Analyzing the Impact of Virtual Exchanges on Students’ L2 Willingness to Communicate
This study presents findings from a virtual exchange (VE) project conducted with undergraduate students from the university of Pécs (Hungary) and the university of Paris Nanterre (France). VEs have been shown to help students develop intercultural competence, strengthen their digital literacy, and r...
Gardado en:
| Publicado en: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/alsic, |
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| Auteurs principaux: | , |
| Formato: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Idioma: | Anglais |
| Publicado: |
Alsic
2025
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| Sujets: | |
| Acceso en liña: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
| Résumé: | This study presents findings from a virtual exchange (VE) project conducted with undergraduate students from the university of Pécs (Hungary) and the university of Paris Nanterre (France). VEs have been shown to help students develop intercultural competence, strengthen their digital literacy, and reduce their foreign language anxiety (Freiermuth & Huang, 2021; Schug & Simon, 2023; Yeh & Heng, 2022). Of particular interest to this study is how these exchanges can improve students’ attitudes towards L2 English use, focusing on Willingness to Communicate (WTC). WTC is a complex variable which relates to the likelihood with which a learner will engage in the target language (Gallagher, 2013). Past studies have shown WTC to be higher in online contexts, with participants focusing more on conversation than on pronunciation (Alqarni, 2021; Freiermuth & Jarrel, 2006). Still, online communication presents several challenges that can negatively impact students’ desire to speak, including technical problems and difficulties in turn-taking (Debras, 2020; Schug & Simon, 2023). The goal of this study is therefore to better understand the factors that affect how students manage and evaluate their L2 communication practices in online virtual exchanges. Students were put into groups composed of two French students and two Hungarian students and were given a series of tasks to complete using Microsoft Teams over the course of three video meetings during the semester. After each of their three exchanges, they completed a logbook entry to report on their experience. Logbook entries were analyzed and coded. Results indicated that participation in the VE program led to steady, regular increases in learner confidence and WTC. Social dynamics, higher confidence, and the structure of the program were all factors that impacted the changes in WTC. This paper analyzes these responses in greater detail to discuss implications for teaching practice and VE use. |
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