Engaging Learners in Intercultural Learning through Digital Literature Circles in Tertiary EFL Classroom
Keywords:
digital literature circles, intercultural communicative competence, technology, tertiary EFL learners
Abstract
With the advent of technology, cultural diversities have encouraged language teachers in tertiary education to push the current pedagogical boundaries to seek the best fits for cultural learning, despite the little emphasis on interculturality in day-to-day language learning. Entrenched to Byram’s intercultural learning, this case study explored Indonesian tertiary EFL learners’ perspectives of their intercultural learning through digital literature circles (henceforth DLC) within the context of tertiary education. Forty-five freshmen were involved in reflective culturally-laden DLC, during three months of an Extensive Reading course. Research data were garnered from focus group discussion (FGD) and students’ reading logs in their DLC role sheets. Drawing on qualitative content analysis, this study has acknowledged that DLC evokes consciousness-raising, comparative interpretation, and criticality associated with intercultural communicative competence (ICC). Students voice the critical cultural awareness stemming from such transactional reading, manifest in richer propositions and ideas, deeper understanding of foreign and home cultures, and critical evaluation and reflection on cultures. The study corroborates the technological and socio-constructivist affordances of DLC to empower intercultural learning.
References
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Siegel, M. (2012). New times for multimodality? Confronting the accountability culture. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 55(8), 671–681. https://doi.org/10.1002/JAAL.00082
Thein, A. H., Guise, M., & Sloan, D. L. (2011). Problematizing literature circles as forums for discussion of multicultural. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(1), 15–24. https://doi.org/10.1598/JA
Torres, D., & Smith, B. (2018). Computer-Mediated Intercultural Exchanges. In John I. Liontas (Ed.), The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching (pp. 1–6). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0291
Whittingham, B. J., & Arkansas, C. (2013). Literature circles: A perfect match for online instruction. TechTrends, 57(4), 53–58.
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th edition). In Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research (Vol. 53, Issue 5). SAGE Publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/109634809702100108
Bodenhorn, N., DeCarla Jackson, A., Farrell, R., Jackson, A. D., & Farrell, R. (2005). Increasing personal cultural awareness through discussions with international students. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 17(1), 63–68. http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/pdf/IJTLHE7.pdf
Borghetti, C. (2013). Integrating intercultural and communicative objectives in the foreign language class: A proposal for the integration of two models. Language Learning Journal, 41(3), 254–267. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2013.836344
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Byram, M. (1997). Teaching and Assessing Intercultural Communicative Competence. Multilingual Matters.
Byram, M. (2014). Twenty-five years on – from cultural studies to intercultural citizenship. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 27(3), 209–225. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2014.974329
Byram, M. (2018). Making a difference: Language teaching for intercultural and international dialogue. Foreign Language Annals, 51(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/flan.12319
Byram, M., Gribkova, B., Starkey, H., & Sheils, J. (1997). Developing the Intercultural Dimension in Language Teaching a Practical Introduction for Teachers. In A Practical Introduction for Teachers.
Council of Europe. (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment. Council of Europe.
Directorate General of Higher Education. (2020). Buku Panduan Merdeka Belajar-Kampus Merdeka. Directorate General of Higher Education.
