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In an increasingly globalized world, the development of language skills and intercultural empathy has become crucial for effective communication and collaboration across diverse societies. Virtual worlds offer a unique and immersive environment to address these needs through innovative educational approaches. This study explores the impact of multi-user interactions, group work, and simulations within virtual worlds on language learning and the development of intergroup empathy. Two distinct research projects were conducted, involving 241 participants aged 19–45. The language learning study engaged 116 participants in diverse interactive experiences, while the intercultural study had 125 participants collaborating in multicultural groups and participating in perspective-taking simulations. Both studies employed qualitative data collection methods, including surveys, interviews, and observations. The findings suggest that the combination of networking strategies, collaborative learning, and simulations within virtual worlds contributes to improvements in learners' language proficiency, confidence, and empathy towards diverse social groups. Participants reported increased motivation and engagement, which was attributed to the immersive and interactive nature of the virtual environments. These studies highlight the importance of collaboration and reflection in facilitating language acquisition and intercultural understanding. Technical challenges were identified as potential barriers to implementation. The results demonstrate the potential of virtual worlds to enhance language education and foster empathy in diverse societies, offering valuable insights for educators and researchers. However, the findings may be limited by the specific contexts and sample sizes of these studies, warranting further research to explore the generalizability and long-term impact of virtual world interventions and not exaggerate the main conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research focusing on e-tandem virtual exchanges where learners practice each other’s languages has examined mainly aspects related to form-focused interaction, linguistic development, and intercultural competence (see Akiyama & Cunningham, 2018, for an overview). The present paper examines learners’ introspective data about the benefits they obtained from participating in a Spain-Canada e-tandem virtual exchange. Particularly, the participants’ alternating roles as language learners and language experts and their intercultural understanding were examined to provide insights into their evaluation of the experience of taking part in the exchange. Introspective data was collected on how this exchange helped learners theorize about language learning and teaching and about their intercultural understanding. Learners highlighted that focusing on communication, having patience, and collaborating and cooperating with others were their most frequent concerns when they reflected on their role as language experts helping others practice their dominant language. The findings also indicate that learners’ perceptions about the intercultural understanding gained during the virtual exchange show appreciation of multiculturalism and a tendency to speak about one’s own culture.

This quantitative and qualitative research study investigates the contribution of the course Multiculturalism in Literature on Arab Muslim graduates of the B. Ed program, majoring in teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in a teacher training college in the central part of Israel. The research participants took the course in their second year of studies from 2011 until 2017. Sixty-six participants out of a pool of 123 returned the questionnaire. Fifty-five of the respondents teach in Arab schools, and eleven in Jewish schools. Results show that the course helped them promote their cross-cultural and intercultural understanding and communication, raise their awareness of social and political injustices, and feel empowered as members of a national minority group in Israel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring intercultural communication in modern learning conditions is an urgent problem for research, given the globalization of the educational space. The article aims at analyzing intercultural communication in higher education institutions in Ukraine. To implement this goal, a systematic method of research was used, which allowed to comprehend intercultural communication as a dynamic phenomenon, and a method of thematic categorization, which allowed to outline the main research problems. The results of the study found that intercultural communication is the idea of interaction between multilingual and multicultural individuals through the establishment and arrangement of interconnection and the search for mutual understanding. The important role of the teacher as a mediator in the organization of the educational process is also emphasized: teaching work today also involves establishing the intercultural interaction between applicants for education, who often belong to different cultural environments. In Ukrainian realities, this work is complicated by Russian aggression, but the dynamics of the increase in the number of foreign students in Ukrainian universities demonstrated that the process of establishing cultural communication not only existed, but also developed. In conclusion, attention is drawn to the importance of ethical moments of interaction, since in different cultures there is a different perception of respect, morality, the role of gender, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the experiences of international staff in Egypt and Trinidad who undertook