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Adopting a learning ecology perspective, this study examined sojourners' formal classroom learning and the interactions between their learning in the classroom and their learning in the community. Data for the study were collected from semi-structured interviews and classroom observations involving 14 sojourners learning Chinese as a second language (CSL) at a Chinese higher education institution. The study found that the CSL sojourners made conscious efforts to create a reciprocal relationship between their second language (L2) interactions in the local community and their instructed learning in the programme, but in doing this they encountered a series of challenges. When these learners encountered challenges in attempting to use local interactions to support their instructed learning, they relied on communicative instruction in the classroom. While much of the in-class instruction that they received did not support their daily communication needs in the local community, several instructional activities involving the local community were identified to play a positive role in the process. These findings suggest that L2 study abroad programmes and classrooms should be reviewed/modified to more systematically encourage students to integrate their learning experiences across in-class and out-of-class contexts and supports from teacher education need to be in place as well.

The article presents research findings on the professional growth of three in-service EFL teachers from Germany who took part in a teacher education programme centred on technology-mediated plurilingual education. The study investigated how the programme influenced the development of the teachers' pedagogical and digital skills in creating and executing plurilingual-inspired virtual exchanges. The programme took place over the course of an academic year (2021-2022) and was divided into three phases, including a four-week virtual exchange with other participants, self-study through an online course, and pedagogical assistance for executing virtual exchanges in teachers' schools. The research employed a case study approach, and data were collected through classroom observations and field notes, recordings of teacher reflective activities, as well as focus group and individual interviews with teachers. The findings indicate that the professional development programme prompted teachers to reconsider their language ideologies and question policies and approaches that emphasised monolingualism in their particular settings. These included practices like separating languages in bilingual programmes, prioritising the native-speaker model as the ultimate goal of second language acquisition, and school policies that ignored the educational requirements of students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Many English as a foreign language (EFL) learners worldwide spend hours playing commercial-off-the-shelf massively multiplayer online games. They engage in a multitude of different interactions with the game environment and possibly with other gamers, using English as the predominant medium of communication. This raises the question of whether playing such games improves these learners'/gamers' speaking performance over time. Drawing on usage-based theories of language learning, this longitudinal mixed-methods case study addressed this question by measuring six EFL gamers' speaking performance in terms of complexity, accuracy, and fluency (CAF) over the course of six months, and exploring their perceptions relating to the gaming environment and their language learning. The participants played in two teams: Team 1 with low-intermediate and Team 2 with high-intermediate proficiency. Each team comprised three EFL gamers and a native English speaker. Overall, the results appeared positive for the EFL gamers on both teams but in different ways. Their speaking performance showed improvements in 50% of the CAF indices. These results are discussed in light of the gamers' perceptions about the dynamics of in-game communication, the game's socio-affective environment, and the development of their speaking performance.

This study aims to explore how university students of English as a foreign language perceive themselves as multilingual agents, how they practice their languages, and how this affects their identity. The study is based on Kramsch's notion of third place (1993) which considers foreign language learning as an opportunity for the construction of interculturality, thus causing learners to redefine themselves as they hybridise their cultural identity. Data is gathered through an interview and a focus group discussion with 32 English language learning students at a public university in Morocco. The data is thematically analyzed and discussed. Findings indicate that multilingual learners think positively of multilingualism and avail themselves of their languages, using all of them but in different contexts. They also claim they experience identity shift, thus sustaining and developing multiple identities flexibly thanks to the languages they use. Such findings indicate that multilingual students are defining and redefining their cultural identities as modern, global, open and intercultural citizens under the impact of multilingualism. In light of the results obtained, some implications are discussed.

The starting point for this research is an eTandem initiative between learners of Mandarin Chinese and German. The participants mainly learnt the dominant variety of their target languages (German Standard German, Mainland Chinese Standard Mandarin), however, their tandem partners are speakers of a non-dominant variety (Austrian Standard German, Taiwanese Standard Mandarin). Due to this pairing, some speakers felt prompted to position themselves in relation to the discussed varieties. The empirical study analyses the discursive construction of language variation of one eTandem dyad that elaborated on this topic at length. For this purpose, we adopted a critical discourse analysis approach and focused on three aspects (nomination, predication, perspectivisation). The results reveal that language variation in the Chinese context, especially the concept of Fangyán, was difficult to grasp and explain, while the discussion on German was more clear-cut. Standard language was conceptualised as a tool for inclusion, whereas non-standard varieties were conceived as excluding but also as a means to create community belonging. Based on our results we conclude that diversity in varieties in tandem learning has the potential to offer valuable opportunities not only to learn about target language variation, but also to increase language awareness regarding one's expert language.

