Learner agency and non-native speaker identity in pedagogical lingua franca conversations: insights from intercultural telecollaboration in foreign language education

This article discusses insights gained from a case study on telecollaboration for intercultural communication in foreign language school contexts. Focus was on non-native English and German lingua franca conversations between pairs of students (aged 14–16, B1 level) from schools in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. Telecollaboration support included the BigBlueButton video communication platform and Moodle chat. The overall objective was to explore the pedagogical potential of pedagogical lingua franca exchanges via telecollaboration for authentic intercultural communication practice and foreign language competence development beyond the face-to-face classroom. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of oral and written lingua franca conversations and corresponding reflective feedback interviews provided evidence of (a) increased learner agency in connection with communicative participation, topic development, languaging for communicative success and rapport building, and (b) emerging emancipatory qualities of non-native speaker identity including a growing sense of speaker satisfaction and trust in one's own creativity and strategic resourcefulness. The crucial pedagogical key was an open, social constructivist language learning orientation combined with rich opportunities for authentic communication. Intercultural communicative competence development was significantly improved, and transcending the foreign language classroom to include elements of real life became a tangible experience for the students and teachers involved.