Understanding and Working with 'Failed Communication' in Telecollaborative Exchanges

It is by now well established that telecollaborative exchanges frequently end in 'failed communication' and do not automatically bring about successful negotiation of meaning between the learners. Instead, the intended pedagogic and linguistic aims of online interaction are repeatedly miss...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:CALICO journal 2006-01, Vol.23 (3), p.623-642
Main Authors: O'Dowd, Robert, Ritter, Markus
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic Achievement
Calico
College Students
Computer Mediated Communication
Cooperation
Cross Cultural Training
Cultural Awareness
Cultural Context
Cultural Influences
Culture
Dynamic tests
Educational Facilities Improvement
Educational Strategies
Electronic Learning
English
Exchange
Failure
German
Interaction
Intercultural Communication
Intergroup Education
Interpersonal Competence
Language
Language acquisition
Learner Engagement
Learning motivation
Learning procedures
Linguistics
Literacy
Literature
Low level
Native Speakers
Negative Attitudes
Negotiations
Nonnative languages
On-line systems
Online
Periodicals
Personal Autonomy
Second Language Learning
Spanish
Statistical Analysis
Student Motivation
Students
Teachers
Teaching Methods
Videoconferencing
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Summary:It is by now well established that telecollaborative exchanges frequently end in 'failed communication' and do not automatically bring about successful negotiation of meaning between the learners. Instead, the intended pedagogic and linguistic aims of online interaction are repeatedly missed, and projects may end in low levels of participation, indifference, tension between participants, or a negative evaluation of the partner group or their culture. The reasons offered in the literature are rather diverse in nature, and there has so far been no attempt to offer a comprehensive overview of such areas of dysfunction. Starting from a review of the existing body of research, this paper develops a structured inventory of factors which may lead to cases of failed communication in online exchanges. In sum, 10 different factors are suggested at four different levels: individual, classroom, socioinstitutional, and interaction. Examples of communication failure taken from two exchanges will be used to illustrate how these factors are interconnected and influence each other. It is concluded that a more discriminating perspective of such problem areas, both among the tutors and the students, can help to further increase intercultural awareness and lead to a better understanding of the dynamic nature of online communication.
ISSN:0742-7778
2056-9017