Drawn on the notion of linguistic entrepreneurship (De Costa, P., Park, J. S., & Wee, L. (2016). Language learning as linguistic entrepreneurship: Implications for language education. "Asia-Pacific Education Research," 25(5-6), 695-702, De Costa, P., Park, J. S., & Wee, L. (2019). Linguistic entrepreneurship as affective regime: Organisations, audit culture, and second/foreign language education policy. "Language Policy," 18(3), 387-406, De Costa, P., Park, J. S., & Wee, L. (2021). Why linguistic entrepreneurship? "Multilingua"), this study extends the field of inquiry of neoliberal language learning by exploring Chinese as an international language. Based on a large-scale ethnography of Myanmar university students in China conducted between September 2013 and July 2017, this paper reports on a qualitative inquiry on how the neoliberal discourse permeates Myanmar students' language exploitation to enhance their worth and maximise their opportunities. Findings show that Chinese learning constitutes the formation of a neoliberal self through the valorisation of multilingual competence. However, the study demonstrates that the enactment of multilingual entrepreneurship only values certain languages, which aligns with the neoliberal logic of convertibility for the China-and-Myanmar communication market. The study also reveals that access to entrepreneurial ambitions through Chinese learning opportunities is largely constrained by citizenship status, socioeconomic conditions, and the fast-evolving demands of linguistic markets within and across national boundaries. The study concludes with some implications for language policy and language education.

This study examines online interaction through the lens of language-related episodes (LREs), sites where learning is likely to occur given that the speaker is pushed to consciously reflect on and negotiate their language knowledge and use (Swain & Lapkin, 1998). The aim of this research is to inform pedagogical practices by investigating the effect of interlocutor--a second language peer or a trained native speaker--on LRE outcomes, and the perceived usefulness of each interaction type. Using a counterbalanced design, 24 intermediate learners of Spanish completed two 30-minute videoconferences, one with a peer on Zoom and one with a native speaker on a paid videoconferencing platform. In total, 36 conversations were transcribed. The LREs were tallied and described in terms of linguistic focus, resolution, and targetlikeness. Data was also drawn from two post-conversation questionnaires. The results revealed that both dyad types were indistinguishable in the number of LREs produced per minute and their linguistic focus (lexical, morphosyntactic, and orthographic). However, the NS-learner dyads resolved significantly more LREs, and their resolutions were also significantly more targetlike. Finally, the analyses showed no relationship between LRE outcomes and perceived usefulness. The implications of the findings are explained and pedagogical recommendations are provided.

Is it possible for young people to develop intercultural understanding through an ocean-crossing sailing voyage? What would happen to intercultural communication in a tall-ship space? This article unpacks the process of interculturality construction and participants' identity negotiation within an ocean-sailing setting. It applies an analytical tool of intersubjectivity and seeks to relate interculturality to experiential learning theory. It draws upon a mini ethnographic study that collected data during a sailing voyage across the North Sea. The finding reveals six intersubjective factors that influence the process of interculturality co-construction. The article suggests that sail-training, as an outdoor medium of experiential learning, has the potential to stimulate participants to develop an analytical vision towards the self, the other and specific interactive dynamics.

In distance cross-cultural supervision scenarios PhD students are supported by supervisors located in different cultural contexts, which may, or may not be, the same as that of the student. Very little research has been conducted into experiences of cross-cultural supervision. This paper aims to explores opportunities and challenges for students and supervisors, drawing on qualitative research into their experiences of supervision. Participants were Saudi Arabian students, and UK and Saudi based supervisors. Investigation of three main areas -- roles and expectations, communications and technology, and personal and professional development -- revealed common issues, and some specific to either students or supervisors. These include language, feedback, technology and professional learning and align with 'intensifiers' identified as making supervision complex or difficult for international PhD students. However, other issues were also identified which need to be discussed openly to ensure that the potential benefits of cross-cultural supervision are realised.

A deeper understanding of how teachers bridge cultural differences in teacher-student relationships provides insights into the cultural, social and emotional capabilities needed in teachers. This phenomenographic study investigated the experiences and conceptions of Anglophonic Western trained teachers who worked in non-Western institutions with the aim of understanding how teachers working in cross-cultural contexts bridge cultural differences to engage students in learning. Findings show that teacher humility and compassion were antecedents to confidence in students. Further, findings reveal a need for systems administrators and teacher educators to make investments into teachers' and pre-service teachers' cultural, social and emotional capabilities for the sake of student confidence and engagement in learning. The study further revealed that student confidence is often evidence of a teacher's cultural capability.

In this study we measured the effect of COIL on intercultural competence development using a quasi-experimental design. Our sample consisted of 108 undergraduate students from two universities, one located in the Netherlands (NL) and one in the United States (US). Students' self-reported intercultural competence was measured using a pre-post survey which included the Cultural Intelligence Scale (CQS) and Multicultural Personality Questionnaire (MPQ). Qualitative data were collected to complement our quantitative findings and to give a deeper insight into the student experience. The data showed a significantly bigger increase in intercultural competence for the US experimental group compared to the US control group, supporting our hypothesis that COIL develops intercultural competence. This difference was not observed for the NL students, possibly due to the NL control group being exposed to other international input during the course.

