Weaving Cultural Threads Through Virtual Exchange: A Case Study on Task-Based Language Teaching use in European Secondary Schools

Abstract

In an increasingly globalized and technically advanced world, the ability to navigate cultural diversity, in physical and virtual settings while building critical cultural awareness is increasingly a vital skill. This study has been conducted as part of the Engaging Languages in Intercultural Virtual Exchange (E-LIVE), a project which bridges European schools together through virtual exchange (VE). In this case study, students in Dutch and Spanish schools participated in a Task Based Language Teaching (TBLT) virtual exchange task, students presented local and national festivities from each country. The central question of the study asks to what extent do teachers prepare students for interactions that foster critical cultural awareness using task-based language learning in a virtual exchange setting? The theoretical and conceptual framework supporting the study consist of the metaphorical theoretical approach called Cultural Blocks and Threads (Holliday, 2016), the pedagogical method Task-Based Language Teaching (TBLT), and the framework of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (Cunningham, 2001). By analyzing teacher interviews, classroom observations, and student exchange recordings, the research examines how TBLT assisted VE may be implemented to grow all students’ critical cultural awareness and create authentic VE connections for all students. Key findings highlight that successful TBLT assisted VE hinges on the alignment of teachers values and student preparation and student’s relevance for sharing the festivity. Such insights broaden the discourse around VE because it offers new research into connecting students from multicultural communities through VE using TBLT.