LANGUAGE LEARNING AND INTERCULTURAL AWARENESS: INSIGHTS FROM A PRIMARY SCHOOL SYNCHRONOUS VIRTUAL EXCHANGE
Abstract
This study examines the perceptions of Japanese primary school students during a synchronous cross-cultural virtual exchange (VE) with Australian peers. The participants included 152 sixth-grade Japanese students and 130 Australian students (63 in fifth grade and 67 in sixth grade). Using Google Meet, students shared information about their locations and the weather, practicing both Japanese and English language skills. Afterward, the Japanese students evaluated their Australian peers’ English comprehension and reflected on their exchange experiences. Descriptive statistical methods were applied to the quantitative data, while qualitative responses were analyzed using KH Coder, a text-mining tool for linguistic and content analysis. The results were largely positive, with many Japanese students reporting that they understood the Australian students’ English. The VE enhanced cross-cultural understanding by highlighting both similarities and differences. However, the study also identified challenges related to using and understanding a foreign language in real-time exchanges. These findings provide valuable insights for educators and policymakers, offering practical guidance for integrating VE into curricula to support language development, intercultural awareness, and effective teaching practices.
Keywords
Virtual exchange, cross-cultural communication, language learning, intercultural awareness, primary education.
Ethical Statement
The author declares that this article is his original work, has not been plagiarized, and complies with ethical research and publication standards. Research permissions were obtained from the school principal and the students’ parents at the Japanese school. All ethical rules were observed at each stage of the research. The author declares that he acted in accordance with ethical rules in all processes of the research. The author declares no conflict of interest.
References
- Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and assessing intercultural communicative competence. Multilingual Matters.
- Canals, L. (2020). The effects of virtual exchanges on oral skills and motivation. Language Learning & Technology, 24(3), 103–119. http://hdl.handle.net/10125/44742
- Hagley, E. (2016). Making virtual exchange/telecollaboration mainstream – large scale exchanges. In S. Jager, M. Kurek, & B. O’Rourke (Eds.), New directions in telecollaborative research and practice: Selected papers from the second conference on telecollaboration in higher education (pp. 225–230). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2016.telecollab2016.511
- Hagley, E., & Cotter, M. (2019). Virtual exchange supporting language and intercultural development: Students’ perceptions. In F. Meunier, J. Van de Vyver, L. Bradley, & S. Thouësny (Eds.), CALL and complexity – Short papers from EUROCALL 2019 (pp. 163–168). Research-publishing.net. https://doi.org/10.14705/rpnet.2019.38.1003
- Hang, Y., & Zhang, X. (2023). Intercultural competence of university students in navigating their academic, social, and ethnic cultural transitions. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 47(8), 1027–1041. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2023.2214790
- Kimura, A., Kurogami, H., & Taniguchi, K. (2020). Syougakkou deno taburetto PC wo katsuyou shita kokusai kouryuu niyoru shisitsu nouryoku no hennyou [Development and effect of ‘international exchange curriculum’ utilizing tablet PC at elementary school]. Japanese Journal of Educational Media Research, 26(2), 1–17.
- Koyama, Y., & Konishi, M. (2024). Kooritsu shoogakkoo ni okeru bideo chatto o mochiita eetandemu onrain kokusai kooryuu no jissen: Kanagawa-ken no jirei [A practical study of eTandem online international exchange using video chat in public elementary schools: A case study from Kanagawa Prefecture]. Tsuda Review, 56, 157–183.
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). (2016). Gaikokugo kyouiku niokeru ICT no katsuyou nitsuite [The use of ICT in foreign language education]. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology of Japan. http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chukyo/chukyo3/058/siryo/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2016/05/25/1371098_5.pdf
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). (2020). Gaikokugo no shidou niokeru ICT no katsuyou nitsuite [The use of ICT in teaching foreign languages]. Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology of Japan. https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20200911-mxt_jogai01-000009772_13.pdf
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). (2022). GIGA sukuuru no saishin no jyokyoo nituite [Update on the GIGA School Initiative]. https://www.mext.go.jp/kaigisiryo/content/20210319-mxt_syoto01-000013552_02.pdf
