Telecollaboration as an approach to developing intercultural communication competence

By Robert Godwin-Jones. Language Learning & Technology, 2019

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It has been repeatedly asserted in recent years that telecollaboration is such a powerful and effective tool for both second language acquisition (SLA) and fostering intercultural communication competence (ICC) that it should be regularly included in foreign language instruction (Çiftçi & Savaş, 2018; Lewis & O’Dowd, 2016a; O’Dowd, 2016a; Thorne, 2016) and that its use be “normalized” into the language classroom (Bax, 2003). This perspective is reflected in the large number of studies on telecollaboration currently, as well as its prominence in professional conferences (for recent book compilations and journal special issues, see Dooly & O’Dowd, 2018a). A new Journal of Virtual Exchange is dedicated to the practice. At the same time, there have been voices questioning the value and effectiveness of telecollaboration, as normally implemented (Liddicoat, 2013; Train, 2006). As used in class-based exchanges, those concerns range from ineffective, peer-based error-correction (Lin, Warschauer, & Blake, 2016; Ware & O’Dowd, 2008; Tai, Lin, & Yang, 2015) to the reinforcement of cultural stereotypes (Flowers, Kelsen, & Cvitkovic, 2019; Guth, Helm, & O’Dowd, 2012; Kirschner, 2015). One clear takeaway from the 20-year history of telecollaboration is that linguistic and intercultural gains are by no means automatic and that exchanges need to be set up with care as well as with an awareness of best practices. Context and goals will shape configuration and tools and services used, which will likely diverge significantly from one implementation to the next (Çiftçi & Savaş, 2018; Thorne, 2006). While studies have pointed to the importance of “guided reflection” in collaboration (Helm, Guth, & Farrah, 2012) for developing intercultural communication competence, others have suggested that the access to informal resources today in online interest groups, social media, and digital entertainment (gaming, and music or video streaming) create opportunities for “intercultural communication in the wild” (Thorne, 2010, p. 144). In this column we will be looking at these different approaches (class-based and autonomous) as well as other evolving developments, such as telecollaboration in teaching education, the changing models and modalities of exchanges, and its cultural dimensions.

Subfields: Education, Information Systems

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