International Journal of Pedagogics
48
https://theusajournals.com/index.php/ijp
VOLUME
Vol.05 Issue05 2025
PAGE NO.
48-55
10.37547/ijp/Volume05Issue05-13
1
Enhancing Intercultural Communication Competence in Future
English Language Teachers Through Virtual Technologies
Yo
ʻ
ldosheva Tursunoy Azimboy qizi
Independent researcher of UzSWLU, Teacher of Creative school named after Abdulla Qodiriy, Uzbekistan
Received:
13 March 2025;
Accepted:
09 April 2025;
Published:
11 May 2025
Abstract:
Globalization has significantly increased intercultural interactions, making intercultural communication
competence (ICC) indispensable for future English teachers. Through thorough analysis and examination, this
research explores the ways in which virtual technologies effectively enhance intercultural communicative
competence (ICC) among pre-service teachers. The article places particular emphasis on the significant impact of
digital platforms, video conferencing tools, and collaborative online environments on fostering and augmenting
intercultural communication competence (ICC) skills. The article explores the difficulties associated with
incorporating intercultural skills into English language teaching (ELT) curricula, and evaluates novel methods
utilizing computer-mediated communication. The results indicate that virtual technologies are successful in
promoting intercultural awareness, linguistic adaptability, and professional readiness for teaching in multicultural
environments. The study recommends the strategic integration of digital tools in teacher education programs to
improve the development of intercultural communicative competence.
Keywords:
Intercultural communication competence, English language teaching, virtual technologies,
globalization, teacher education, online learning, digital pedagogy.
Introduction:
Interactions between people from
dissimilar cultural backgrounds have increased
considerably due to globalization, which is a set of
social, economic, technological and political processes
that started intensifying in the 1970s and brought
about changes throughout the world. The most
important implications are: an increase in people flows
across national borders; an increase in the density and
diversity of these connections among people from
various communities; the growing complexity of
connection patterns, scales and terrains; and enhanced
interplay between different dimensions of social life -
economy, culture, politics, and the environment. In
changing societies, everyone has to learn how to
communicate and perform effectively in many cultural
contexts, and this requirement increasingly includes
people from homogeneous national cultures. Most
experiences are cultural, they are learned from other
people, modeled after them, and take place with them.
To acquire a new culture is a learning process. To
understand this learning process, this project
addressed the following research questions: What
kinds of communicative competence do people need in
an era of globalization?; What is the relative
importance other language capabilities take, such as
listening and intercultural skills, and how does this
importance vary with a given context?; What impact do
newly emerging technologies have on language
learning and more generally on education?; What is the
future role of the teacher, and what kind of pre-service
education is thus required?. And all these questions
also led to one of quiet focus: How can grass-root
teachers be prepared to act as innovation agents in the
emerging global scenario?
In an immensely multicultural world, the ability to
communicate effectively has become more essential
than ever. While English is fast evolving as the worldʼs
lingua franca, learners therefore need to be confident
of their competence in understanding various accents
and varieties of the language used by people from
various cultures and traditions, rather than in
replicating native speakers (World English Journal &
ZAGHAR, 2017). Moreover, as present-day technology
simplifies the means of communication across borders,
it appears that rather than learning a different
language, learners will need to learn to communicate
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effectively with people whose first language is different
from theirs.
Although current student variances and language
advancement needs will continue to be diverse, future
scholars and professionals can forecast to work in the
environment, which is greatly technological and
intercultural. This requires that students not only
develop their technical knowledge, but also alternative
competencies in communicative fields for undisturbed
work in such multicultural workplaces. Aural and verbal
communicative practices are widely taught in several
second/foreign language classes. However, current
technology gives teachers the opportunity to use other
communication modes, which have been slightly
exploited.
In the professional world of English for Specific
Purposes (ESP), and particularly in domains such as
Engineering and Computer Science, intercultural issues
are often ignored by both teachers and learners. With
the focus usually on the extensive study of technical
language and related communicative practices, there is
hardly any time left for the development of
intercultural competences. Interacting with people
from overseas requires significant awareness of their
cultural values, communication conventions and
language differences, in addition to mutual language
comprehensibility. In such a situation, further
intercultural competences in teaching materials and
instruction are requisite.