a UK-based teaching development course provided by the London University who were validating and franchising the offshore courses they taught. Such transnational education (TNE) is a significant but under-researched area of Higher Education and continuing professional development opportunities for TNE teachers have been limited. Participants shared insights into transmissive and transformational aspects of the course, revealing the complex interplay between individual and cultural assumptions critiqued here through a neo-colonial lens. We draw implications from our data for academic developers in general and, in particular, for those working in international and intercultural partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper interrogates international and domestic peer relations in two Australian schools and how they are shaped by structural, cultural and discursive dimensions of schooling. In particular, it analyses intercultural relations between domestic and international students in the context of policies promoting "internationalisation-at-home". We argue that how international students are positioned within specific school contexts impacts their sense of inclusion in everyday social and pedagogical relations and informs their relationships with domestic students, whether viewed as a stranger or potentially as a friend raising questions as to who is responsible for intercultural relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intercultural education in Australia has been positioned in Statebased official curriculum and education policy as developing understanding between diverse cultural groups. However, cultivating such understanding far more complex in practice than policy and curriculum directives can capture. In Australia, eruptions of intercultural tensions has an ongoing and complex history. This paper examines the challenges for teachers' intercultural practice in one Australian public school setting. Reporting on a single-site ethnography drawing on Lefebvre's production of space. I conceptualise teachers' intercultural work as a praxis of difference, this paper problematises the way intercultural education is often taken up in tokenistic ways and advocates for reimagining intercultural education as a challenge of practice. I argue that an examination of the conditions that produce complex relations between diverse cultural groups in particular spaces is a productive starting point for developing intercultural understanding as a rational praxis of difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In interpersonal communication, the listeners' role is as necessary as the speaker's. Backchannel is considered a universal behavior; it often occurs in the conversation to send a signal from the listener without claiming the floor. Linguists have identified backchannel responses in many languages and cultural differences regarding the backchannel's type, frequency, and placement. This study investigates the use of backchannel in Indonesian conversation by native speakers in interview settings. This mixed-method study combines a quantitative and qualitative study that examines the function and frequency of ten dyadic Indonesian native speakers in an interview setting. The sampling subject participant is 20 Indonesian native speakers with each gender; we selected ten people whose first language is the Indonesian language Each interview session took 20 to 30 minutes, totalling 4 hours, and 20 minutes of dialogue for the whole corpus. Based on the study findings, Indonesian native speakers often use nodding (each gender has the same frequency of around 42%) as a non-verbal backchannel. The current analysis suggests that nodding and facial expressions such as smiles, and laughter consider one of the listener responses in Indonesian conversation. Indonesian speakers' verbal backchannel does occur, but nodding occurs most frequently as a sign of the backchannel. The non-verbal behavior of nodding gives listening signals without bothering the speaker's utterance. The current study adds to our understanding of the listener's role in Indonesian conversation. These results contribute to intercultural understanding in the era of globalization.

Migrant integration remains a continuous challenge in many EU countries, as shown by the retreat from multiculturalism and the concerns regarding Muslim migrants. In recent years, the increase in asylum-seekers has added further complexities to the issue. Meanwhile, volunteering is considered to be an important aspect of today’s society and a thermometer of civic well-being. Bringing together the field of migration studies and research on volunteering, we investigate whether volunteering would foster processes of integration and intercultural relations. We do so by presenting an innovative empirical study based on interviews and self-administered questionnaires conducted at two points in time over a period of about a year in a specific setting that brought together EU and third-country nationals in volunteering activities in six European contexts. Thus, we are able to provide an in-depth account of volunteering experiences and their effects on intercultural relations and processes of integration. The research highlights how volunteering fosters social interactions, intersecting with dynamics of inclusion. It is a valuable tool that strengthens the community as well as the process of social integration, helping to overcome the tensions and conflicts that persist in European societies. At the same time, we argue that volunteering cannot make up for all integration challenges since the process of societal integration requires a more comprehensive approach which includes tackling discrimination in structural integration.

