Second Life as a tool to enhance language learners’ Intercultural Communicative

Competence Kristi Jauregi, Silvia Canto,

Rick de Graaff, Ton Koenraad, Utrecht University and partners

Structure

• Introduction to NIFLAR • Epistemology to ICC• Experiences with Second Life

• Tasks & scenarios• Fragments• Results

• Conclusions

NIFLAR• Time span: 1 January 2009 – 31 December 2010 (Lifelong Learning)• Partners: Universities of

– Utrecht in the Netherlands– Granada and Valencia in Spain– Coimbra in Portugal – Palacky in Olomouc the Czech Republic,– Nevsky and Novosibirsk in Russia– Concepción in ChileTELL Consult (Netherlands)Secondary schools, in Spain and The NetherlandsCoordination: Utrecht University

• Target languages: Dutch, Portuguese, Russian & Spanish

Background to NIFLARLimitations in FLL & teaching contexts. Teaching:

• Teacher, book and grammar oriented• Scarce opportunities for FL learners to engage in meaningful

interaction with native peers • Intercultural awareness insufficiently addressed (Lace Report, 2007) • ICT underused (ICT-Impact Report, 2006) • Low motivation, low levels of achievement, possible drop outs

(Final Report High Level Group of Multilingualism, 2007)

1. To enrich and innovate academic programs of foreign languages and make them more rewarding and relevant

Promoting blended learning

Using two virtual environments which allow for learner and student-teacher synchronic oral authentic interaction

According to interaction tasks that focus on intercultural awareness

Putting the learner and the student-teacher at the centre

2. To study the added value of implementing networked interactions

Main objectives of NIFLAR:

Second Life

Open Sim

Adobe Connect

Spanish

ICC: Epistemology

• European Framework of Reference• Kramsch (1993, 1998): language in culture• Byram (1997): 5 savoirs• Zarate et al. (2004): mediation, empathy • Müller-Jacquier (2003): linguistic study of ICC• ICC in telecollaborative encounters (Belz 2005; Belz

& Thorne, 2006; Guth & Helm, 2010; O’Dowd, 2007; O’Dowd & Ritter, 2006; Tudini, 2007)

Byram’s 5 savoirs (1997):

1. Attitudes: curiosity and openness, readiness to suspend disbelief about other cultures and belief about one’s own.

2. Knowledge of social groups and their products and practices in one’s own and one’s interlocutor’s country, and of the general processes of societal and individual interaction.

3. Skills of interpreting and relating: ability to interpret a document or event from another culture, to explain it and relate it to documents from one’s own.

4. Skills of discovery and interaction: ability to acquire new knowledge of a culture and cultural practices and the ability to operate knowledge, attitudes and skills under the constraints of real-time communication and interaction.

5. Critical cultural awareness/ political education: an ability to evaluate critically and on the basis of explicit criteria perspectives, practices and products in one’s own and other cultures and countries.

1. Attitudes: curiosity and openness, readiness to suspend disbelief about other cultures and belief about one’s own.

2. Knowledge of social groups and their products and practices in one’s own and one’s interlocutor’s country, and of the general processes of societal and individual interaction.

3. Skills of interpreting and relating: ability to interpret a document or event from another culture, to explain it and relate it to documents from one’s own.

4. Skills of discovery and interaction: ability to acquire new knowledge of a culture and cultural practices and the ability to operate knowledge, attitudes and skills under the constraints of real-time communication and interaction.

5. Critical cultural awareness/ political education: an ability to evaluate critically and on the basis of explicit criteria perspectives, practices and products in one’s own and other cultures and countries.

Bernd Müller-Jacquier, 2003; Belz, 2005: Linguistic awareness of cultures proposes a framework of analysis for ICC:

• Social meaning• Speech acts• Organization of conversation• Choice & development of topics• Directness / indirectness• Register• Para-verbal factors• Non-verbal means of expression• Culture specific values / attitudes• Culture specific behavior

Analysis of ICC in language learning (2)

Task elaboration criteria

1. Have IC language learning potential

•Expose the learners to intercultural relevant target language input (rich, authentic & multimodal; non premodified input; focus on social, cultural & interactional content)

•Elicit meaningful target language use:– involves some kind of “gap” (cultural, social interactional information, reasoning). –promotes authentic interaction exchanges–enhances learning by doing by eliciting cognitive processes (input processing, pushed output and interaction, reflection on intercultural issues) –Stimulates collaborative learning (two-way communication)

2. Fit the learner Meet learners’ needs, interests & idiosyncrasies

3. Have a positive impact

Be motivating (Dörnyei, 2001), encourage a positive attitude and openness towards the TL and culture

4. Meet the affordances of ICT tool

Multimodality Dynamism, Action learning (SL)Varied Scenarios

Byram, 1997; Chapelle, 2003; Doughty & Long, 2003; Ellis, 2003; Hauck, 2010; Jauregi & Bañados, 2008; O’Dowd & Ware, 2008; Willis, 1996, Deutschmann et al 2009). Tasks should:

Pilot 1: June-July 2009• Explore the possibilities of the existing world• Participants (2 NS & 2 NNS) Volunteers