Main Part
The development of intercultural communicative
competence (ICC) has been considered a mirror
reflecting the multifaceted and complex reality of our
globalized world. An integrative and transformative
concept, it brings together the knowledge, skills,
attitudes and awareness necessary to engage in
communication with individuals from various
languages and cultures. Future English language
teachers (ELTs) must develop their ICC to play a vital
role in promoting it in educational settings, and to
advance their own professional competence in a field
where English has emerged as a global lingua franca for
intercultural work, communication and exchanges (E
Fantini, 2007). To recast the teaching of English as a
foreign/second
language
(EFL/ESL)
for
ICC
engagement, it is essential to provide future ELTs with
the tools and resources to learn about and enter into
(inter)culturally aware and sensitive encounters and
dialogue.
ICC is location
–
and context-dependent. ETs in
Morocco, like in many other countries, face a wide
array of complex communicative and intercultural
tasks. In the Moroccan pedagogic context, the multiple
social, historical and ideological underpinnings of EFL
education, as well as challenges related to teaching a
foreign
language
(English)
and
fostering
intercultural/cultural learning, need to be taken into
account. Hence, there is urgent need to prepare future
ELTs for intercultural work. While in-service teacher
training and further education has recently seen efforts
to promote intercultural awareness, communicative
and pedagogical competence, little is known about the
perceptions, conceptions and construction of their ICC,
and self-efficacy for (inter)cultural learning and
dialogue. Thus, the inquiry focused on the question:
What are the perceptions, conceptions and
understandings of ICC of Moroccan preservice ELTs?
Education has been regarded as the key to social
stability and prosperity, and with the surge of
globalization in the 21st century, the educational
landscape is expected to shift. English Language
Teaching (ELT) plays a disproportionate role in the
spread of global English, and has now become essential
in diverse regions across the globe. Intercultural
Communication Competence (ICC) is crucial for the
professional development of future English language
teachers (ELTs). There is a need to investigate how
future ELTs develop their intercultural awareness.
Technological
advances
have
brought
about
opportunities such as independent inquiry and access
to vast amounts of information available on online
networks. Furthermore, using the Internet and social
networking could also increase their cultural
awareness. However, writing to learn strategies seems
not to have been recognized as facilitating intercultural
competence. Therefore, with an approach to ICC
development, it becomes paramount to scrutinize the
potential of virtual networking for enhancing
intercultural capabilities.
Theoretical, Conceptual, and Empirical Background
In the past few decades, it has become apparent that
to become a “successful” language speaker, one must
also be conversant with the culture(s) of the respective
languages. This led, in 2002, to the establishment of the
Common European Framework of References (CEFR)
for Languages, a document that sets out the most
important development objectives for teaching and
learning foreign languages. English is still the most
likely language to meet such objectives, and is one of
the most popular second languages in the world.
Therefore, the strategic implementation of ELT in
governmental education is prerequisite to fostering
future initiatives. Many universities offer teacher-
training programs in English. Such programs often
include subjects that are more practical, such as In-
Service Teacher Training or English for Specific
Purposes (ESP) (World English Journal & ZAGHAR,
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2017). Yet pursuing an MA in a language locally requires
satisfactory performance in school-based proficiency.
As a result, educators frequently direct them towards
undergraduate programs, a focus that misses the
multilingual dimensions of the teaching profession.
