A survey of Internet-mediated intercultural foreign language education in China

Abstract

In all educational contexts, technological developments and changes in pedagogical theory mean that any picture of current practice and attitudes must be dynamic. In many countries, the learning outcomes of foreign language courses now include intercultural communicative competence (ICC), although the precise model for teaching ICC varies even across the English-speaking world. Internet-mediated approaches are widely used to support intercultural learning. In China, the geographical scale of the country and the speed and extent of contemporary socio-economic evolution, allied to long-established and distinctive cultures of learning, make the interface of new technologies and intercultural learning objectives particularly interesting and significant. A smallscale study of college teachers' and learners' perceptions of intercultural classroom instruction, with a special focus on Internet mediation, was conducted in mid-2007, using questionnaires and semi-structured questions, to explore the professional, personal and technical issues associated with Internet-mediated learning of languages and cultures. The results show that textbooks remain the predominant authority, while Internet tools are used as a source of information rather than a means of communication. Findings suggest recognition by teachers and students of the potential of the medium, and of the validity of intercultural goals for foreign language classes, although there are some divergences between the views of teachers and students. However, it is suggested that national policy, local incentives and resources and above all educational traditions do not yet allow optimal use of Internet-mediated approaches.Keywords: Internet-mediated intercultural foreign language education, Chinese tertiary education, Intercultural communicative competence, Internet, Classroom instruction, Blended instruction 1 The intercultural approach and the Internet in foreign language educationIn China as elsewhere, globalisation has led to greater demand for foreign language skills, and a greater awareness of the need for intercultural competence. The Internet offers a uniquely flexible tool for developing linguistic and intercultural skills, in four modes:> computer as tutor in standalone training programs; > computer as input, providing unprecedented access to motivating, authentic, topical material; > computer as output, offering through websites and online publication a real audience and communicative purpose for target-language production; > computer as social environment: the use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) draws on the importance of interaction in both cognitive and sociocultural approaches to language learning, offering a wealth of possibilities for communication, self-expression and collaboration (Debski, 2006) which facilitate synchronous or asynchronous channels in either written or spoken form, for oneto-one (tandem), one-to-many or many-to-many purposes that involve learners and/or teachers, or native and non-native speakers.In Europe, North Ame...

Understanding language teachers' practice with educational technology: A case from China

“…This finding is similar to that of Wang and Coleman's (2009) study in a Chinese university, where it was confirmed that a teacher-led top-down approach is more appropriate to the Chinese context than a more learner-oriented western approach. Therefore, in designing technology integration, the sociocultural context needs to be taken into consideration.…”

“…al (2010), despite the different disciplines of the teachers in those studies. The present study has also indicated that teachers engaged in material searching, developing and sharing, which mirrors research reported in Wang and Coleman's (2009) study: most activities were limited to information searching, using online audio-video and graphic resources, online reading and so forth. However, the present study also revealed that physical transformation of the classroom is closely related to teachers' pedagogical considerations, and the technology indeed performs different roles at different stages of a lesson.…”

“…Technical support to maintain the smooth flow of a lesson was considered important by the teachers in this study, an observation that reflects a similar finding reported by Wang and Coleman (2009). It is reasonable to assume that teachers would be more likely to avoid using computers in teaching if they experience technical problems (Snoeyink & Ertmer, 2001).…”

“…The Pilot paper stipulates that teachers should fully use technology, specifically the internet, local intranets and courseware, to enrich teaching content, to explore new teaching methodology and to facilitate independent learning (MoE, 2001, 1-9 'ELA' 4.1.6). One particular area, which the Chinese government has been emphasizing, is to use technology to develop students' intercultural awareness (Wang & Coleman, 2009). At a policy level, the government published long-term goals for Chinese 'educational informationization' by 2010, with the aim of getting every school connected to the internet and making a smooth integration of computers into the school curriculum (Huang, Jiang & Zhang, 2007).…”

Teachers' attitudes towards Computer-Assisted Language Learning in Australia and Spain

“…Other common topic of interest for researchers has been students' attitudes to using computers in the language classroom, with studies analysing students' motivation and satisfaction using CALL. Some of these studies are, for example, Conole (2008), Sagarra and Zapata (2008), Ushida (2005), Bolaños-Medina and Isern González (2012), Grünewald (2009), Wang (2009, and Aydin and Genç (2011).…”