Adequately addressing the needs of families who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) goes beyond the simple translation of materials and supports. Some researchers have suggested use of a cultural adaptation framework or process to help determine what adaptations should be made to an intervention to make it culturally responsive. The purpose of this article is to describe the cultural and linguistic adaptation process of a naturalistic, caregiver-implemented intervention for children with limited verbal communication skills where caregivers were primarily Spanish-speaking. Data were collected throughout the process from community partners and participants using multiple methods to understand caregivers' perceptions relative to the effectiveness of the cultural and linguistic adaptations in supporting their participation and use of the program strategies. This project provides the field with one example of how to utilize a cultural and linguistic adaptation process to successfully expand the use of evidence-based practice and interventions within diverse populations.

Purpose: In spite of the potential of peer feedback, research related to the international classroom and the development of intercultural competences remains limited. This paper aims to further explore this combination and associated gaps by presenting students' perceptions of peer feedback on individual behaviour in group work. Design/methodology/approach: Several studies have shown that peer feedback can be a powerful instrument in higher education. For this reason, this instrument is increasingly being deployed in the international classroom of a Dutch Business School (DBS), which has a student population of about 60 different nationalities. The present paper adopts an embedded case-study design in studying peer feedback within the international classroom. Findings: The primary results of this study are twofold. First, they show that before joining DBS, the vast majority of international students have never been exposed to group work peer feedback. And second, they reveal that cultural background (bias) is a critical factor in how students provide and perceive peer feedback. Students from high-context cultures struggle with direct feedback provided by students from low-context cultures. Furthermore, the results show that domestic cultural values "lack consideration" when dealing with the contrasts in cultural values of non-domestic (international) students. Originality/value: This study indicates that several aspects of the students' cultural background have a direct impact on how they provide and perceive individual peer feedback on their behaviour in group work. Furthermore, it argues that peer feedback, when used as an instrument, requires specific training and guidance of students with regard to cultural differences, values and perceptions.

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) designed according to the First Principles of Instruction (FPI). A 15-h Japanese CLIL course was implemented. A total of 16 university students attended the course and data were collected from multiple sources, including learning tests, questionnaire feedback, and dialogues in group discussions, were collected and examined. Analysis showed that students' learning outcomes, including basic Japanese proficiency, intercultural communication content, and writing skills, were statistically significantly improved. Students had a high level of awareness of the elements of FPI designed in the course. In addition, all the FPI elements had a positive impact on basic Japanese proficiency except for the application element: the problem-centered, application, and integration elements positively impacted intercultural communication content and writing skills. The results show that students displayed individual differences in using the worksheet to summarize their writing ideas. Students spent most of the time in the group discussions in their native language. Even when Japanese was used, individual Japanese words were used rather than whole sentences in most cases. The results of the quantitative and qualitative analyses showed that the use of problem-centered theory FPI had a positive impact on the design of the CLIL. However, attention is needed to students' individual differences and the guidance of students in applying basic language knowledge in problem-centered learning activities. Finally, it notes points that should be considered when designing CLIL in the future.

A major rationale for study abroad (SA) from the perspective of second language acquisition is the presumed opportunity available to sojourners for naturalistic second language (L2) "immersion". However, such opportunities are affected by variations in the linguistic, institutional and social affordances of SA, in different settings. They are also affected by the varying agency and motivation of sojourners in seeking second language (L2) engagement. For example, many sojourners prioritize mastering informal L2 speech, while others prioritize academic and professional registers including writing. Most will operate multilingually, using their home language, a local language, and/or English as lingua franca for different purposes, and the types of input they seek out, and language practices they enter into, vary accordingly. Consequently, while researchers have developed varied approaches to documenting L2 engagement, and have tried to relate these to measures of L2 development, these efforts have so far seen somewhat mixed success. This article reviews different approaches to documenting SA input and interaction; first, that of participant self-report, using questionnaires, interviews, journals, or language logs. Particular attention is paid to the popular Language Contact Profile (LCP), and to approaches drawing on Social Network Analysis. The limitations of all forms of self-report are acknowledged. The article also examines the contribution of direct observation and recording of L2 input and interaction during SA. This is a significant alternative approach for the study of acquisition, but one which poses theoretical, ethical and practical challenges. Researchers have increasingly enlisted participants as research collaborators who create small corpora through self-recording with L2 interlocutors. Analyses in this tradition have so far prioritized interactional, pragmatic and sociocultural development, in learner corpora, over other dimensions of second language acquisition (SLA). The theoretical and practical challenges of corpus creation in SA settings and their wider use to promote understandings of informal L2 learning are discussed.

We examine the outcomes of three different teaching methods in courses where cultural competency is a course objective: (1) multiculturalism lecture only, (2) student research and reporting on other cultural groups plus multiculturalism lecture, and (3) cross-cultural conversation partners applying contact theory plus multiculturalism lecture. Lectures in courses 1 and 3 also include antiracist and critical race theories that directly challenge colorblind racism. The study measures both cultural competency and colorblind racism before and after courses over a semester on 181 students at a small midwestern university. Cross-cultural competency scores improved significantly in all three courses but were significantly higher in the course that included both content on critical race theory and contact theory methods. Colorblind racism fails to improve in courses without critical race theory. These findings have implications for improving cultural competency outcomes among undergraduates from a variety of majors.

