Videoconferencing in Second Language Learning
摘要
Videoconferencing, a video-based computer-mediated communication tool, has been received with great enthusiasm by experts in the field of computer-assisted language learning (CALL) since its popularization in the 1990s—in large part because of its capacity for facilitating real-time, authentic, multimodal communication between students and speakers of the target language. In the last few years, and particularly since the onset of the COVID-19 health crisis, videoconferencing has experienced growing popularity among educational practitioners in general and world language educators in particular for its potential to foster second language (L2) development and cultural learning. This entry (1) discusses the various models for videoconferencing within CALL: telecollaboration, eTandem, and service provider virtual exchanges (see virtual exchange); (2) proposes pedagogical guidelines for task design and implementation; and (3) shares key research findings, including its affordances and challenges, instructors and learners’ perceptions of its use, and its impact on L2 learners’ development of communicative and intercultural competences.