Data-driven Results
By analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, we found that group members of the same sex
(e.g., girls with girls, and boys with boys) had better and more frequent online interaction
than those of the opposite sex. According to literature, in traditional classrooms in both
Taiwan and the United States, female students tend to be shy and not to express themselves in
class (Honigsfeld & Dunn, 2003; Maccoby, 1990). However, in the context of this
intercultural collaborative learning via computer-mediated communication, female students
outperformed their male peers. We found that male students did not dominate the discussions
whereas females seemed to be able to take advantage of small-group discussion settings
within the elasticity of virtual time because everyone had an equal and uninterrupted
opportunity to respond.
In looking at issues of communication styles, we found some other interesting results. First,
male students usually posted shorter messages and used more demanding tones than their
female students. Compared to male students, females showed better interpersonal skills and
added a tag (such as “I appreciate it if you can help with this, thank you”) at the end of their
sentences to soften their tone. Second, female students’ interactions were more often personal
and related to a sharing of feelings, whereas male students’ messages were more often
impersonal and task-oriented. In general, female students were more polite, adding a frequent
“thank you” and “please” to their responses. Our findings support previous literature that
concern students’ interpersonal behavior in face-to-face classrooms (Eagly, 1987; Bender,
2003). Bender (2003), who found that females and males interacted in different ways in
online classes, concluded that the communication patterns typical of the traditional classroom
(including men’s tendency to engage in more argumentative conversation and women’s
tendency to engage in more open-ended conversation) carry over onto web-based learning
environments.
Solutions:
Specifically, computer-mediated communication can be of substantial use to female learners
who enjoy text-based interaction as their primary learning approach. We suggest that the
related curriculum design needs to accommodate gender differences and, in this sense, should
encourage female learners’ collaborative tasks and also the independent work of male
learners (Bender, 2003). Internet Netiquette training should be provided before students’
collaborating with their partners.
8. Conclusions
Regardless of the challenges, the Learning of Intercultural Language over the Net project
was judged to be very successful by the participating researchers, teachers, and students. First,
we designed and developed a feasible cross-cultural learning curriculum that incorporated
foreign-language learning, intercultural competence development, and computer-supported
collaborative learning. In addition, we also created evaluation tools and guidelines that
systematically assessed students’ artifacts. Second, in order to measure and study both the
learning results and learners’ performance in the LILON project, we modified and validated
an instrument in such a way to assess intercultural communicative competence (ICC) of high
school students in Taiwan and the United States. Third, we proposed a collaborative model
and made necessary accommodations, based on the consensus of the university researchers,
high school teachers, and their students, to ensure the mutual benefit of all participants
involved and the operability of the LILON project as well.
In sum, the successful integration of technology into the foreign-language curriculum served
as a valuable channel to the accomplishment of intercultural education and foreign language
learning at high schools, as well as the professional development of the university students.
Acknowledgement
An early version of this study was presented at the World Conference on Educational
Multimedia, Hypermedia, and Telecommunications (Ed-Media 2005) at Montreal, Canada,
June 2005. This study was supported by the National Science Council of the Republic of
China (ROC) project numbers NSC93-2520-S-009-007 and NSC94-2520-S-009-008. Thanks
are given to Chia-Yen Chong of the Web-based Academic Affairs Division at the National
Chiao Tung University (NCTU), high school principals and administrators, teachers (Marlisa
Lee, Mariam Fan, Stephanie Moore, and Steve Grad), and students at the Ta-Tung High
School, Zhong-Lung High School, and Chien-Kung High School in Taiwan, Villa Duchesne
High School at St. Louis, and Saratoga High School at San Francisco, U.S.A.
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