EFL learners' intercultural competence development in an international web collaboration project

Abstract

This article is based on an analysis of a small sample of data from an international web collaboration project between four classes of English as a foreign language (EFL) learners guided by their English teachers in four different countries in Europe. As few studies have been published about intercultural communication in blended learning EFL contexts, the aim was to explore the participating students' intercultural competence development and their perceptions of the usefulness of their online collaboration in this respect. The analysis of the learners' posts was supplemented by insights gained from their teachers' evaluation and the project team's lesson observations as well as two group interviews with students. Despite the learners' initial difficulties and ‘faux pas’ in communication, the data indicate noticeable development in their intercultural competence throughout the five months of the web collaboration project.