The Role of Technology in Education
Over time, human beings have transcended from the
Stone Age, the medieval period, and the industrial
revolution to the jet age. We are now in the age of
information technology. Earlier, the means of
information and communication technology (ICT)
consisted of painting on rocks with colored stones,
literacy on clay, and palm leaf. Information was later
printed on paper, which transformed societies from
usage paper and wood to digital/online, which
constitutes a turbulent transformation to society
(World English Journal et al., 2023). It has been
significantly contributing to the creation of a global
society, or becoming globalized and civilization to
becoming civilized in English language teaching (ELT),
contributing significantly to improving proficiency and
fluency in the language. Revolutions of any kind
–
political,
economic,
healthcare,
educational,
agricultural,
commercial,
agricultural,
and
infrastructural
–
are worthy of notice, whereas the
most powerful revolutions in recent epochs are
knowledge/technology, IT, and web revolution, which
are shrink-wrapping the planet. It is presuming to
create interdependence among nations of the globe
into one global of twenty-first-century technological
villages, shaping relocation or transcend of goods,
accommodation, capital, information, data sheet, and
incredibly sophisticated, esoteric, and epistolary scraps
and undertone, on balance, that electronic media are
demonstrating a master key for the acclivity of cost-
effective rituals of teaching English communicatively
and adeptness of modern falcon or flux pedagogy.
In the 21st century, education has become conscious of
mass literacy to realize multiple literacy, characterized
as
verbal,
visual,
digital,
numerical,
and
information/computer literacy simultaneously to
attract graduates highly adept, astute, imaginative,
adroited, competitive, and analytical. Inclusion of ICT in
todayʼs educational institutions is e
ssential, since they
virtually display and simulate educational materials to
those who cognize and gander at them
–
fetching
rebound immensely among students
–
enclosure
abstract conception concretely, emboldening learners
to be curious, transparently evident learning cum
exploring sources, facilities constructivist appraisal,
catering to the needs of audio, haptic, and visual
learners, opening up avenues for multiple modes of
research work on various topics and issues, and league
superior sense of security and to build communities
which go beyond the enclosure of As convergence and
divergence of traditional literacy principles with ICT
literacy erudition are mandatory requisites throughout
the world in the 21st century, the educational system,
along with the world, faces utmost pressure to
rendezvous with the global demand of 21st-century
nations, instead of disintegrating traditional literacy
teachings and learning methods and techniques, and
substituting ICT of educational technologies. So, it is
imperative to make an eclectic ambidextrous bear on
learning, discussing new topics and subjects, and giving
hands-on or goal-oriented training to future graduates
of English subject to comply with burgeoning demands.
Virtual Technologies in Language Learning
Throughout the 20th century, language educators
attempted to use new technologies to enhance
language learning and maximize exposure to the target
language. The introduction of diesel-powered tape
recorders into language labs in the 1960s enabled
students to listen to pre-recorded lessons and record
themselves with playback technology (MacDonald,
2011). More advanced equipment came into play,
including cutting-edge computers and devices for
reading cutting-edge laser discs. Various forms of
technology were used, such as simulations, large
display devices, and data-enhanced technology, to
prepare material. Language educators have been asked
for innovative uses of education and technology,
recognizing that success is most prevalent when
technology facilitates language learning and supports
the scholarly work of language educators in
technology-based learning and teaching.
In the field of virtual technologies for learning and
language teaching, language practice in a technology-
based environment through voice communications is
widely involved with the projects. Students from South
Korea and the United States use the language exchange
program to improve their speaking skills and cultural
understanding. Future scholars conducted a study in
which 14 advanced learners of Spanish were paired
with 14 native Spanish speakers over 7 weeks. Each
participant met the online partner for 1 hour per week.
The tasks were designed to maximize opportunities for
both learners and natives to practice their partnersʼ
languages (Pema, 2014). Each interactive pair meets
once a week and plays the tasks pre-made by the
teacher. After 7 weeks, each participant completes an
acceptance questionnaire, language testing, and self-
assessment questionnaire due to the successful
experience. Due to the asynchronous nature, one of
the main practical goals when designing the activities
was to encourage writing on a forum in a
conversational format, to foster discussion.
