Intercultural Learning via Instant Messenger Interaction

Abstract

This paper reports on a qualitative study investigating the viability of instant messenger (IM) interaction to facilitate intercultural learning in a foreign language class. Eight students in a Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) class participated in the study. Each student was paired with a native speaker (NS) of Chinese, and each pair collaborated on eight intercultural-learning tasks over a 2-month period through IM. Data were collected through an ethnographic survey, intercultural sensitivity scale, follow-up interviews, the researcher's reflective journal, and participants' IM conversation transcripts. The results showed that student participants' intercultural interaction engagement and attentiveness steadily increased, they developed self-reflection capacities, critical thinking skills, and greater sensitivity and respect for intercultural differences during their IM-based intercultural learning. Participants also had predominantly positive attitudes toward IM use in intercultural learning.

eTandem Language Learning and Foreign Language Anxiety among Colombian learners of German

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Incorporating Facebook in an Intermediate-Level Chinese Language Course

“…Results of the study showed that the project provided the students with opportunities to interact with other CFL learners, and it improved the students' motivation. Other related studies investigated the impact of integrating CMC technologies into Chinese language learning on students' interactional skills and cultural knowledge (Chang, 2007;Jin & Erben, 2007). A few studies have focused narrowly on examining how to use technology to facilitate Chinese character recognition and character writing (e.g., Ping & Jen, 2005), but these are out of the scope of this study.…”

Engaging Study Abroad Students in Intercultural Learning Through Blogging and Ethnographic Interviews

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