View in EDS

The Emergence of U.S. French Language Learners' Intercultural Competence in Online Classroom Discussions

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: The Emergence of U.S. French Language Learners' Intercultural Competence in Online Classroom Discussions
Language: English
Authors: Garrett-Rucks, Paula
Source: ProQuest LLC. 2010Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Wisconsin - Madison.
Availability: ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Peer Reviewed: N
Physical Description: PDF
Page Count: 493
Publication Date: 2010
Document Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Two Year Colleges
Descriptors: Second Language Learning, Intercultural Communication, French, Online Courses, Second Language Instruction, Technical Education, Cultural Awareness, Interviews, Pragmatics, Educational Attainment, Family Relationship, Discussion, Student Attitudes, Role, Ethnocentrism
ISBN: 978-1-124-22039-0
Abstract: The aim of this study is to further the understanding of foreign language (FL) learners' development of intercultural competence in an instructed learning environment. In this study, second-semester U.S. French language learners enrolled in a Midwestern two-year technical school were directed to access explicit cultural instruction, authentic texts, and French informant interviews centering on the French cultural practices of greetings, education and family-life. Over the course of the semester, 9 learners participated in weekly online asynchronous classroom discussions in which they were directed to relate their understanding of American cultural practices to the French cultural practices presented in the cultural instruction, and to then respond to peers' postings. Volunteer participants were interviewed three times over the course of the semester to further understand changes in their intercultural competence and subsequent changes in their impressions of French culture. This study investigates the changes in learners' intercultural competence at the individual level and the group level. At the individual level, this study investigates four focus participants' unique developmental trajectory of intercultural attitudes, knowledge and skills (ACE, 2007; Byram, 1997) and subsequent changes in their impressions of French culture over the course of the semester by analyzing the data sources with a content analysis research technique (Berg, 1998). At the group level, this study investigates the ways in which learners' collective mediation of cultural instruction in an online environment leads to the emergence of ethnorelative thinking (Bennett, 1993) by analyzing the transcripts of the discussions within a complex systems theoretical framework (Larsen-Freeman, 1997, 2002). Findings suggest that changes in the focus participants' impressions of French culture were reflected in shifts in their attitudes, but that the learners' attitudes did not shift until they understood the role of culture on their thinking (intercultural knowledge) and personally related to French perspectives (intercultural skills). At the group level, findings suggest that French informants and peers were most influential on learners' shifts between ethnocentric and ethnorelative perspectives. At both the individual and group levels, participants' appeared to personally identify with French perspectives represented in the French informant interviews more than the explicit cultural instruction and authentic texts. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2011
Access URL: https://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3421937
Accession Number: ED522434
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: ED522434
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Dissertation/ Thesis
PubTypeId: dissertation
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: The Emergence of U.S. French Language Learners' Intercultural Competence in Online Classroom Discussions
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Garrett-Rucks%2C+Paula%22">Garrett-Rucks, Paula</searchLink>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22ProQuest+LLC%22"><i>ProQuest LLC</i></searchLink>. 2010Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Wisconsin - Madison.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: N
– Name: PhysDesc
  Label: Physical Description
  Group: PhysDesc
  Data: PDF
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 493
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2010
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
– Name: Audience
  Label: Education Level
  Group: Audnce
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Two+Year+Colleges%22">Two Year Colleges</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Second+Language+Learning%22">Second Language Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Intercultural+Communication%22">Intercultural Communication</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22French%22">French</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Online+Courses%22">Online Courses</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Second+Language+Instruction%22">Second Language Instruction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Technical+Education%22">Technical Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cultural+Awareness%22">Cultural Awareness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Interviews%22">Interviews</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Pragmatics%22">Pragmatics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Attainment%22">Educational Attainment</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Family+Relationship%22">Family Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Discussion%22">Discussion</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Student+Attitudes%22">Student Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Role%22">Role</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ethnocentrism%22">Ethnocentrism</searchLink>
– Name: ISBN
  Label: ISBN
  Group: ISBN
  Data: 978-1-124-22039-0
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The aim of this study is to further the understanding of foreign language (FL) learners' development of intercultural competence in an instructed learning environment. In this study, second-semester U.S. French language learners enrolled in a Midwestern two-year technical school were directed to access explicit cultural instruction, authentic texts, and French informant interviews centering on the French cultural practices of greetings, education and family-life. Over the course of the semester, 9 learners participated in weekly online asynchronous classroom discussions in which they were directed to relate their understanding of American cultural practices to the French cultural practices presented in the cultural instruction, and to then respond to peers' postings. Volunteer participants were interviewed three times over the course of the semester to further understand changes in their intercultural competence and subsequent changes in their impressions of French culture. This study investigates the changes in learners' intercultural competence at the individual level and the group level. At the individual level, this study investigates four focus participants' unique developmental trajectory of intercultural attitudes, knowledge and skills (ACE, 2007; Byram, 1997) and subsequent changes in their impressions of French culture over the course of the semester by analyzing the data sources with a content analysis research technique (Berg, 1998). At the group level, this study investigates the ways in which learners' collective mediation of cultural instruction in an online environment leads to the emergence of ethnorelative thinking (Bennett, 1993) by analyzing the transcripts of the discussions within a complex systems theoretical framework (Larsen-Freeman, 1997, 2002). Findings suggest that changes in the focus participants' impressions of French culture were reflected in shifts in their attitudes, but that the learners' attitudes did not shift until they understood the role of culture on their thinking (intercultural knowledge) and personally related to French perspectives (intercultural skills). At the group level, findings suggest that French informants and peers were most influential on learners' shifts between ethnocentric and ethnorelative perspectives. At both the individual and group levels, participants' appeared to personally identify with French perspectives represented in the French informant interviews more than the explicit cultural instruction and authentic texts. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: As Provided
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2011
– Name: URL
  Label: Access URL
  Group: URL
  Data: <link linkTarget="URL" linkTerm="https://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3421937" linkWindow="_blank">http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3421937</link>
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: ED522434
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED522434
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 493
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Second Language Learning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Intercultural Communication
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: French
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Online Courses
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Second Language Instruction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Technical Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cultural Awareness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Interviews
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Pragmatics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Attainment
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Family Relationship
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Discussion
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Student Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Role
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Ethnocentrism
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: The Emergence of U.S. French Language Learners' Intercultural Competence in Online Classroom Discussions
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Garrett-Rucks, Paula
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 01
              Type: published
              Y: 2010
          Identifiers:
            – Type: isbn-print
              Value: 978-1-124-22039-0
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: ProQuest LLC
              Type: main
ResultId 1