Intercultural communicative competence has been offered as an open-minded replacement for ego-centric biases stemming from dogmatic national prejudice and its associated self-aggrandisement. While being a commendable proposal, its implementation in foreign language education has not been a widespread success story. Recent attempts to theorise intercultural communicative competence seem to emphasise negotiability in communication at the expense of some persistent issues, such as (cultural/national) identity. This article examines the prospects of intercultural communication in Iranian language policy as a country with a history of troubled encounters with foreign powers, culminating in protectionist approaches to nationalism, identity and the treatment of Others.

English language learners should become successful intercultural speakers and global citizens promoting qualities that go beyond national boundaries. Supposed to be globally appropriate, global course books from Global North publishing houses reproduce coloniality and are neither neutral nor free of nationalism. Local(ised) teaching materials allow contextualised content but fall short, with negligible adaptions. Interviews with lecturers at Savannakhet University show: the global course books barely leave room for Lao students to express their experiences. In a return to the nation and to decolonise education, I argue for local(ised) material including pluralistic and multicultural forms of nationalism, building on the learners' diverse backgrounds.

This article considers the potential of language-focused online teaching platforms (OTPs) for fostering intercultural communication among their users. Drawing on interviews alongside an analysis of two OTPs websites, I argue that OTPs' webpages (re)produce banal nationalism grounded in nation-language congruence and instrumentalist language ideologies that conceive of language learning in terms of potential socioeconomic gains. However, I also find that: (1) learners' experiences can result in them questioning essentialist language ideologies; and (2) many users embrace a language ideology of conversational cosmopolitanism, which is premised on open-minded interaction with others and is consistent with the goals of intercultural communication educators.

The article examines the transnational mobility experienced by two language teachers of Mexican origin, one who migrated to the United States and the other to the UK. Drawing on autobiographies and in-depth interview data, the analysis shows the complex relationship of different factors in shaping how the participants experienced their transnational mobility processes. These factors include differences in their sense of agency, the link between their bilingualism and their professional identities, and the emergence of different positionings regarding their previous and current work contexts. The article concludes by outlining the implications that the findings have for policy and practice.

This article seeks to explore intercultural communication among a group of students with diverse linguistic and sociocultural backgrounds in an English-medium transnational university in China, focusing on multilingual students' practices and perceptions of English as a lingua franca (ELF). Informed by an expanded understanding of translanguaging from a spatial perspective, this study explores multilingualism, multimodality, and spatiality in linguistic practices related to ELF in an international education context. Drawing upon multiple data sources including ethnographic observations, interviews facilitated by language portraits, recordings of interactions, and policy documents, findings of the study show that ELF communication was understood and practiced by multilingual students as a translanguaging act based on (partially) shared repertoires and beliefs about language and communication. It is also found that the monolithic and monolingual model of language policy in English-medium higher education ran counter to the students' daily communicative practices and language development needs. Implications are suggested for how international universities can account for translanguaging in fostering linguistic diversity and preparing students for the practical realities of a multilingual world.

Courses: Introduction to Corporate Communication, Introduction to Organizational Communication, Topics in Organizational Communication. Objectives: This activity aims to give students an opportunity and space to critique and examine organizational activities and business practices, and how this may impact students' future employment or consumer choices. In other words, this activity illustrates the notion of organizational identification through evaluation of company activities, mission and vision statements, business practices, and efforts.

This study examined the intercultural competence and related characteristics of early childhood teachers. Significant positive correlations were found among attitudes, knowledge/awareness, and skills (sub-elements of intercultural competence); attitudes showed the highest score while skills showed the lowest score. Intercultural competence and its sub-elements were all slightly above average. There were differences in intercultural competency, attitude, perception, and knowledge according to teachers' educational levels. The multicultural experiences of teachers in Korea are significantly related to their intercultural competence and its sub-elements. These results suggest that we should continue developing training programs and learning communities wherein teachers can experience various cultures and nurture intercultural competency.

The development of intercultural competence is a crucial part of foreign language (FL) education, yet it remains under-explored in teaching materials and teacher education. Transnational perspectives on FL teaching, and specifically literary texts on migration and exile, may help expand teaching beyond the traditional monocultural focus and stimulate the development of intercultural competence. The article presents case studies of three literary texts that can be used for this purpose. The texts may contribute to the development of the students' intercultural competence as they give access to other perspectives, while simultaneously encouraging students to reflect on their own life-world. However, the texts are highly dependent on contextualization and adaptation of classroom activities, thus underlining the crucial role of the teacher in the development of students' intercultural awareness.

The study evaluated the impact of an international online summer program for art therapy students from Mexico, the United States, and Israel on their cultural and global perspectives. Quantitative (pre- and post-program measures of the Global Perspective Inventory) as well as qualitative tools (focus groups, art and written responses) were used. There were significant mean increases in four of the six global perspective inventory scales. Students' narratives and art responses illuminated four overarching themes: (1) gratitude for global connection; (2) growing awareness of one's experience and context; (3) growing understanding of similarities and differences; and (4) art as facilitator of intercultural communication. Findings suggest that the program supported the development of culturally informed art therapy.