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Theoretical Framework
The idea of intercultural competence is based on the
inherent dignity of the individual human being and the
essential equality of rights between various cultures
(Pema, 2014). Although communicative competence
includes sociocultural competence, few empirical
studies have been made of the intercultural dimension
in SLT. Additionally, the relationship between virtual
teaching environments and the acquisition of
intercultural competences in students has been
surprisingly little-investigated. Such technologies
change the way foreign languages are studied and
taught, and Albania demonstrates a particular case of
this phenomenon. Although Albania lags far behind the
developed countries in terms of most modern
technologies, recent years have shown increasing
interest in ICT-based technologies among foreign
language students and teachers. Given this situation,
the central aim of this study is to determine whether
virtual environments in SLT facilitate and/or
automatically
promote
studentsʼ
intercultural
competence. This will be decided after analyzing the
level to which the intercultural components, an
environment and a task are realized in web-based
English listening classes. Therefore, the following
questions guide the investigation: 1. To what level are
the manifestations of the topic culture fulfilled in the
listening materials
? 2. How does cultureʼs role in
comprehension texts differ across the three categories
interesting
–
critical
–
integrated? 3. Do the tasks
accomplished by students in these listening exercises
facilitate
the
development
of
intercultural
competence?
An ongoing interest in the area of Intercultural
Communication Competence (ICC) arises from the
immense growth of multicultural communities. With
English becoming a vital lingua franca, the need to
acquire cultural fluency in all English related programs,
especially in teacher preparatory programs, is present
now more than ever. Decision makers in English
teacher education should provide innovative strategies
to enhance ICC in future teachers, to benefit from the
recent employability demands, as well as the growing
local and global expansion of English.
In the realm of education, the overwhelming global call
for Inter-Cultural Teaching and Training (ICT) is
important in determining future teachersʼ readiness to
convey relevant global issues in language education
programs. The current system of education and the
abundance of educational resources offered to
students often suspect significantly limiting their
opportunity to encounter ideas different from theirs.
Second language education, particularly when taught
monolingually
in
non-native
English-speaking
countries, is usually centered on language only,
ignoring the question of how the cultivation of respect
and tolerance of cultural diversity of that language is
dealt with in educational programs (World English
Journal & ZAGHAR, 2017). However, alarming photos
and tweets, as well as verbal accounts of acerbic verbal
racial exchanges often occurring between different
groups of English teachers in the same program, alert
teacher educators of the failure of their programs to
provide future teachers with the skills necessary for
dealing with students of various backgrounds in the
dynamic and challenging world of present teaching in
Israel. A short literature review reveals that no attempt
has been made to expose this occurrence, which is
causing an intensive chasm within the teacher
residency
departments
of
higher educational
institutions. This paper will present an argument
regarding the failure of teacher residency programs to
provide future teachers with the necessary skills of ICC,
and the possible negative ramifications of this failure.
The most comprehensive model proposed so far is
surely the communicative competence model. A
communicative competence model has been chosen,
since the study aims to develop a foreign language for
future educational and occupational needs. Coupled
with the continuous process of globalization and
liberalization of world economies of increasing
interaction, competition, and mutual dependence
among countries, international communication is by its
nature predominantly through English, the current
Latin. Communicative competence is made up of four
sub-competences,
which
are
grammatical,
sociolinguistic, discourse, and strategic competence.
Nevertheless, their partitions between them are often
blurred, since each of them is laid in the others. As a
matter of fact, any performance heavily affected or
constrained by limitations in one competence is
excessively dependent upon the “compensation” of the
other three competences. Yet the objective of the
teaching of communicative skills, prior to any focus on
theory and rules, is the studentsʼ ability to fulfill their
audience, purpose, and settings-dependent needs in
terms of language use, with a broadened use of the
target language in different domains. However, the
general attitude to language teaching has made
awareness less permeable to the links between
language and culture. In this respect, different
proposed models did not accelerate the progress as
expected. They are over-often too theoretical, too
narrowly confined to disciplines such as sociology of
language, or anthropology of communication, or
otherwise as readily considered in the didactic
tradition. Varied perceptions of culture in particular
have strongly conditioned the ways in which it has been
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integrated into teaching practice. Culture is the fifth
skill among language abilities. This was the traditional
set of language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and
writing) thought to be massed in learning. In line with
this manner, culture appears as either factual
knowledge about a “civilization”, country, community
lore, festivals, etc., a set of behavioral patterns and
logics by which the members of socio-linguistic groups
make sense of the world, or the realization of such
patterns in rituals, rites, arts, religion, folklore, etc.
