the necessary training before and throughout the exchange. The outcomes and implications derived from our experience may be of interest to foreign language coordinators, teachers, and counselors who are willing to implement teletandem as a learning mode that allows students to practice languages in an authentic environment and empowers them to take control over their learning inside and outside the classroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increase in diversified teaching contexts has led researchers to investigate the potentials of telecollaboration in multicultural learning environments. While there are abundant telecollaboration studies, improving intercultural awareness through a theoretical model is usually under-investigated. Based on Byram's (1997) co-orientational and Bennett's (1993) developmental intercultural competence models, this study intends to raise critical intercultural competence among 50 pre-service English teachers through telecollaboration with five faculty members across European countries. Relying on data generated through (a)synchronous delivery modes in an eight-week intervention, participants' intercultural development was measured by quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings suggest that telecollaboration had a significant impact on learners' critical intercultural development. In particular, interaction with different cultural perspectives dismantled prejudices and stereotypes as evidenced by their 1) cognisance of diversity, 2) pragmatic cultural stance, 3) latent intercultural conflict and 4) oppressed gender inequality. This study reveals that telecollaboration is a viable venue for increasing pre-service teachers' critical cultural awareness and reducing biases in multicultural learning contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]