This article conceptualizes art therapy as an intercultural contact zone or social ecotone, defined as the liminal space that emerges when two or more habitats overlap. In the unresolved tensions of their interaction, negotiation of power through cultural humility is an ongoing, profoundly ethical process. This premise is illustrated with examples from a high-contrast contact zone the author experienced as an art therapist in collaboration with a social justice-oriented organization serving marginalized communities in their emancipatory goals. The implications of cultural borderlands are discussed as transgressive zones of transformative power and exchange.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to identify the facets of intercultural learning that might be achievable through faculty-led, short-term study abroad. Exploring changes in various facets of students' intercultural competence pre- to post-study abroad, we found that the largest gains were in the cultural knowledge domain. Findings also point to vast differences in how individual students do, and do not, show gains across multiple measures of intercultural competence after studying abroad.

The COVID-19 pandemic increased virtual student mobility as an elective choice and an emergency solution. Whether brought on by the pandemic or encouraged as a solution for more sustainable international education programming, virtual student mobility is a complex method for making internationalisation more inclusive. This qualitative research examines 16 Erasmus students' experiences with emergency virtual student mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside a reflective assessment of two scholar-practitioners. Findings revealed three themes: teaching and learning challenges, the burden of environmental code-switching, and deficient intercultural socialisation as a result of missed experiences. Overall, results and findings show that some virtual student mobility programs were perceived as a concrete challenge, disappointment, and inadequate learning experience for Erasmus students. The results also challenge the purported inclusiveness of virtual student mobility programs. The paper concludes with the need to reconsider virtual student mobility as inclusive internationalisation, and offers concrete implications for policy, practice, and research.

A great deal of research has recognized the necessity of receiving proper predeparture training for being able to truly benefit from international internship experiences. However, few researchers have taken the next step by exploring how domestic programs could pedagogically and psychologically prepare students for their professional experiences abroad. This study examines the role that a language-for-specific-purposes course plays in the process of preparing students for their upcoming internship experiences in the target culture, with a focus on intercultural negotiation. The findings suggest the students were able to successfully develop the cultural awareness and communicative skills necessary to engage in the negotiation of cultural boundaries. Furthermore, the study discusses how the introduction of a role model, in-depth workplace scenarios, and creating a holistic view of one's learning experiences are the three pedagogical elements that contribute to the construction of a professional L2 self.

While primary studies on technology-mediated informal foreign language (FL) learning are increasingly popular, research synthesis on self-directed FL learning in incidental, out-of-class contexts are scarce. Therefore, this article seeks to address this gap in the literature through a qualitative research synthesis (QRS) on language learning in the digital wilds; that is, digitally mediated FL learning in which the main goal of the activity is not related to language learning. The QRS involved a search of the Scopus and Web of Science databases for relevant literature between 2010 and 2021. Thirteen studies aligned with the inclusion criteria, and data from these studies were extracted for thematic analysis. Five themes were identified according to the analysis: diversity in digital practices; development of FL vocabulary; exposure to authentic language; opportunities for interaction and collaboration; and difficulty understanding FL input. These themes were analyzed using a framework by Reinders and Hubbard (2013), in order to understand the affordances and constraints of the digital wilds. Five affordances and two constraints were identified, which have implications for learner autonomy in computer-assisted language learning (CALL).

The focus of this article is on deafblind people who are or have been involved with deaf signing communities and, when vision changes, transition to tactile reception of sign language. This brings about a disconnection with the signing community, exploration of (other) possibilities, and seeking or creating deaf blind spaces. In the United States, the protactile movement led to a more tactile-centric form of communication and to more autonomy for deaf blind people. In international settings, deaf blind people from diverse language backgrounds communicate in a mix of visual and tactile representations or conventions of concepts. At the academic level, deaf blind people have been studied by a variety of disciplines. Deaf blind studies benefits from multidisciplinary and insider perspectives to gain more insights into theory and research methods.

The Australian government has considered youth mobility to the Indo-Pacific to be crucial in building Australia's connection with the region. Despite a growing trend of Australian student mobility to the Indo-Pacific, there has been a dearth of research on mobility youth's agency in public diplomacy. This article makes an original contribution to the literature by elucidating the four main forms of youth agency in public diplomacy in which Australian students have engaged: fostering regional understandings, people-to-people connections, people-to-opportunity connections and country-to-country connections with the Indo-Pacific. It shows that these understandings and connections were created not only during the students' in-country experiences but also upon their return, and the youth-led connections are not limited within the host and home countries. The article suggests a critical need to have a systemic approach to supporting mobility youth's capacity for regional engagement, beyond the traditional student experience in learning abroad, which is concerned largely with academic outcomes, cultural enhancement and employability development.

In the present digital age, students and professionals can interact and collaborate anywhere in the world through multiple means of communication. This article analyzes the scientific evidence of intercultural competencies in higher education from January 2016 to August 2021 out of the publications available in the "Web of Science" and "Scopus" databases. Inclusion and exclusion criteria resulted in 325 articles being selected for review. The findings denote the relevance of this thematic area in teaching language, international experiences, virtuality, and collaborative learning. The approach with the highest incidence was qualitative research for case study designs, and the research trends proposed by the authors highlight intercultural education and virtual interaction to support global collaboration. The present work describes the studies carried out in this field in the last six years and aims to be valuable for future research related to educational innovation, the development of intercultural competencies, and international cooperation.

