Scholarly record
INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCE ASSESSMENT IN E-LEARNING LANGUAGE COURSE
Abstract
Intercultural competence is undoubtedly one of the most talked about elements of language teaching process, but the assessment of it isnt without a problem. The range of tools and mechanisms of intercultural competence evaluation is wide, but the interactional and procedural character of this phenomenon makes it difficult to use them in real communication. Distance learning where virtual instruction replaces the face-to-face communication with a teacher creates a new educational arena. New educational scene requires new methods of evaluating intercultural communication. The paper aims at (1) review of some intercultural competence assessment methods; (2) discussion of intercultural virtual test perspectives, (3) examination of pilot project results. A pilot project lasted for half a year and was conducted as a part of experimental Russian language distance learning course. The primary aim of the course was learning language and culture in cluster. The participants in the focus group were international students of Russian language of diverse origins (Ecuador, Afganistan, Bulgaria, China, etc.). In the initial stage the participants intercultural competence was tested using several assessment tools. The research participants were asked to take part in an online Russian language course with elements of intercultural communication study. Intercultural elements (background information about the culture, video clips illustrating nonverbal language and communicative strategies, etc.) were then incorporated into the e-learning Russian language course. The study was followed by a survey questionnaire and personal interviews with the students. The aim of the assessment was to test all elements of intercultural competence: knowledge, attitudes, skills and cultural awareness of the students. Qualitative analysis was used to examine the data collected from the participants (surveys and interviews). The course was delivered through the Moodle VLE (Virtual learning environment). There were limitations of the project connected with the materials used for language and culture learning. The uniform e-learning course was used for the students of all origins, though their learning styles varied. Further research should focus on adapting and creating e-learning material to suit particular cultural groups.
Publication Impact Profile
Publication details
References11
Hakobyan K.B., Mekeko N.M., Formation of a Subject Position of Students in Educational Activities, 7th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation (ICERI 2014), Spain, pp 3620-3627, 2014.
Sinicrope C., Norris J., Watanabe Yu., Understanding and Assessing Intercultural Competence: A summary of Theory, Research and Practice (Technical Report for the Foreign Language Program Evaluation Project), Second Language Studies, Volume 26, Issue 1, pp. 1-58, 2007.
Spitzberg, B., Changnon G., Conceptualizing Intercultural Competence, The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence, Thousand Oaks, Calif., 2009.
Byram M., Gribkova B., Starkey H., Developing the Intercultural Dimension in Language Teaching: A Practical Introduction for Teachers, Strasbourg, 2002.
Karnyushina V., Makhina A., Lexical and Grammatical Means of Distancing Strategy Performed in American Political Discourse, Journal of Language and Education, Russia, vol. 3/issue 1, pp. 85-101, 2017.
Deardorff, D. K., The Identification and Assessment of Intercultural Competence as a Student Outcome of Internationalization at Institutions of Higher Education in the United States, Journal of Studies in International Education, volume 10, issue 3, pp. 241– 266, 2006.
Golechkova T., Lexical Representation of Knowledge about a Human Being in English, Journal of Language and Education, Russia, vol. 1/issue 3, pp 33-38, 2015.
Stepanenko K., Torosyan L., The Modern Educational Domain: Prerequisites and Prospects for Individual Learning Path Development, Journal of Language and Education, Russia, vol. 2/issue 1, pp. 39-47, 2016.
The SAGE Handbook of Intercultural Competence. Deardorff, D., K. (Ed.) Derek Bob (Fwd.) Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: SAGE Publications, Inc. 2009.
Tikhonova E.V. Linguistic diagnosing of religious relations through word association responses // SGEM 2014: Proceedings of International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conferences on Social Sciences and Arts (September 1-9). Book 1. Vol. III. Bulgaria: STEF92 Technology Ltd, 2014. P. 505- 516. DOI: 10.5593/SGEMSOCIAL2014/B13/S3.068
Tikhonova E.V., Mekeko N. Diagnosing religious climate in the classroom: the case of Russian students, ICERI 2014: The Proceedings of the 7th International Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, Spain, pp. 3639-3648, 2014.
View or Download full articleAccess options
SWS access login
Login as SWS Scientific CommitteeLogin as SWS Scientific PartnerLogin as SWS AuthorAuthors and approved SWS contributors will read and export their own linked papers after identity matching by SWS profile, email and SGEM GlobalID.
For librarian assistance: [email protected]
Purchase Instant Access
- Article can be downloaded after successful payment.
- Article may be used according to SWS library access terms.
- Article cannot be redistributed.
