Fostering intercultural competence through an asynchronous virtual exchange in secondary-level foreign language classes

Lindy Robinson; Marni Manegre

doi:10.21827/jve.8.42104

Fostering intercultural competence through an asynchronous virtual exchange in secondary-level foreign language classes

Authors

Lindy Robinson University of Rovira i Virgili https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1708-1336
Marni Manegre University of Rovira i Virgili https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6021-521X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21827/jve.8.42104

Keywords:

telecollaboration, computer-mediated communication, intercultural competence, IC dimensions, virtual exchange

Abstract

Intercultural competence (IC) has long been recognized as an important learning objective in foreign language education. This study investigates whether an asynchronous virtual exchange (VE) may be used as a tool to develop IC in secondary-level students. Two Spanish foreign language classes in Western Canada were linked with two English foreign language classes in Spain, using a virtual platform. The students conducted a six-week VE with four assignments based on Deardorff's (2006a) IC framework. Using a quasi-experimental research design, students’ perceived IC growth was measured. The results revealed a significant association between students' VE engagement and their perceived increase in IC. Additionally, the analysis found evidence that learners rated the VE activities as highly interesting, valuable to their learning, and recommendable. This adds to the corpus of research that supports the use of VEs as effective and accessible techniques for fostering intercultural learning.

Author Biographies

Lindy Robinson, University of Rovira i Virgili

Lindy Robinson is a secondary school teacher in Western Canada and a doctoral candidate in Education Studies at the University of Victoria. She holds a master’s in Teaching English as a Foreign Language from Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Spain, and a bachelor’s in Education from the University of Calgary, Canada.

Marni Manegre, University of Rovira i Virgili

Marni Manegre is a Lecturer in the Department of English and German Studies at Universitat Rovira i Virgili (URV). She earned her doctorate in Pedagogy, Education and Technology, Computer Assisted Language Learning at URV, Tarragona, Spain, and completed both her Master of Science and Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics at the University of Alberta, Canada.

Published

2025-12-12

Issue

Vol. 8 (2025)

Section

Research Articles

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