This essay arises out of critical reflections in which I have engaged through my teaching in an Indonesian University. All my students are learning English as a foreign language. They typically struggle with how they are positioned ideologically, especially in relation to the so-called 'native speaker'. My goal as an English educator is to free them from the native speaker ideology. I promote the possibilities of translanguaging as Canagarajah envisions it. In this essay I focus on the writing one student produced, when she responded to my request for the class to write a critically reflective piece on their own experiences of interculturality. I encouraged the class to write in both English and Indonesian, exploring the possibilities opened up by translanguaging. This translingual practice, seen through a Bakhtinian lens, is multi-voiced, representing the unique life experiences of my students, and thereby challenging the ideology of standard English.

Speaking in a foreign language is considered challenging to both teach and learn. Virtual humans (VHs), as conversational agents (CAs), provide opportunities to practise speaking skills. Lower secondary school students (N = 25) engaged in an AI-based spoken dialogue system (SDS) and interacted verbally with VHs in simulated everyday-life scenarios to solve given tasks. Our analysis is based on system-generated metrics and self-reported experiences collected through questionnaires, logbooks, and interviews. Thematic analysis resulted in seven themes, revolving around the speaking practice method, scenarios and technology, which, in combination with descriptive statistics, enabled a deeper understanding of the students' experiences. The results indicate that, on average, they found it easy, fun, and safe, but sometimes frustrating in scenarios not always relevant to their everyday lives. Factors suggested as underlying the levels of experienced frustration include technical issues and constraints with the system, such as not being understood or heard as expected. The findings suggest that lower secondary school students conversing with VHs in the SDS in an institutional educational context facilitated a beneficial opportunity for practising speaking skills, especially pronunciation and interaction in dialogues, aligning with the key principles of second language acquisition (SLA) for language development.

Higher education institutions are constantly being challenged to equip graduates with relevant knowledge and skills for entering an increasingly diverse and globalized economy and workforce. The authors summarize internationalization efforts in higher education as an alternative to the traditional study abroad experience, and they describe how one academic unit adopted the Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) framework to facilitate students' cross-cultural learning.

To understand under what conditions intercultural group work (IGW) leads to more intercultural interactions, a survey was conducted among local students (n = 80) and international students (n = 153) in Dutch universities. In this study, students were more inclined to engage in intercultural interactions when they perceived that working with culturally diverse others prepared them to work and live in a diverse setting. The positive association was strengthened when students perceived that diversity, in terms of nationality within their work group, was also beneficial for accomplishing their group task. The findings demonstrate the significance of students' perceptions of IGW, including the perceived general value for personal development and intellectual benefits related to specific tasks. This implies that institutions and teachers could be made responsible for engaging with innovative educational methods to address and incorporate student diversity into curriculum.

Communication skills are highly sought after by employers, as industry reports repeatedly show. At the same time, those reports also reveal that many employers are dissatisfied with their newly hired graduates' communication skills. In addition, increasing globalisation has led to the call for 'global graduates' who can function well in culturally diverse contexts. Considering both aspects, it is important, to explore which factors help foster students' global communication skills. This paper investigates this issue, testing the impact of potential factors identified from previous literature. Data was collected from 2359 students in seven different institutions located in five different countries. A linear regression model was tested to identify those factors which most contribute to global communication skills development. Results show that motivation to improve communication skills and the experience of social and academic integration into the campus community made the most significant contribution to participants' higher levels of global communication skills development. Besides, students who were presented with relevant opportunities and support from their respective institution and those engaged with foreign languages also demonstrated higher levels of global communication skills development. The paper concludes that for students to acquire the communication skills needed for working successfully in diverse contexts, and hence to become 'global graduates', it is essential that they venture out of their comfort zones and engage with the diverse campus community. At the same time, this engagement requires universities' guidance and support to help maximise the learning gains from such intercultural encounters.

Increase in diversified teaching contexts has led researchers to investigate the potentials of telecollaboration in multicultural learning environments. While there are abundant telecollaboration studies, improving intercultural awareness through a theoretical model is usually under-investigated. Based on Byram's (1997) co-orientational and Bennett's (1993) developmental intercultural competence models, this study intends to raise critical intercultural competence among 50 pre-service English teachers through telecollaboration with five faculty members across European countries. Relying on data generated through (a)synchronous delivery modes in an eight-week intervention, participants' intercultural development was measured by quantitative and qualitative methods. The findings suggest that telecollaboration had a significant impact on learners' critical intercultural development. In particular, interaction with different cultural perspectives dismantled prejudices and stereotypes as evidenced by their (1) cognisance of diversity, (2) pragmatic cultural stance, (3) latent intercultural conflict and (4) oppressed gender inequality. This study reveals that telecollaboration is a viable venue for increasing pre-service teachers' critical cultural awareness and reducing biases in multicultural learning contexts.