• 4 exploratory tasks:– ICC (x4) - Sharing exploration (x2)– Exploring (x2) - Evaluation (x4)

Pilot 2: November-December 2010• Scenarios for interaction > tasks driven (5 tasks)

• Participants (4 NS & 8 NNS)

• Integration in language course (B2)

• Recordings & evaluation > follow-up

Experiences with Second Life in NIFLAR

Follow-up

• February – April 2010• Part of a bigger research study (2 experimental & 1 control groups)• Tasks integrated in academic curricula (obligatory for FLls)

• Participants: 14 NNS (UU) & 7 NS (UV)• Interaction formats: triads• Tutorials + 5 interaction sessions (1-2 hours)• Data: recordings, pre-mid- and post-questionnaires,

interviews, pre- & post-tests

Tasks in Second Life

Task 1

Brilliant people!

-pre-task, task, post-task-NS & FLL

Brilliant people!

-pre-task, task, post-task-NS & FLL

Scenarios:-Participants go to an apartment:

look around, exchange info, watch pictures, eat and drink-Decide where to go: cinema,

Valencia, museum-Describe a brilliant person

Scenarios:-Participants go to an apartment:

look around, exchange info, watch pictures, eat and drink-Decide where to go: cinema,

Valencia, museum-Describe a brilliant person

Meaningful fragments: task 1

Exchanging info about appartment Sharing info about pictures

http://niflar.ning.com/video/task-1-the-appartment http://niflar.ning.com/video/task-1-letter-box

Tasks in Second Life

Task 2 People and adventures:

-pre-task ,task & post-task-NS & FLL

People and adventures:

-pre-task ,task & post-task-NS & FLL

Scenarios:-Participants meet at a restaurant and have

to decide where to go to on holidays: winter/summer holidays.

-Go to a hotel (reception/room) -- Depending on their choice go to the

summer or winter slurl

Scenarios:-Participants meet at a restaurant and have

to decide where to go to on holidays: winter/summer holidays.

-Go to a hotel (reception/room) -- Depending on their choice go to the

summer or winter slurl

Meaningful fragments: task 2

Task 3

Scenarios:Participants choose 2 out of these possible

scenes:-Birthday party / guests for dinner

- At the bar / on the bus

Scenarios:Participants choose 2 out of these possible

scenes:-Birthday party / guests for dinner

- At the bar / on the bus

People and films:Preparing, filming and evaluating scenes

Task 4

People with heart:Exchange info about social groups / identity

Describe pictures and compare

Scenarios:ApartmentScenarios:Apartment

Task 5

People & cultures:Cultural contest

Scenarios:TV studioScenarios:TV studio

Results participants’ evaluation

Very positive:• Interactions with pre-service native teachers highly

contributing to enhance learning processes (gains in self-confidence, fluency, vocabulary, cultural awareness).

• Interactions being relevant & fun. • The environments, in spite of technical problems,

effective for enabling interaction & strong preference for Second Life above other SCMC tools (chat or audioconferencing).

• Tasks motivating and useful.

Results post-questionnaires: learning

To ta

lk m

ore

fluen

tly

Showing interest in knowing others’ cultures & introducing one’s own through discourse

Creating a supportive

environment

When facing differences

Aspects influencing ICC

Means

•Being engaged: Offering informationNegotiating meaningSharing experiences & knowledgeExpressing astonishmentListeningShowing understanding

•Taking initiative:Asking questionsRequesting information, clarification, specification

•Jokes•Laughing•Visual cues

•Sharing experiences

Building bridges

•Contrasting differences•Trying to understand•Mitigating (a lo mejor, puede ser, creo que, es un poco mal visto, todav’ia no es normal…)•From generalisations to concretisations•Showing ability to change perspectives“Yo creo que llegará un momento en el que en España pase lo mismo” N3•Criticizing own customs (example)

Building bridges

•Personality factors•IC language proficiency level•Willingness to communicate

Meaningful interaction. Participants negotiate ICC by:

GrowthGrowth comparing tasks 1 and 5 comparing tasks 1 and 5

Does the SL project contribute to enrich the course?

Conclusions: Second Life for cross-cultural interaction

1. Is challenging and motivating.2. Offers opportunities for authentic, meaningful and

spontaneous communication.3. Rich linguistic and intercultural learning sequences emerge.4. The environment triggers unexpected communication

sequences.5. Collaborative learning and learner autonomy are enhanced.6. Support authenticity of learning by favouring motivation.7. Allows for action learning: language a resource for doing

things & engaging in meaningful co-activity (Thorne, 2010)

8. Participants favour experiences of enjoyment and success.

NIFLAR• Time span: 1 January 2009 – 31 December 2010• Partners: Universities of

– Utrecht in the Netherlands– Granada and Valencia in Spain– Coimbra in Portugal – Palacky in Olomouc the Czech Republic,– Nevsky and Novosibirsk in Russia– Concepción in ChileTELL Consult (Netherlands)Secondary schools, in Spain and The NetherlandsCoordination: Utrecht University

• Target languages: Dutch, Portuguese, Russian & Spanish

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