Promoting Intercultural Learning through Synchronous Video Exchange

The current study explores utilizing the ACTFL cultural framework to structure synchronous video-based speaking activities and subsequent class discussions. The study includes 39 students in two sections of an intermediate-level college Spanish course who engaged in five 30-minute conversations with native speakers of Spanish via Talk Abroad during one semester. Quantitative and qualitative data from the semester suggest students' oral proficiency and critical cultural awareness improved. A comparison of survey data indicates that student-reported satisfaction and learning via Talk Abroad was comparable to that of virtual exchanges coordinated by professors during previous semesters. These findings suggest third-party providers can provide students a similar level of learning and engagement for less of an investment in time, technology, and institutional resources than has been reported in previous studies.