Telecollaboration in the language classroom promotes both second-language development and Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC). However, previous research identified its potential limitations, including instances of failure, misunderstanding, tension, and a reluctance to participate. The current study contributes to emerging literature concerning the role of prior pedagogical mentoring in supporting learner interaction during telecollaborative exchanges by examining the online interactions of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners. A total of 38 undergraduate students from Kuwait and Colombia participated in pedagogical mentoring before engaging in an eight-week series of online activities. The students' online discussions are analysed herein using a content analysis framework triangulated with their responses to a post-questionnaire. The findings reveal the students engage in various socio-affective and cognitive interactional behaviours that correspond to Byram's (1997) ICC framework. The micro-level analysis of the students' interaction and post-questionnaire demonstrates that most of these interactional behaviours correlate with descriptors pertaining to aspects of attitudes (curiosity and openness) and knowledge. Instances of the skills of discovery and interaction are also observed when the students engage with religious and socially related topics. The study concludes that prior pedagogical mentoring is beneficial for equipping learners with essential skills, including the collaborative skills that are an indispensable prerequisite for effective participation in telecollaborative exchanges.

Although contexts of learning abroad have traditionally been conceived as optimal settings for language and intercultural learning, Researchers advocate the implementation of pedagogical interventions that promote qualitative intercultural dialogue and guidance in language and intercultural learning process. Yet, studies are needed that carefully document and critically examine these interventions. This qualitative interview study explores how guided reflection efforts influence sojourners' intercultural learning by means of critical reflection. We analyse students' narratives collected during the intervention and draw conclusions regarding their ability to engage in critical reflection and the role of the instructor in fostering their reflection processes and intercultural learning development abroad.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explain how emotional intelligence (EI) influences intercultural competence (IC), which in turn may influence online instruction. The authors further explored the varying attributes of EI and the extent to which it intersects with IC in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach: Literature on EI and IC from the fields of education, business and leadership was reviewed. The search entailed articles related to EI and IC using the following databases: Business Search Premier, ERIC, JSTOR and ProQuest. The authors used the following key search terms in researching the articles: EI, IC, learning and online instruction. Title and abstract analyses judged each article's suitability for the study. Findings: To better perceive, understand and appreciate others and their cultures, we need to understand our own emotions and the way we interact with others. EI is thus the foundation on which IC can be built. It takes a higher level of EI to develop higher IC quotient. An online instructor should be cognizant about the emotional issues involved in the online learning and suitably modify the instruction to improve learner engagement to ensure better and improved student learning. Research limitations/implications: Findings of this study should provide useful information for theory building and practice. Further, it is hoped the findings of this study will stimulate more scholarly interest in this relatively untapped research area exploring how EI can influence IC and ultimately influence online instruction and improve student learning. Practical implications: The findings will serve as useful pointers for instructors and scholars who strive to improve ICs and appreciate the nuances that enable an emotionally intelligent instructor to perform better and connect with learners from a different culture. Originality/value: Based on empirical literature reviewed, EI is the ability to perceive, understand and control our own emotions to better connect and relate with other individuals. It is the ability to recognize the emotional cues and change our behavior accordingly. IC is the ability to understand and appreciate the cultural differences to better function in a culture different from our own. The two constructs are therefore interrelated and have a significant overlap. However, while EI has been studied exclusively in different contexts, surprisingly, the researchers have not given adequate attention to the important theme of using EI in improving IC or even the role EI can play in improving instructors' IC. Moreover, the interrelationship between EI, IC and online learning has not been explored previously. This paper seeks to address this gap.

This article traces the actions and perceptions of preservice teachers who cope with cultural heterogeneity. The study used an interpretative qualitative method, which allowed us to examine the portfolios of 12 participants. Findings indicate that authentic experiences exposed the students to the reality of the pupils, enriched their knowledge, fostered intercultural competence, and allowed them to teach according to culturally relevant pedagogy. Findings have implications for the teacher training process, which must include experiences outside the school walls that will help teachers integrate cultural heritage into the classroom, preserve the students' languages of origin, promote multicultural dialogue, and enhance the visibility of the other.

The following article attempts to characterise the current changes in the communication of people living in the area of Polish-Czech borderland based on the results of the study conducted in 2018 and 2019. The aim is to determine the dominant mode of supranational communication, as well as the reason behind its prevalence by analysing the language skills of the interviewed Poles and Czechs, along with their language preferences and selected personal experiences. The multilingual modes known as English as a "lingua franca" and "lingua receptiva" as well as their combination, constitute a platform of reference. The analysis proves that in more peripheral areas of the globalised world where different languages and cultures cross, postmonolingual practices have been developed. They maintain the leading position of the first language but they also adapt other multilingual modes. It is suggested that these practices should not be treated as a transitional phase on the way to rich multilingualism but rather as a specific glocalisation effect.

