This study investigates Korean and American students’ online discussion for intercultural learning in a class-to-class telecollaborative project from an ecological research perspective. The study addresses two questions. First, what constitutes the multiple systems in which students’ online discussion is nested and how do these systems interlock to shape online discourse? Second, how do students interact with this given learning environment to generate affordances for intercultural learning. The study involves a 12 week-long online discussion program between an undergraduate Korean language class in the US and a graduate TESOL methodology class in Korea. Data sources include the transcripts of naturally-occurring online interaction, interviews with students and teacher on the Korean side of the telecolalbortaion, and students’ course assignments such as reflective journals and papers. Multiple qualitative analytic methods were employed including constant comparison, discourse analysis and case studies analysis. The analysis revealed an ecological telecollaboration model as being multiple nested systems in which students’ online discourse (microsystem) was embedded in an institutional setting (mesosystem) and cultural values (macrosystem). The study revealed divergent participatory patterns between the American and Korean groups. Further, it showed how such differences were related to the defining components of each system. These included ideologies about ethnic, social, cultural identities; societal discourse about a specific topic; cross-cultural concepts of discussion; the way the telecollaboration project was incorporated into the course; and teacher instruction. Case study analysis of two American students and one Korean student indicates that these individual students approached the intercultural online discussion with a different “self” (Layder, 1993), understanding of the nature of culture and intercultural communication, positioning of self and others, and sense of agency. These influenced both their management of expectations and orientation toward the situated activity, and also shaped their participation. / text

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<p> This study seeks to examine and compare motivational orientations of French learners across different dimensions: cultural background (USA vs. Russia), educational modality and age (college students vs. private courses learners), gender, and time of studying foreign language. 613 American and Russian learners of French completed the questionnaire addressing 10 motivational factors to study French language. Despite differences in nationality, age, educational background and learning experience, all groups of participants produced nearly identical motivational rankings. The rankings are topped by the Travelling orientation, which seems to be universally appealing, followed by the orientations within the Idealistic motivational cluster (Aesthetic Factors, Culture, Knowledge, and Ideal Self). The Pragmatic motivational cluster (Instrumental orientation, which is sometimes coupled to Emigration and Friendship dimensions) is by far less important. This disposition is also confirmed by the qualitative data. With regard to specific orientations it has been found that US learners score consistently higher in Sociability motivation, whereas Russians score higher in the Peers&rsquo; Encouragement and Aesthetic categories. In regard to gender differences, this study shows that male students appear to be more personable, e.g. among American learners males consistently outscore females in the Friendship category. Referring to age differences, it was found that the overall level of motivation tends to decline with age.</p>

<p> The 21st century perception of students and stakeholders (parents, teachers, administrators, and support staff, etc.) within the realm of world language study in a Midwestern, suburban school district varied sometime subtly and sometimes greatly. No particular study had been done to indicate what inspired students to enroll in world language, other than conjecture from students and stakeholders. To discover the true perception of students and stakeholders within this particular school district, a case study was conducted. A survey was crafted utilizing a tool that focused on language perception with relation to motivation, learning process, relevance, progress, and relationships. Each population researched, both student stakeholder and other stakeholders, took this survey to discover their perception of world language study. From those who took the survey, individuals volunteered to participate in interviews from which the questions were constructed from the same categories that organized the survey: motivation, learning process, relevance, progress, and relationships. The surveys and interviews both narrowed the understanding of how the student stakeholder and other stakeholders perceive world language study, by comparing student responses to those of the stakeholders and seeing their positive and negative correlations. The two different populations agreed that learning a language was difficult and understood the effort it took to achieve proficiency, but valued the then-current system&rsquo;s grading or credit versus actual skill achieved. Ultimately, one&rsquo;s self-perceived ability to achieve within language determined the value attached to the process and the role language would play in their lives.</p>