A Research Synthesis and Systematic Review of the Development of the Intercultural Communicative Competence of Second or Foreign Language Learners through Web 2.0 tools and applications.
One of the goals of foreign language education is to produce “intercultural speakers” (Byram, 1997). Telecollaboration is suggested (Guth & Helm, 2010) to be the key solution to promoting language skills development, intercultural communicative competence, and multiple literacies. Some studies (Liaw, 2006; Vinagre, 2010) found evidence of ICC in specific categories of Byram’s Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) framework, suggesting that there was an interest in others’ culture but the majority failed to decentre and change perspectives and lacked knowledge about intercultural communication processes. Based on Thorne’s (2003) and Chun’s (2011) claims that different technological tools are not neutral media, I aim to uncover which Web 2.0 tools and applications contribute to a successful ICC at tertiary level and to what extent activity systems affect the learning development of the individual in telecollaborative contexts.
The study is going to be a systematic review of published articles. Systematic reviews are said to be replicable and conceptually illuminating. However, meta-analysis, which is the best established method in the field (Norris & Ortega, 2007), entails only the study of quantitative findings. Norris and Ortega (2007) call for the development of hybrid acts of reviewing studies that go beyond art or science, therefore, my thesis will include studies from all epistemological methodologies. EPPI-Reviewer 4 will be used for searching, screening, coding and analysis and a thematic synthesis will be employed.
The aim of this research is to uncover what research has been done on the efficacy of Web 2.0 tools and applications in developing the ICC of second or foreign language learners and analyze the context/individual/institution based on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory and Thorne’s (2003) claim on artifacts’ cultures-of-use. Pedagogically, it is aimed to conduct a systematic review of research evidence of the impact of telecollaboration on learners’ ICC, to make recommendations for policy and practice based on these findings, and to identify questions that need to be addressed by research so that Web 2.0 tools can be used in ways that they can enhance learners’ ICC to a greater extent.
One of the goals of foreign language education is to produce “intercultural speakers” (Byram, 1997). Telecollaboration is suggested (Guth & Helm, 2010) to be the key solution to promoting language skills development, intercultural communicative competence, and multiple literacies. Some studies (Liaw, 2006; Vinagre, 2010) found evidence of ICC in specific categories of Byram’s Intercultural Communicative Competence (ICC) framework, suggesting that there was an interest in others’ culture but the majority failed to decentre and change perspectives and lacked knowledge about intercultural communication processes. Based on Thorne’s (2003) and Chun’s (2011) claims that different technological tools are not neutral media, I aim to uncover which Web 2.0 tools and applications contribute to a successful ICC at tertiary level and to what extent activity systems affect the learning development of the individual in telecollaborative contexts.
The study is going to be a systematic review of published articles. Systematic reviews are said to be replicable and conceptually illuminating. However, meta-analysis, which is the best established method in the field (Norris & Ortega, 2007), entails only the study of quantitative findings. Norris and Ortega (2007) call for the development of hybrid acts of reviewing studies that go beyond art or science, therefore, my thesis will include studies from all epistemological methodologies. EPPI-Reviewer 4 will be used for searching, screening, coding and analysis and a thematic synthesis will be employed.
The aim of this research is to uncover what research has been done on the efficacy of Web 2.0 tools and applications in developing the ICC of second or foreign language learners and analyze the context/individual/institution based on Cultural-Historical Activity Theory and Thorne’s (2003) claim on artifacts’ cultures-of-use. Pedagogically, it is aimed to conduct a systematic review of research evidence of the impact of telecollaboration on learners’ ICC, to make recommendations for policy and practice based on these findings, and to identify questions that need to be addressed by research so that Web 2.0 tools can be used in ways that they can enhance learners’ ICC to a greater extent.