Aim: To present and discuss our experiences of learning how to establish and maintain an international collaboration as early career nurse researchers residing in the United States and Australia. Background: International research collaborations require additional startup time given the complexities of navigating cultural differences, obtaining ethics committee approvals in different countries and collecting human subject data. International collaborations may be daunting for early career researchers given their inexperience and pragmatic focus on research projects that lead to outputs achievable on short timelines for career advancement. Design: Discussion paper. Data Sources: Evidence from international literature about global collaborations across numerous disciplines, including potential factors that could facilitate or constrain early career researcher efforts to engage in international collaborations, were combined with authors' lived experiences as early career researchers. Discussion: Our collaboration began in July 2022 through a professional introduction spurred by a call for applications to fund global nursing education collaborations. Interpersonal, logistical and organizational factors played a role in our lived experiences of beginning an international collaboration. Our experiences are consistent with published literature about the time and complexity involved in conducting international research. Conclusion: Investing time building interpersonal relationships strengthens international research and supports collaborative learning and intercultural understanding. These professional relationships can be built over time to develop significant bodies of research with international impact. Early career researchers need to be resilient, persistent and tenacious as they 'jump through hoops' to establish international research collaborations. Impact: Building relationships during international research collaborations supports collaborative learning for intercultural understanding and strengthens research to address emerging global problems. International nursing research collaborations could encourage greater curiosity, innovative ideas and solutions to international problems that could not be achieved in isolation. Patient or Public Contribution: There was no patient or public involvement in the design and development of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving genuine engagement and understanding between communities with radically divergent worldviews is challenging. If there is no common ground on which to stand and have a discussion, the likely outcomes of an apparent intercultural disagreement are a stalemate, the (sometimes colonialist) imposition of a single worldview, or a kind of relativistic tolerance that falls short of genuine engagement. In this paper, we suggest a way forward that takes as its starting point the philosophical discussion of deep disagreement, using the example of taniwha – in te ao Māori (the Māori world/worldview), powerful water beings that must be treated with respect – to outline a strategy for building intercultural understanding and enabling constructive intercultural dialogue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the role of mediators in the context of intercultural communication, and identifies the challenges and coping strategies associated with this role. Intercultural communication is becoming increasingly relevant in today's world, where globalization and migration lead to interaction between people of different cultures and backgrounds. Mediators play an important role in facilitating this interaction by mediating between the parties and helping to overcome linguistic, cultural and psychological barriers. The article analyzes the diverse roles of mediators in intercultural communication, including translators, cultural mediators, intercultural communication trainers, and other professionals. Key strategies that mediators can use to facilitate communication between different cultures are highlighted, such as active listening, adapting communication styles, addressing misunderstandings, and facilitating conflict resolution. However, the article also identifies challenges that can arise when mediators work in cross-cultural settings. These challenges include differences in values, stereotypes, trust issues, etc. The author of the article suggests a number of strategies to overcome these challenges, such as mediator education and training, developing intercultural competence, and using conflict resolution tools. In conclusion, the article emphasizes the importance of the role of mediators in today's world, where effective intercultural communication becomes a key factor for successful interaction between people of different cultures and nationalities. It also calls for further research on this topic and the development of more effective strategies to support mediators in their important work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article deliberates on widening children’s horizons with picturebooks. The authors share with us their explorations in different Japanese settings: a preschool, a state primary school and an out-of-school picturebook read-aloud group, always with the aim to support a deeper understanding of aspects of the children’s own and others’ cultural identities.

It has been more than decades since English education in Japan started focusing on communicative competence. Textbooks and lessons in public schools are chosen based on a government-made Course of Study (Guideline). The Guideline puts emphasis on communicative competence and intercultural understanding in terms of English language education. The Government's efforts to enact reform measures have failed, and the outcomes of various international assessments of Japanese English proficiencies are unsatisfactory. It implies that despite great effort the goal set by the Guideline has not been achieved yet. Students are motivated to learn English not for communication purposes but for test taking. This study examines a government-approved textbook for high school students' required course from Sanseido Press to see how the Guideline's objective is reflected in it. Since it is important to raise cultural awareness, this study tries to figure out how this textbook helps students understand other cultures. This study uses Alptekin's model of intercultural communicative competence and analyses the content of this textbook. This model is best for figuring out what makes effective intercultural understanding for nonnative English learners, which requires knowing about different cultures and being able to use that knowledge appropriately in any situation. The findings revealed a clear bias towards Japanese cultures and US citizens. It is assumed that American English is considered an ideal model for English education in Japan. It is recommended that textbooks accept the concept of World Englishes, include a more diverse culture, and get nonnative speakers involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) indicates that education for global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity should be embedded at all levels of curricula. In this paper, we share findings from an analysis of curriculum documents in Victoria, Australia and Québec, Canada that identified learning related to this goal and explored the potential depth of intercultural understanding (ICU) this may lead to. While we view ICU as linking directly to the SDG4 aim of developing learners’ global citizenship, we also investigated the extent to which ICU transcends the appreciation of cultural diversity or ‘other’ cultures. Our findings suggest that in both contexts, ICU could be categorised into three key dimensions: a focus on similarities and differences, a focus on reflection and self, and a focus on transformation. In addition, there was little evidence of interculturality beyond the cultures of immigrants. Given the history in both contexts, we identify that interculturality must also involve more inclusion of Indigenous cultures within the curriculum for all students to ensure transformative intercultural outcomes are maximised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intercultural Contact (Hereafter IC) is when two or more people from different cultural backgrounds carry out socio-economic or political exchanges in one contact zone. Intercultural contact is possible to appear everywhere and by one. Intercultural contact concerning immigrants, either as students or workers abroad. This study aims to investigate the intercultural contact of Indonesian workers, focusing on trainees (Jjisshusei) in Japan. International workers face cross-cultural communication with co-workers or domestic workers. The trainees as respondents in this study are sent to Japan as a form of on-the-job training in collaboration between the Indonesian government and the Japanese. The trainees were exposed to the Japanese language, culture, society, and economy. Therefore, their cultural competence is essential. This study examines intercultural communication in the trainee’s community, mainly focusing on how intercultural contact occurs between trainees and Japanese residents. The result showed that apart from the trainees’ understanding of the importance of learning Japanese, they still lack experience in communicating with Japanese locals besides their co-workers. This study contributes to second language learning in intercultural understanding and L2 learners’ identity.

