intercultural-competence
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- PaperLanguage Teaching Research9 Jul 2026
Embarking on Virtual Exchange for English as a Multilingua Franca Context: Comparing Virtual Reality and Non-Virtual Reality Approaches to Enhance Second Language Speaking Fluency
Van Huynh Ha Le, Denchai Prabjandee, Punwalai Kewara
This study compared explicit and implicit communication strategy instruction combined with low-immersion virtual reality (VR) versus non-VR approaches to enhance L2 speaking fluency among 159 Vietnamese undergraduates in an English as a Multilingua Franca (EMF) context. The explicit+VR group achieved the greatest fluency gains, while both VR groups surpassed the non-VR group in confidence, perceived language skills, and transcultural competence. The results introduce Emergent-Dialogue Virtual Exchange, a pedagogical model leveraging unscripted VR communication to bridge classroom learning and global English use.
Original abstract
Many learners of English as a foreign language struggle to develop second language speaking fluency because of limited opportunities for authentic communication with linguistically diverse English users in English as a multilingua franca context. This study aims to address this problem by investigating the effects of communication strategy instruction, an approach believed to facilitate communication in English as a multilingua franca contexts. This study compared two approaches of communication strategy instruction, explicit and implicit, combined with low-immersion virtual reality. Over 11 weeks, 159 Vietnamese undergraduates were randomly assigned to one of three instructional conditions: Explicit + virtual reality, Explicit + non-virtual reality, and virtual reality Implicit. Data sources were video recordings of pre-, post-, and delayed speaking tests, as well as learners’ reflections. The data were analyzed using the ELSA Speech Analyzer to measure second language speaking fluency and qualitative content analysis to explore learners’ perceived affordances and challenges of virtual reality implementation. Results showed that the Explicit + virtual reality group achieved the greatest gains in second language speaking fluency, whereas both virtual reality groups (explicit and implicit) outperformed the non-virtual reality group in confidence, perceived language skills, and transcultural competence. On the delayed test, although no significant difference was found between the two virtual reality groups, all three groups showed improved second language speaking fluency, with both virtual reality groups still outperforming the non-virtual reality group. The study introduces Emergent-Dialogue Virtual Exchange, a new pedagogical model grounded in unscripted, spontaneous communication via virtual reality. Emergent-Dialogue Virtual Exchange positions low-immersion virtual reality as a scalable, contextually responsive space for English as a multilingua franca communication. These findings underscore the pedagogical potential of combining communication strategy instruction with virtual reality to support fluency, adaptability, and intercultural competence in the English as a multilingua franca context, bridging the gap between the classroom and the complex realities of global English use.
- PaperReCALL5 May 2026
Involving AI in the development of intercultural competence: Exploring the role of ChatGPT in fostering cognitive flexibility
Isabelle Drewelow
This study investigates whether interacting with ChatGPT supports perspective shifting and cognitive flexibility in a university-level LSP French course. Analysis of student interviews reveals that while concerns about AI content legitimacy existed, the tool enabled some students to adopt emic stances and reflect on interpretive limits. Prompt literacy emerged as crucial for fostering dynamic partnerships with ChatGPT for intercultural competence development.
Original abstract
This study investigates whether and how interacting with ChatGPT may offer a context that supports perspective shifting and the development of cognitive flexibility, defined as the capacity to move between etic (outsider) and emic (insider) perspectives. Drawing on individual interviews with students enrolled in an advanced university-level Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) French course focused on marketing and advertising in France, this qualitative study examines students’ perspectives on their experiences using ChatGPT to conduct market research on French consumer needs and preferences. The analysis reveals that while students expressed concerns about the legitimacy, authenticity, and cultural positioning of AI-generated content, the interactive and conversational nature of the tool enabled some students to experiment with culturally unfamiliar roles, adopt emerging emic stances, and reflect on the limits of their interpretive frameworks. However, co-creative engagement or shared agency with ChatGPT was not automatic and depended on prompt design, tolerance for ambiguity, and the negotiation of subjective positioning. Rather than facilitating perspective transformation, ChatGPT-supported interactions appeared to foster more modest but meaningful shifts in interpretive positioning and dialectical thinking. The study points to prompt literacy as crucial for fostering more dynamic partnerships with ChatGPT and enabling students to explore alternative perspectives and roles in ways that support the development of intercultural competence in the L2 classroom.
- PaperReCALL27 Nov 2025
Enhancing intercultural competence through self-efficacy, grit, and informal digital learning of English
Jiana Liu, Ju Seong Lee
A mixed-methods study of 416 Chinese EFL students found that L2 self-efficacy fosters L2 grit, which encourages engagement in informal digital learning of English (IDLE), ultimately enhancing intercultural competence. Structural equation modeling revealed that both receptive and productive IDLE activities mediate the link between psychological traits and intercultural competence. The findings suggest that educators can promote intercultural competence by developing students' self-efficacy and grit to deepen digital engagement.
Original abstract
Learners’ confidence in using a second language (L2 self-efficacy) and their L2 grit are key psychological factors in developing intercultural competence (ICC). As English as a foreign language (EFL) students increasingly encounter diverse cultures though informal digital learning of English (IDLE), this study examines whether IDLE serves as a pathway connecting these psychological traits to ICC. Grounded in the broaden-and-build theory, this explanatory mixed-methods research investigates how L2 self-efficacy and grit contribute to ICC through IDLE among 416 Chinese EFL students. Structural equation modeling revealed that higher L2 self-efficacy fosters greater L2 grit, which in turn promotes more frequent engagement in both receptive IDLE activities (e.g. watching English media) and productive ones (e.g. participating in online conversations). This increased engagement was positively linked to higher levels of ICC. Qualitative findings further illuminated the mechanisms behind this process, illustrating how psychological strengths support meaningful digital encounters across cultures. The findings offer pedagogical insights: by cultivating students’ self-efficacy and grit, educators can encourage deeper engagement in IDLE, thereby equipping learners with effective and culturally sensitive communication in an increasingly interconnected digital world.