Learning episodes in an intercultural virtual exchange: The case of social high-immersion virtual reality

Computer-mediated communication tools facilitate international collaboration projects between foreign language learners and peers abroad (O’Dowd, 2018). Social Virtual Reality (VR) applications allow for synchronous interactions and task-based communication in which learners can experience telepresence and immersion and conversate in a foreign language. Based on previous pilot experiences (Jauregi-Ondarra, Gruber, & Canto, 2020, 2021), this Virtual Exchange (VE) project aims to investigate how the specific affordances of Social High-immersion VR (SHiVR) in conjunction with designed tasks influence interaction patterns, and learning episodes. The VE took place between two groups of university students in the Netherlands (N=15) and Cyprus (N=14) through SHiVR in March 2022. The main aims of the tasks were to raise student intercultural awareness, stimulate task-based communication processes using English as a lingua franca and digital pedagogical competences of language education students. Different sources of data were gathered and analysed. In this paper, we describe and present the pedagogical experience and the initial result

A closer look at the interactional construction of choral responses in South African township schools

In order to better understand literacy practices in high poverty L2 contexts, we use a conversation analytic approach to study two forms of chorusing in Grade 3 classrooms in South African township schools: choral reading and choral answering. Based on more than 6 hours of video recorded classroom interaction, we show that choral reading aloud is initiated by explicit and implicit instructions, combined with intonational cues. Choral answering is initiated by yes/no questions, designedly incomplete utterances or known-answer questions, producing short answers. Teacher feedback in both forms is extremely limited. Choral practices risk limited individual student engagement and restrict development of language and cognitive skills. However, we also show that students demonstrate a high awareness of the subtleties of a variety of interactional “rules”. They are occasionally encouraged to produce their own answers and are capable of reading new pieces of text aloud, showing potential learning opportunities through classroom engagement

Een examen in meertaligheid: Een reactie op de reacties van collega’s

In this response, I take the concept of monolingualism as a starting point to reflect on the authors’ comments regarding my lead article. For a long time, research in conversation analysis has mistakenly assumed that monolingual studies can explain universal conversation structures. Moreover, the new Common European Framework (2020) is also still based on separate monolingual tests. The authors agree that secondary school exams require thorough reconsideration. Greater focus on language training creating career opportunities in healthcare, media, advertising, marketing, government communications, and diplomacy could motivate students to embark on language studies. After all, students need to be prepared for a society that – as everyone agrees on – is multilingual

Meertalig perspectief voor de Nederlandse taalbeheersing

In this special ‘Perspective’ issue, I would like to elaborate the consequences of my intercultural vision for the disciplines involved with the development of the domain of intercultural communication, especially the discipline of ‘Taalbeheersing’ as a subdiscipline of Dutch Studies and within the communication sciences – and to initiate a discussion about it. On the one hand, I would like to start the discussion on the role of multilingualism in ‘Taalbeheersing’– a discipline that, in my opinion, is still too focused on Dutch alone; and on the other hand, to advocate for the role of ‘Taalbeheersers’ and communication scientists in order to support the university degree programmes in modern foreign languages because of the declining interest of students

Initiating meaningful social interactions in a high-immersion self-access language learning space

Virtual Reality (VR) has paved the way for learner interaction in immersive environments, simulating authentic cultural conditions in the target language and encouraging collaborative opportunities. This article describes how the high-immersion VR social application AltspaceVR served as an immersive Self-Access Language Learning (SALL) space in a collaborative online international learning (COIL)

Participatie op de meertalige werkvloer: Het voordeel van inclusieve meertaligheid

Anderstaligen leren Nederlands om te kunnen participeren in onze samenleving, zowel in het sociale leven als op de werkvloer. Wanneer de communicatie niet efficiënt verloopt, is er geen gelijkwaardigheid en is de participatie niet volledig. De projectgroep Meertaligheid en Medezeggenschap van de Universiteit Utrecht heeft een receptieve lesmethode ontwikkeld die kan bijdragen aan inclusievere communicatie in de medezeggenschap. In dit artikel gaan de auteurs in op het probleem van uitsluiting in communicatie en hoe het gebruik van luistertaal kan leiden tot een betere participatie tijdens vergaderingen op de werkvloer

Luistertaal als meertalige didactische benadering in de klas: Handvatten om aan de slag te gaan

De laatste jaren wordt er in het onderwijs steeds meer aandacht besteed aan meertaligheid. Een mogelijke benadering hiervan is luistertaal. Een vakdocent Duits kan Duits tegen zijn leerlingen praten, terwijl de leerlingen terugpraten in het Nederlands. Zo begrijpen zij elkaar op basis van receptieve vaardigheden in de taal van de ander. Het belang van meertaligheid wordt ingezien door docenten Nederlands en moderne vreemde talen, maar hoe pas je dit nou toe in de klas