Further Student Perceptions of Online Intercultural Collaborations in the IVEProject

Abstract

This qualitative study explored student perceptions of participating in online intercultural collaborations to confirm existing research in this field. English-major students at a Japanese private university participated in the IVEProject online intercultural collaboration project in their third year of study. A total of 59 participants in two cohorts recorded their impressions of the online collaborations after a semester-long project. This paper reports on the qualitative findings of participants’ spoken reflections of the IVEProject. This study used grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) to code and analyze the participants’ responses to identify overall perceptions of the effectiveness of online collaborations as well as what the students shared and learned about other cultures. The data revealed positive attitudes toward online intercultural collaborations and perceived improvements in participants’ language skills—they learned new slang and other vocabulary—as well as a greater understanding of cultural similarities and differences among the participants in the IVEProject, specifically in the areas of food culture, music genres, festivals, and holiday practices. The students’ perspectives generally demonstrated that online intercultural collaborations such as the IVEProject provide an excellent opportunity for language learners to expand their linguistic and cultural horizons without traveling abroad.