Such a view though is an essentializing approach, which
redounds to keeping the different group of individuals
trapped in isolated or tightly defined roles, rather than
as open to the full range of potentialities. It implies a
static concept of culture, which exists in textbooks and
in the material conditions of life, as it becomes
historical spectacles like wax-work museums, rigid and
lifeless.
METHODOLOGY
Intercultural competence in foreign language teaching
has been recognized as an essential skill for both
teachers and students. As future English language
teachers, the article of future perspectives on the
development
of
intercultural
communication
competence in future English language teachers is
intended to inform pre-service university students
about the importance of the development of
intercultural communication competence for teachers.
Online virtual connections, such as real-time
exchanges, email exchanges, text chats, and online
presentations, are becoming increasingly popular in
language learning. In addition, students preparing
teaching practicum abroad acquire more intercultural
communication competence. The present research
offers future options for enhancing the development of
intercultural communication competence of teachers
and
future
teachers
of
English
through
telecollaboration tools. Although most research on
language
learnersʼ
(intercultural)
competence
development explores the effects of telecollaboration
partnerships with native speakers, there is little
scientific research on the effectiveness of partnerships
among non-native speaking language students. Taking
advantage of the experience of practicing English
teachers, this research offers insights and future
perspectives on the development of the intercultural
communication competence of future language
teachers by engaging in partnership with only one non-
native speaker of the target language through
telecollaboration tools (World English Journal et al.,
2023).
Teaching a language can impact the sociolinguistic
aspect of culture. In the FL teaching context, culture
embodies a journey of discoveries on how life looks
through the eyes of target people. FL students learn
about the target culture to satisfy their curiosity about
otherness. In the early 21st century, globalization and
the spread of computer-mediated technology have
changed the role of culture in language teaching.
Culture was first imported as one of the main focus of
communicative and action-oriented language teaching.
Tasks and linguistic activities can be enriched by
cultural elements to give meaning to learnersʼ actions,
while learning to carry out and recognize the mode of
execution of people of a different culture. Instructional
goals today consist of training language users the basic
intercultural communicative competences to help
them wander across cultures (World English Journal et
al., 2023). With the advent of the World-Wide-Web 2.0,
increased
inter-connectivity
opened
diverse
possibilities for cultural exploration and reflection,
along with language practice. Virtual contacts with
speakers of the culture of the language can be sought
and maintained with greater facility. World-Wide-Web
2.0 and the information societies show an effective way
to store and disseminate large amounts of data.
Web-based tools and applications can be exploited to
develop all the competencies the culture-centered
teaching advocates have. Online video and audios are
easily accessible. Spoken and written texts of cultural
interest concerning peopleʼ
s social practices, values,
beliefs, etc. can be viewed and downloaded.
Educational objectives can be achieved via the systems.
School institutions that use computers connected to
the internet can sign international telecollaborative
partnerships. Pair or group activities can be designed to
guide students online while searching or producing
cultural material. Student-learner-authentic audio-
descriptions related to local customs, rites, traditions,
events,
whatever
they
consider
worthy
to
communicate are filed online by each institution and
made available to the foreign partner. A related task
would require students to analyze the filed materials
(contents and forms) and then exchange comments,
opinions, and queries with their mates through text or
videoconference applications.
This article reports on an exploration to increase the
Intercultural Communication Competence in Future
English
Language
Teachers
through
virtual
technologies. It introduces a virtual tandem project as
the basis of an elective computer-assisted language
learning (CALL) course to optimize their didactic
potential. The general objective is to better understand
the extent to which the virtual tandem project
contributes to an increase in ICC, including learnersʼ
perception of it. The focus i
s on the learnersʼ
perspective regarding the advantages and limitations
of the virtual tandem project for the development of
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International Journal of Pedagogics (ISSN: 2771-2281)
ICC. Seventy future EFL teachers at three Spanish
universities participated in the study, which was carried
out within the framework of a European Language
Label (ELL) project (World English Journal et al., 2023).