Escudero, M. D. P. (2013). Teaching intercultural awareness in the English as a foreign language classroom: A case study using critical reading. Intercultural Education, 24(3), 251–263. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2013.793037
Ferdiansyah, S., Ridho, M. A., Sembilan, F. D., Sembilan, F. D., & Zahro, S. F. (2020). Online literature circles during the COVID‐19 pandemic Engaging undergraduate. TESOL Journal, 11(e544), 1–6. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1002/tesj.544
Hammer, M. R., Bennett, M. J., & Wiseman, R. (2003). Measuring intercultural sensitivity: The intercultural development inventory. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 27(4), 421–443. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0147-1767(03)00032-4
Imamyartha, D., Wahjuningsih, E., Puspa, A., Mitasari, M., Fitriyah, S. M., Hudori, R. F. A., Andayani, R., Tasnim, Z., Fardhani, A. E., Sundari, S., & Wijaputra, B. A. (2021). Employing blended literature circles to foster activating academic emotions of struggling readers. Indonesian Research Journal in Education (IRJE), 5(1), 293–310. https://doi.org/10.22437/irje.v5i1.9855
Kral, M. J. (2014). The relational motif in participatory qualitative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 20(2), 144–150. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800413510871
Kusumaningputri, R., & Widodo, H. P. (2018). Promoting Indonesian university students’ critical intercultural awareness in tertiary EAL classrooms: The use of digital photograph-mediated intercultural tasks. System, 72, 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2017.10.003
Lee, A., Williams, R. D., Shaw, M. A., & Jie, Y. (2014). First-year students’ perspectives on intercultural learning. Teaching in Higher Education, 19(5), 543–554. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2014.880687
Lee, S. Y., Lo, Y. H. G., & Chin, T. C. (2019). Practicing multiliteracies to enhance EFL learners’ meaning making process and language development: a multimodal Problem-based approach. Computer Assisted Language Learning, 8221. https://doi.org/10.1080/09588221.2019.1614959
Mccall, A. L. (2010). Literature circles teaching powerful social studies ideas through literature circles. The Social Studies, 101(January 2015), 37–41. https://doi.org/10.1080/00377990903284104
Mcelvain, C. M. (2010). Research in reading transactional literature circles and the reading comprehension of English learners in the mainstream classroom. 33(2), 178–205. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9817.2009.01403.x
Ministry of National Education. (2011). Pedoman Pelaksanaan Pendidikan Karakter [Handbook for character education]. Jakarta Puskurbuk.
Piątkowska, K. (2015). From cultural knowledge to intercultural communicative competence: changing perspectives on the role of culture in foreign language teaching. Intercultural Education, 26(5), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/14675986.2015.1092674
Porto, M. (2013). Language and intercultural education: An interview with Michael Byram. Pedagogies, 8(2), 143–162. https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480X.2013.769196
Porto, M. (2015). Ecological and intercultural citizenship in the primary English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom: an online project in Argentina. Cambridge Journal of Education, 46(4), 395–415. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2015.1064094
Porto, M. (2018). Intercultural citizenship in foreign language education: An opportunity to broaden CLIL’s theoretical outlook and pedagogy. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 24(7), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2018.1526886
Porto, M., & Byram, M. (2015). A curriculum for action in the community and intercultural citizenship in higher education. Language, Culture and Curriculum, 28(3), 226–242. https://doi.org/10.1080/07908318.2015.1087555
Qoyyimah, U. (2016). Inculcating character education through EFL teaching in Indonesian state schools Indonesian state schools. 4818(April). https://doi.org/10.1080/1554480X.2016.1165618
Ribeiro, S. P. M. (2016). Developing intercultural awareness using digital storytelling. Language and Intercultural Communication, 16(1), 69–82. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2015.1113752
Siegel, M. (2012). New times for multimodality? Confronting the accountability culture. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 55(8), 671–681. https://doi.org/10.1002/JAAL.00082
Thein, A. H., Guise, M., & Sloan, D. L. (2011). Problematizing literature circles as forums for discussion of multicultural. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 55(1), 15–24. https://doi.org/10.1598/JA
Torres, D., & Smith, B. (2018). Computer-Mediated Intercultural Exchanges. In John I. Liontas (Ed.), The TESOL Encyclopedia of English Language Teaching (pp. 1–6). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0291
Whittingham, B. J., & Arkansas, C. (2013). Literature circles: A perfect match for online instruction. TechTrends, 57(4), 53–58.
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th edition). In Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research (Vol. 53, Issue 5). SAGE Publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/109634809702100108
Published
2024-12-20
How to Cite
Imamyartha, D., Bilqis, M., Puspa, A., Hudori, R., & Wahjuningsih, E. (2024). Engaging Learners in Intercultural Learning through Digital Literature Circles in Tertiary EFL Classroom. Dinamika Ilmu, 24(2), 235-256. https://doi.org/10.21093/di.v24i2.8831
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