Marginalization and Underrepresentation in Virtual Exchange: Reasons and Remedies

The recent expansion of virtual exchange (VE) in lieu of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing advance of technology has resulted in considerably larger numbers of VE participants for those in certain areas and contexts, yet not all would-be participants have been so fortunate. In some regions and in various contexts, challenges in VE implementation have resulted in disadvantaged populations in terms of underrepresentation and marginalization in global VE networks. To illuminate such challenges, a mixed-method approach was utilized in the current study, beginning with a global survey to elucidate reasons for underrepresentation in terms of political, governmental, institutional, administrative, technological, pedagogical, cultural and personal challenges. Thereafter, semi-structured interviews with instructors, administrators, and educational decision makers were conducted to gain further insights. Although VE is now well established as an impactful mode of studying abroad, various region-specific challenges remain. We conclude with recommendations for underrepresented regions and populations

L2 identity, discourse, and social networking in Russian

As the integration of Internet-based social networking tools becomes increasingly popular in foreign language classrooms, the use of modern communication technologies is particularly critical in the context of less commonly taught languages (LCTLs), where student exposure to the target language and its speakers is usually minimal. This paper describes communicative exchanges between native speakers and non-native speakers (NS-NNS) in a telecollaborative project that spanned two semesters and brought a rich and authentic social networking community, VKontakte, into college-level Russian classes in the United States. The analysis of the students' online activities, phenomenological interviews, and interactions with Russian keypals grounded in the principles of identity construction through interaction (Bucholtz & Hall, 2005) and Discourse Analysis Framework (Gee, 2005) shed light on the students' emerging online second language (L2) identities along the continuum from L2 learners to L2 users. Along with global and local categories of L2 identity enactment in virtual social spaces, we bring into focus the notions of digital wisdom (Prensky, 2009) and investment (Norton, 2000), while exploring the ways in which learners of LCTLs, such as Russian, draw on Internet mediation in order to compensate for the lack of contact with the L2 and to extend social connections beyond the confines of a language classroom

The evolution of identity research in CALL: From scripted chatrooms to engaged construction of the digital self

Drawing on past and current scholarship on digitally mediated communication in language learning, this review article examines the evolution of identity research in computer-assisted language learning (CALL) from the 1990s to the present day. The article offers an in-depth overview of critical issues and topics associated with language learner identification in educational digital settings and non-institutionally situated online cultures. A chronological approach is followed, addressing three main historical periods broadly related to the major conceptual shifts in applied linguistics: early developments and the communicative turn (1995-2000), the social and intercultural turns (2000-2010), and the critical and multilingual turns (2010-2020). Thus, this paper seeks to link the research on digital identity in CALL to second language acquisition (SLA) theories and highlight key studies and their importance for the field and the shifting paradigm. The article concludes with a summary of newly emerging themes in digital identity studies and outlines new directions for research on language learner identity in digital spaces. Singling out identity research within the discipline of CALL as a historically evolving topic that reflects the ever-changing realms of the digital world contributes to strengthening interdisciplinary ties between broadly conceptualized digital humanities, digital humanistic pedagogies, and computer-assisted language learning sciences