In one of the course-related assignments, these
learners had to write reflective comments on the
material
addressed
in
the
virtual
tandem.
Questionnaires collected data and the aforementioned
written comments. The findings suggest that virtual
technologies can increase INT, as most learners
consider their level of ICC has increased due to the
virtual tandem project. This tandem model stands out
due to three main factors: its flexibility and easy set-up,
the promotion of both written and oral output, and the
language combinations it offers for learning, namely
French, German, Italian, and Spanish.
Despite the fact that technology is crucial in the
enhancement of several life spheres, many instructors
and students do not use it as heavily as desired. Special
attention should be given to teaching and learning
languages, as technology offers sufficient assistance.
English, as a lingua franca, is significant in this respect.
Virtual technologies appear to be an effective tool in
the enhancement of English language learning and
teaching, specifically by offering chances to bring the
language to the environment in a situation where it is
hard to get direct communication with native speakers.
Moreover, virtual mobility chances have been widely
developed to support intercultural learning, because
they offer students the chance to interact and
communicate with individuals from different societies.
Therefore, they can focus on their own culture and
generate awareness of themselves. One outcome is the
attraction of students to critically explore and discuss
culture and language issues, leading students to
enhance intercultural communication competence. It is
recognized that potential EFL instructors must increase
their intercultural communication competence (ICC) to
enhance their professional life. Virtual technologies, in
this respect, offer chances to increase ICC, as virtual
discussions about language and culture are more
effective, as shown in literature (World English Journal
et al., 2023).
Therefore, action research was conducted involving
third-grade undergraduate students in the TESOL
department. Through structured activities in the
Moodle, LINE and Google applications, discussions
about culture and language were shaped. Materials in
relation to culture, language and country were shared,
and peer responses were asked. At the end of the
process, a satisfaction survey was applied. Collecting
and interpreting the data, it can be said that virtual
interactions have the power to develop ICC of
prospective teachers.
Virtual Platforms for Intercultural Learning
Due to globalization and the rapid spread of computer-
mediated technology, the ever-changing nature of the
worldʼs interconnectedness has changed the role of
culture in English language teaching as a Foreign
Language
in
non-English-speaking
countries.
Moreover, the sociocultural approach argues that
culture and language cannot be taught in isolation.
Wishing to disseminate the topic, educators
restructured English language teaching to integrate
culture into the curriculum, not as it is cultural tradition
and beliefs, but how it is contextualized and realized in
different genres and in the vicissitudes of language use.
This approach aims to endow English as a Foreign
Language students with cultural capital and
competences to gain access to the English-speaking
world. Despite the integrative goal of culture and
language, there is a lacuna in teaching sociolinguistic
dimensions of culture, such as non-verbal cues, ways of
dealing with politeness and problem-solving, or
interpretation of symbols. Such a deficit, especially at
the university level, might engross two consequences.
On the one hand, cultural misunderstandings could
arise and impede effective communication. On the
other hand, it might not see international students as
friendly as they perceive or intend to. Recent research
focused on culture contests and how language learners
could relocate their subject positions while interacting
virtually with people from different countries and
cultures. It is claimed that computer-mediated
technology could recast the ways in which subjects
experience or produce culture in light of a sense of
place, rather than community derived from open
discourse on identity and communications with
locality.
Video Conferencing Tools
Given the increasing focus on the development of EFL
teachers in the field of intercultural communication
competence, as this study has shown, it may be
beneficial for teacher educators to explore methods of
instruction and virtual exchanges that equip
participants with the skills necessary for such
interactions. In this section, three ways are examined
to facilitate the development of ICoC in future English
language teachers through virtual technologies and
exchange: enhancing cognitive knowledge and
considerations; use and evaluation of VC or VLC;
transfer of VC and VLC experiences. The methods
discussed have sought to generate ideas for the further
ICoC development of FL and ESL teachers, who are
often required to, or desire, to engage in, cross-cultural
or multilingual interactions. The same applies to
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emerging populations of EFL teachers globally, who
must interact with native English speakers through
virtual exchanges, conferences, and VC and VLC. To
achieve productive cross-cultural communication and
learning, EFL teacher trainees must now be sensitized,
informed, and trained to deal with these contingencies.
