A survey of Internet-mediated interculturalforeign language education in China

In all educational contexts, technological developments and changes in pedagogical theory meanthat any picture of current practice and attitudes must be dynamic. In many countries, the learningoutcomes of foreign language courses now include intercultural communicative competence(ICC), although the precise model for teaching ICC varies even across the English-speaking world.Internet-mediated approaches are widely used to support intercultural learning. In China, thegeographical scale of the country and the speed and extent of contemporary socio-economicevolution, allied to long-established and distinctive cultures of learning, make the interface of newtechnologies and intercultural learning objectives particularly interesting and significant. A smallscalestudy of college teachers’ and learners’ perceptions of intercultural classroom instruction,with a special focus on Internet mediation, was conducted in mid-2007, using questionnaires andsemi-structured questions, to explore the professional, personal and technical issues associatedwith Internet-mediated learning of languages and cultures. The results show that textbooks remainthe predominant authority, while Internet tools are used as a source of information rather than ameans of communication. Findings suggest recognition by teachers and students of the potentialof the medium, and of the validity of intercultural goals for foreign language classes, althoughthere are some divergences between the views of teachers and students. However, it is suggestedthat national policy, local incentives and resources and above all educational traditions do not yetallow optimal use of Internet-mediated approaches