Treffer: Abroad, on Campus, or Zoom: Comparing the Best Environments for Pragmalinguistic Awareness

The role of culture instruction in modern language classrooms has varied through the years, most recently presenting the option to learn virtually as opposed to on campus or abroad. The current study compares various learning environments of 49 participants (in-person, abroad, Zoom) to test the efficacy of targeted culture instruction through the analysis of a short film-clip. The research questions guiding this study are: 1) How effective are targeted pragmatic interventions in promoting intercultural communicative competency? 2) Do students studying abroad, online, or on the home-campus approach and complete pragmatic activities similarly? The results from these data suggest that the study away and Zoom participants engaged in the target culture in more meaningful ways than their at-home peers. This initial analysis indicates that short-term study abroad programs and Zoom learning provide environments that may encourage pragmalinguistic and cultural awareness in ways that differ from home-campus based courses, especially when coupled with in-class interventions.

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