Languaging about intercultural communication: the occurrence and conceptual focus of intracultural peer collaborative dialogues

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study examined intracultural peers using language as a cognitive tool (i.e. languaging) to recognise, understand, and explain intercultural communication concepts. In pairs, 42 Korean public school teachers enrolled in an in-service program completed a describe-interpret-evaluate task through synchronous computer-mediated communication. To investigate languaging about intercultural communication, the analytic concept of language-related episode (LRE) was adapted to create intercultural communication meta-talk (IC-MT). Transcripts from the task were analysed for: (1) the occurrence of IC-MT, and (2) the focus of IC-MT instances in relation to concepts underlying intercultural communication. Results showed that IC-MT occurred at variable rates in peer discourse, sometimes included problematic interactional features, and focused on four aspects of intercultural communication. This study suggests that the intracultural peers use language in ways that create conditions for intercultural learning and that multiple factors mediate participation in collaborative dialogue. Pedagogical implications of the findings are discussed, in addition to avenues for future investigations on languaging and its role in the formation of intercultural competence.