Interview with Prof. Hanne Leth Andersen Rector at Roskilde University, DENMARK

The goal of the paper is to show that language can support social and intercultural competence of both students and teachers: one of the ways to do it is teaching cultural taboos and taboo language for intercultural awareness and understanding. The current state of the art in the field points to an increasing interest in the teaching of taboos. The material we analysed consisted in 238 offensive, vulgar and obscene English words that both students and teachers should know to attain social and intercultural competence. The method used is the descriptive one. The degree of novelty is rather high in our cultural area. Results show that there are 134 offensive (slang) words and expressions (referring to the country of origin or to an ethnic group, to sex and sex-related issues (sexual orientation), to race, etc.), 75 vulgar words and expressions (referring to sex and sex-related issues, to body parts, to people, etc.), and 29 obscene words and expressions (referring to body secretions, to sex and sex-related issues, to people, etc.). There seems to be no research limitations given the lexicographic sources that we used. The implications of teaching cultural taboos and taboo language at tertiary level concern both the students and teachers and the organisation they belong to. The paper is original and relevant given the process of globalisation.

The aim of this paper is to present a schema that maps the terrain of intercultural assessment strategies. This schema is based upon Haraway's semiotic square and has two dimensions. The first considers how distant or near the cultural Other is understood to be – whether they are perceived a stranger or a neighbour. The second considers whether the student is encouraged to see the cultural Other as an object about whom one learns facts, or if student and the cultural Other are expected to interact as a means to transforming their mutually interrelated lives. We argue that this mapping helps illuminate the benefits and shortcomings of various assessment strategies, highlighting the underlying curricular assumptions and objectives of these assessment strategies. This paper argues that curricular and assessment models that treat cultural Others as neighbours engaged in joint transformative change should increasingly be the focus of intercultural learning and assessment strategies. A review of extant literature found that school systems, international and transnational curriculum bodies, and some for-profit companies provide a wide range of models for assessing student intercultural awareness, understanding and componence. These models differ so significantly that the term "intercultural" may appear a floating signifier. However, the benefit of our schema is in classifying these models by focusing on the forms of intercultural interactions they anticipate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aboriginal women experiencing sexual violence may not always access support services when needed, nor receive the most appropriate support when they do. Recent research suggests place-based, Aboriginal-led initiatives to respond to family and sexual violence in Aboriginal communities offer the best chance for developing effective responses. This article describes an innovative participatory action research project aiming to improve service delivery for Aboriginal women from the Ngaanyatjarra Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (NPY) region in remote central Australia. Over a series of workshops co-researchers worked intensively at the interface of knowledge systems creating a unique and safe space for exploring this issue. The process elicited learnings that have the potential to transform practice and was itself a trauma-informed healing opportunity for participants. The project was led by Aboriginal women who wished to share what was done so that others may benefit from working in this way. IMPLICATIONS Participatory action research can be an effective approach to improving service delivery for Aboriginal women who have experienced sexual violence. By working at the cultural and knowledge interface of Aboriginal and Western standpoints, and utilising contextually relevant means of engagement, deeper understandings of sexual violence and healing are the result for participants. Deeper intercultural understandings have the potential to lead to innovations in service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do children from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds interact with one another within a bilingual Spanish-medium classroom? That is the question this analysis sought to answer. As part of an ethnographic discourse-analytic study of a new two-way immersion bilingual program within an urban school, I analyze one particular literacy event amongst three young readers from different linguistic and ethno-racial positionings and varying knowledge of Spanish. This literacy event illustrates how students expand their communicative repertoires to include a variety of Englishes and Spanishes as they experiment with different ways of communicating and expressing themselves. In this event, English, Spanish, Spanglish, and African American English were spoken and used by all three participants as they reacted to the text. This analysis illustrates how students show alignment towards each other through their hybrid languaging and literacy practices, and in this way, learn more than simply language from one another, children learn subtle ways of becoming inter-culturally competent through their languaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers' intercultural understanding has a growing importance in teacher education. In a society with more diverse classrooms, there is an increasing need for teachers with a broad intercultural understanding. Student teachers who have had school practice in different cultural settings have a broader understanding of their multicultural pupils and are better equipped for related challenges and opportunities. This is paramount in classrooms including pupils of migrant and refugee backgrounds. In the field, there has been a growing