ERIC Number: EJ1395221
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0957-1736
EISSN: EISSN-1753-2167
Virtual Exchanges as Authentic Scenarios for Integrating a Plurilingual Perspective into EFL Teaching and Learning
Cutrim Schmid, Euline; Cvetkovic Kienle, Anita; Sahin, Hilal
Language Learning Journal, v51 n4 p544-558 2023
The article presents research findings on the professional growth of three in-service EFL teachers from Germany who took part in a teacher education programme centred on technology-mediated plurilingual education. The study investigated how the programme influenced the development of the teachers' pedagogical and digital skills in creating and executing plurilingual-inspired virtual exchanges. The programme took place over the course of an academic year (2021-2022) and was divided into three phases, including a four-week virtual exchange with other participants, self-study through an online course, and pedagogical assistance for executing virtual exchanges in teachers' schools. The research employed a case study approach, and data were collected through classroom observations and field notes, recordings of teacher reflective activities, as well as focus group and individual interviews with teachers. The findings indicate that the professional development programme prompted teachers to reconsider their language ideologies and question policies and approaches that emphasised monolingualism in their particular settings. These included practices like separating languages in bilingual programmes, prioritising the native-speaker model as the ultimate goal of second language acquisition, and school policies that ignored the educational requirements of students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.
Descriptors: English (Second Language), Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Language Teachers, Teacher Attitudes, Foreign Countries, Faculty Development, Multilingualism, Technological Literacy, Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Teaching Methods, Independent Study, Online Courses, Computer Mediated Communication, Computer Simulation, Case Studies, Reflective Teaching, Language Attitudes, Language Usage, Bilingual Education Programs, Language of Instruction, School Policy, Student Diversity, Classroom Communication, Elementary Secondary Education, Intercultural Communication, Exchange Programs, German, Italian, Technology Integration, International Cooperation, Educational Cooperation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Germany; Italy
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A