Abstract
One of the key concerns of educators is to come to know what works in language teaching and under which conditions (Intercultural) Communicative Competence can be furthered. This concern is even bigger among professionals experimenting or willing to experiment with new media. Following socio-constructivist theories of learning (Vygotsky, 1978) and interactionist theories within SLA (Mackey & Polio, 2009) that put interaction at the heart of the learning process, we present the results of a case study in which interaction patterns and cultural and language related episodes (Swain & Lapkin, 1995) conducive to intercultural language learning are analysed in three research conditions: (1) foreign language learners (FLLs) interacting with native speakers through video communication; (2) FLLs interacting with native speakers through Second Life; and (3) FLLs interacting with each other in the classroom setting. The study analyses the impact that (1) bringing native speakers into the foreign language course through new media and (2) the use of different voiced synchronous tools (video communication v. Second Life) have on interaction patterns conducive to rich learning contexts.
Published Version
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