While listeners tend to downgrade speakers' accent and comprehensibility when they perceive them to be from a different language community--a process known as reverse linguistic stereotyping (RLS)--research has generally relied solely on quantitative data such as Likert scale ratings. The current study sought to extend the analysis further by investigating the reasons which informed raters' decisions. A sample of 210 Japanese university students (six groups of n = 35) were asked to listen to recorded speeches by native Japanese speakers. In a matched-guise design, the groups were either shown photos of a Japanese, Caucasian, or Southeast Asian male, and asked to provide ratings of accentedness, comprehensibility, and intelligibility. They were then asked to report what factors influenced their comprehensibility ratings. In line with previous research, listeners rated non-Japanese guises as significantly more accented than the Japanese one, though differences in intelligibility were non-significant. A key finding was that while comprehensibility ratings were statistically comparable, the rationales given were qualitatively different. Groups who viewed the Caucasian or Southeast Asian photographs cited pronunciation issues significantly more than the Japanese group which reported grammatical and lexical factors as the reasons behind their downgraded ratings.

This article presents lessons learned on the education for forgiveness and reconciliation in Muslim and Arab majority contexts, especially as part of civic engagement or across content areas. It first presents a brief review of the literature on forgiveness and reconciliation and ways they are interrelated in the larger Arab and Muslim contexts. Secondly, it points out religious and cultural sources that ground the practice of forgiveness and reconciliation. Thirdly, it presents the analysis of forgiveness stories collected from various Arab communities and discusses the main obstacles that hinder adopting a forgiveness and reconciliation agenda. Finally, it proposes forgiveness education and pedagogy based on stories to provide the framework and mechanisms to advance forgiveness and reconciliation education in schools and education spaces. We recommend utilizing local stories and storytelling as a method to delve into interpersonal and social conflicts.

Although the development of intercultural citizenship among university students has now been included as a key policy in international universities, pedagogical practices for promoting the awareness, understanding, and development of intercultural citizenship while studying abroad have reportedly been inadequate. To address this gap, this qualitative interview study (1) explores the perceptions of Thai and Chinese students enrolled in English-medium education programs on the development of intercultural citizenship and (2) identifies links between intercultural citizenship and English for students studying in international universities. The findings reveal that the participants generally had positive attitudes toward the concept of intercultural citizenship and agreed that living in a foreign country surrounded by individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds made it more effective to learn about and promote awareness of intercultural citizenship compared to staying in their homelands. They further demonstrate that English proficiency levels, exposure to teaching methods before studying abroad, and regular on-campus and off-campus activities with international friends from different linguistic-cultural backgrounds are significant in enhancing intercultural citizenship competencies. Further, some implications in terms of the promotion of intercultural citizenship education through English are also proposed and discussed.

Purpose: Telecollaboration has become a dynamic subfield of CALL studies with the increasing availability of multimodal platforms in language learning and teaching. Although current studies mostly have focused on bilingual and bicultural exchanges, affordances of multi-faceted teacher identity have not received considerable attention. To address this gap, 57 teacher candidates took part in an eight-week telecollaboration project with four instructors from European universities. Method: Drawing on [Deardorff, D. K. 2006. "Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome of Internationalization." "Journal of Studies in International Education" 10 (3): 241-266.] process orientation and [Bennett, M. J. 1993. "Towards Ethnorelativism: A Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity." In "Education for the Intercultural Experience," edited by R. Michael Paige, 21-71. Yarmouth, ME: Intercultural Press] developmental models, teacher candidates' identity negotiations were analysed through the data generated on (a)synchronous modes. Findings and Originality: Findings suggest that dynamics resulting from multicultural and multilingual identity contribute to higher intercultural communicative competence, and teacher candidates' intercultural development is manifested through their: (a) intercultural adjustment; (b) culture-specific identity orientations; (c) gender socialisation; and (d) culture and technology interplay. This study provides several implications for EFL practitioners to foster intercultural communicative competence in language classes and utilise telecollaboration as a valuable asset with concrete outcomes for upcoming studies.

The present study aimed to explore the link between intercultural sensitivity, the four dimensions of cyberbullying, i.e. aggression, victimisation, cyber-defending, and passive bystander behaviour), and religious education as a formal study discipline in schools. Our sample consisted of 241 high school students (M = 18.54, SD = 0.49, 61% males). Our results suggested significant negative associations between intercultural sensitivity and cyber-perpetration, cyber-victimisation, and cyber-bystander behaviour. No significant gender differences were found concerning intercultural sensitivity. Our findings also suggested that the participants who studied religion as a formal discipline in high school reported higher intercultural sensitivity. Furthermore, we also found a significant interaction effect between intercultural sensitivity and religion as a formal school discipline, in the case of cyber-aggression and cyber-victimisation dimensions of cyberbullying. Finally, we discuss our findings considering their practical implication, primarily in educational settings.

This paper discusses how I design and teach an Interculturality in Language and Literary Studies (ILLS) Course. In doing this, I am very much influenced by the post-structural and post-colonial and interdisciplinary nature of my PhD study. The course itself is for sixth semester undergraduate students, after they have passed Skilled Courses, Introduction to Literature and Introduction to Linguistics, etc. In these reflections, I utilise a post-structural approach, in which I consider such a practice to never be final. It is always in process.