Collaborative Online Environments
The information and communication technologies
(ICTs) bring exciting possibilities for enhancing
intercultural communication competence (ICC) about
future English language teachers (ELTs). This research
explores the roles of multi-user virtual environments
(MUVEs) as an innovative platform and practice for
future ELTs to improve their ICC, while also gaining the
ability to language as a pedagogical subject in digitally-
mediated education. The research attempts to
investigate how future ELTs conceive of and experience
the integration of MUVEs in a language education
course. This study is a small enactment of a full-cycle
inquiry, focusing particularly on planning, modus
operand, and reflection among applied linguistics and
teacher education. The study is explored using critical
reflections (autoethnography) in the hope of
generating implications for adapted practices.
In moving away from the analysis and pre- and post-
course survey results, this research aims to provide a
richer interpretation of the experience of involving
future ELTs with MUVEs for improving their ICC. While
research on future ELTs with MUVEs is still rare,
combining applied linguistics and teacher education
perspectives and integrating these experiences could
provide insights into interdisciplinary. Collaboration
assignments that can encourage the development of
communities are now considered the norm for online
learning. ICTs have extended the capabilities of LMSs,
providing the facilities to support learning activities
that feature more actively in campus-based courses to
support learning and community development (M.
Slattery & Cleary, 2018).
Case Studies
Pre-service language teachers with strong intercultural
competences are likely to contribute positively to their
future multicultural classrooms. Given the importance
of embracing learnersʼ diversity, future teachers should
be systematically trained in learning/teaching aspects
that engender the development of an intercultural
perspective. The aim of this study was to enhance FELT
studentsʼ intercultural language awareness and skills
through practice with virtual environments, and the
analysis of authentic linguistic and cultural varieties in
English. This goal involved a few specific tasks and
research questions:
- The analysis of professional and scholarly literature on
intercultural competence, as it relates to both
languages and language teaching, and on the potential
of the visit WebLab for the enhancement of FELT
studentsʼ intercultural proficienc
y, - The creation of an
online exploration and simulation visit that would of
exposure to native English speaking and English using
environments, and serve as support for the analysis of
and reflection on culture-related linguistic and extra-
linguistic elements, -
The reflection of FELT studentsʼ
critical discourse about e.g. dialects, registers, varieties,
interrogatives,
proxemics,
div
language
representations in English language teaching (ELT)
materials and practice situations, an evaluation of the
onli
ne visitʼs effectiveness and the overall projectʼs
usefulness for the improvement of FELT studentʼs
intercultural language awareness and skills.
The project was designed in the context of the potential
for ICT to encourage creative and independent
learning, provide more flexible and individualized
learning settings, cater for increased personal
responsibility in learning processes and outputs (Pema,
2014), and, most importantly here, facilitate more
thorough cultural involvement. At the time of writing,
most literature on ICT generally focuses on computer-
mediated communication or components of it, all but
ignoring the wide scope of computer-assisted
technology and artistic capacities. Nevertheless, the
inclusion of art, culture, and literature in an ICT-driven
approach has been shown to use innovative mediums,
better understand certain texts, and portray the ways
in which cultures can be decoded and re-constructed.
CONCLUSION
The integration of virtual technologies in ELT education
plays a vital role in deve
loping future teachersʼ
intercultural communication competence. Digital tools
and online platforms provide pre-service teachers with
exposure
to
diverse
linguistic
and
cultural
environments, fostering adaptability and awareness
essential for effective communication in global
classrooms. While challenges remain in ensuring
comprehensive intercultural training, this study
underscores the need for teacher education programs
to embrace digital learning strategies. By leveraging
virtual
exchanges
and
collaborative
online
environments, educators can better prepare future
teachers to navigate the complexities of intercultural
interactions, enhancing their professional competence
in an increasingly interconnected world.
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