Towards the promotion of intercultural competences: telecollaborative conversations between Kuwaiti and Colombian English as a foreign language university students

Abstract

Telecollaboration in the language classroom promotes both second-language development and Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC). However, previous research identified its potential limitations, including instances of failure, misunderstanding, tension, and a reluctance to participate. The current study contributes to emerging literature concerning the role of prior pedagogical mentoring in supporting learner interaction during telecollaborative exchanges by examining the online interactions of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. A total of 38 undergraduate students from Kuwait and Colombia participated in pedagogical mentoring before engaging in an eight-week series of online activities. The students’ online discussions are analysed herein using a content analysis framework triangulated with their responses to a post-questionnaire. The findings reveal the students engage in various socio-affective and cognitive interactional behaviours that correspond to Byram’s (1997) ICC framework. The micro-level analysis of the students’ interaction and post-questionnaire demonstrates that most of these interactional behaviours correlate with descriptors pertaining to aspects of attitudes (curiosity and openness) and knowledge. Instances of the skills of discovery and interaction are also observed when the students engage with religious and socially related topics. The study concludes that prior pedagogical mentoring is beneficial for equipping learners with essential skills, including the collaborative skills that are an indispensable prerequisite for effective participation in telecollaborative exchanges.

Keywords:

• Telecollaboration
• sociocultural theory
• intercultural communicative competence (ICC)
• EFL learners
• collaboration
• pedagogical mentoring

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Maha Alghasab

Dr. Maha Alghasab is an associate professor in the English Language Department at the College of Basic Education, The Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET), Kuwait. She obtained her MSc degree in applied linguistics from Edinburgh University in 2011 and her PhD degree in education from the University of York in 2016. Her main research interests are in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL), with a focus on wiki-mediated writing activities, telecollaborative activities and intercultural communicative competence. She is currently teaching modules such as CALL, applied linguistics and English as a second and foreign language for undergraduate students.

Claudia Patricia Alvarez-Ayure

Professor Claudia Patricia Alvarez Ayure works as a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the Universidad de La Sabana, where she tutors for the Master’s programmes in teaching English as a foreign language. She has been a member of the Editorial Board of the Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated Learning (LACLIL) since 2011 and Associate Editor since 2016. Her research ranges over teacher education, online environments, telecollaboration, and intercultural communicative competence.