Do Opposites Attract?: Willingness to Communicate in the Target Language for Academically, Culturally, and Linguistically Different Language Learners

Mark R. Freiermuth and Hsin-Chou Huang
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Mark R. Freiermuth: Department of International Communication, Gunma Prefectural Women's University, Tamamura, Japan
Hsin-Chou Huang: Institute of Applied English, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung City, Taiwan

International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching (IJCALLT), 2015, vol. 5, issue 2, 40-57

Abstract: This study discusses the results of an online intercultural chat task designed to see whether students from different cultural backgrounds, with different English language abilities, with different L1s and who had different academic interests would be willing to communicate using English—the target language. Taiwanese university students who were marine science majors (lower proficiency) chatted electronically in small groups with Japanese university students who had been studying English intensively for two years (higher proficiency). Student comments taken from a questionnaire indicate that both groups were invigorated and willing to communicate by the task; it was considered meaningful because it provided an opportunity to use English in a realistic way, represented the only means to communicate with their overseas partners and helped students to empathize with their newly found peers. To sum up briefly, text-based chat can be useful for EFL and ESL teachers as a tool for language learning students, providing learners with “real” target language opportunities for communication.

Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:igg:jcallt:v:5:y:2015:i:2:p:40-57

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