What do students learn in virtual exchange? A qualitative content analysis of learning outcomes across multiple exchanges

[EN] Virtual exchange refers to the engagement of groups of learners in online intercultural interaction and collaboration with partners from other cultural contexts or geographical locations as an integrated part of course work and under the guidance of educators and/or expert facilitators. This st...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: O'Dowd , Robert Alexander
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad de León
Repositorio:BULERIA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de León
OAI Identifier:oai:buleria.unileon.es:10612/14185
Acceso en línea:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0883035521000744?via%3Dihub
http://hdl.handle.net/10612/14185
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Lengua inglesa
Virtual exchange
Telecollaboration
Online learning
Intercultural learning
Global citizenship
5701.11 Enseñanza de Lenguas
Descripción
Sumario:[EN] Virtual exchange refers to the engagement of groups of learners in online intercultural interaction and collaboration with partners from other cultural contexts or geographical locations as an integrated part of course work and under the guidance of educators and/or expert facilitators. This study presents a qualitative content analysis of reported learning outcomes by students of English in a Spanish university following their participation in one of thirteen online intercultural exchanges. Based on the analysis of 345 learner portfolios, several key themes were identified which provide insight into the type of learning which virtual exchange can contribute to second language classrooms. These included how virtual exchange contributed to overcoming students’ stereotypes, gaining confidence as communicators in their second language (L2) and reconceptualizing English as a tool for communication rather than as an abstract academic activity. A comparison of two models of virtual exchange within the dataset also revealed how task design can influence the outcomes of this activity