understanding for this matter and there have been multiple studies of multicultural student teacher practice. However, further research is needed to understand the competence student teachers get from diverse school practice. Therefore, our focus is to explore to what extent student teachers can gain intercultural competence and professional development from practice in different cultural contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archival concepts are grounded in cultural traditions and often difficult to translate because equivalent terms do not exist. This may lead to misunderstandings which may impact on intercultural understanding and international collaboration. This article looks at how the Records Continuum Model, which was developed in Australia in the 1990s in response to the perceived deficiencies of the life cycle model to deal with digital records, is understood by francophone archivists and records managers. Misunderstandings can be attributed to problems of translation and transposition of Records Continuum ideas in other archival contexts, as well as to the specific terminology, which in itself is confusing because the terms used—in particular records, recordkeeping and continuum—have meanings that differ from their meanings in everyday language or in other cultural contexts. Through interviews with francophone archivists in Switzerland, the author explored their understanding of the model and the measures they were trying to put in place to encourage the creation of records and their preservation for as long as they would be needed by various stakeholders. The author shows that although the interviewees were all working within a life cycle framework, some of them were taking small "continuum actions" that can have a significant impact on the creation, management and preservation of records and on their ability to meet the needs of various stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This 'inclusive practitioner research' study presents a collaborative 'virtual intercultural fieldwork' project in which Balinese and Chinese university students communicated in English to explore similar emic cultural concepts related to the Japanese concept of amae (presumed indulgence); namely, manying (Balinese) and sajiao (Mandarin Chinese), through online exchanges and interviewing. The project aimed to develop and improve learners' (including teachers) intercultural communicative competence and multiliteracies related to linguistic competence and intercultural understandings. The project also provided opportunities for the learners to use academic English in authentic situations by posing research questions and exploring methods to discover transcultural understandings through research. Applying the principles of Cultural Linguistics, Exploratory Practice, and Team Learning, the analysis of this project's unique virtual communication element aims to inspire innovations in classroom design for teaching English as an International Language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultural barriers, anxiety and lack of English competence may lead to EFL students’ failures in public peaking. Conducive learning environments, right coaching and learning strategies are likely to increase the possibility of students’ success. This research aimed to investigate whether the implementation of multiple learning strategies empowered Indonesian EFL students’ public speaking skills. 56 students enrolled in three public speaking classes of Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta in the academic year 2017-2018 participated in the research. One overriding research question was postulated, i.e., to what extent does the implementation of multiple learning strategies empower students’ public speaking skills? To answer the question, classroom mixed-methods research was employed where students filled out four different questionnaires and submitted focus group discussion (FGD) results at the end of the semester. Quantitative and qualitative data analyses indicated that students had very high perceptions about the use of and the combinations of reflections, peer-, teacher-, and self-assessments, independent learning plans and activities. They believed that multiple learning strategies implemented in the Public Speaking Class enabled them to be independent, responsible, and better learners. They also acknowledged becoming more confident and better public speakers. This study contributes to the body of knowledge in public speaking in two important ways. First, learning to speak in public for non-native speakers of English should begin with raising their awareness about cultural barriers that might inhibit the development of the necessary skills in public speaking. Second, teaching public speaking to EFL students requires the adoption of multiple learning strategies including strategies to confront imminent cultural barriers. This research, therefore, urges public speaking trainers and teachers in EFL settings to include intercultural understanding and multiple learning strategies in their public speaking classes in order to empower students’ public speaking skills

This study explored how 296 U.S. learners of five foreign languages (FLs), including German, imagined stereotypical native speakers (NSs) and likely learners of German. Results showed that (a) when students of different languages imagined NSs of German, they emphasized different stereotypes; learners of German named the most and the most diverse stereotypes, which was particularly remarkable as all groups emphasized negative characteristics; (b) descriptions of characteristics of NSs corresponded with those of learners of German; (c) many respondents—especially those who were not students of German—considered heritage connections as an essential characteristic of a learner of German; and (d) non-learners of German gave more detailed descriptions of likely learners than of NSs of German. Results outline pathways of imagined self- and other-exclusion from German-speaking communities, which, in turn, raise questions about how the study of a foreign language can reach its stated goals of personal transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]