A Transcultural Approach to EIL Teaching and its Impact on Learners’ National Identities

Abstract

This article reports on an initiative characterised by a transcultural approach to English Language Teaching (ELT) which may be seen as an instance of Internationalisation at Home (IAH). Participants were ninety-five learners of English from three secondary schools in Spain and Poland who stayed in touch throughout the project through Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC). The article explores the impact of this particular IAH experience on the participants' national identities through a combination of qualitative and quantitative data. Data point to national identity discourses being perceived very differently by the Spanish and Polish participants in the sample, and show how the participants' positions with regard to such discourses change during the programme. The results challenge the notion that transcultural competence may result in the individual perceiving him/herself as culturally closer to members of other imagined communities. Instead, they point to the gradual erasure of national imagined communities as transcultural competence develops, thus opening up a new avenue of research.

Learning Strategies and Readiness towards Blended learning in English Subjects as Predictors of Students’ Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…However, English subjects are normally taught face-to-face in basic education institutions in less economically developed countries such as the Philippines [9]. Studies show learners still have poor English literacy skills [10,11]. This daunting concern, coupled with the unprecedented changes in the learning delivery because of the COVID-19 pandemic, warrants further study to determine appropriate strategies and devise educational programs to address English learning and teaching difficulties, especially during the era of COVID-19.…”