Local and global identities in an EFL internet chat exchange

This article reports on intercultural learning by participants in an Internet chat exchange between prospective teachers studying English in Chile and graduate students from a distance learning practicum class in California. To highlight issues of identity in such exchanges, we present case studies...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Modern language journal (Boulder, Colo.) Colo.), 2013-12, Vol.97 (4), p.965-980
Main Authors: Menard-Warwick, Julia, Heredia-Herrera, Ana, Palmer, Dionne Soares
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
computer mediated communication
Cultural identity
Distance learning
English as a Foreign Language
English as a second language
intercultural communication
Language teachers
Learning
Nonnative languages
Online identity
Online instruction
Pedagogy
Regional identity
Second language learning
teacher identity
Tutoring
Universities
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Summary:This article reports on intercultural learning by participants in an Internet chat exchange between prospective teachers studying English in Chile and graduate students from a distance learning practicum class in California. To highlight issues of identity in such exchanges, we present case studies of discussions in two online chat groups led by graduate students with contrasting linguistic and cultural backgrounds. In our discourse analysis of the chat transcripts from these two groups, we found differences in how participants oriented to local, national, and global contexts, with one group primarily discussing political and educational issues from a global perspective, while the second group responded to the same issues by giving local examples. We conclude by discussing pedagogical implications for future Internet exchanges that aim to foster intercultural learning within a transnational paradigm of foreign language education.
ISSN:0026-7902
1540-4781
DOI:10.1111/j.1540-4781.2013.12048.x