Globalization and Tele-collaboration in Classroom Teaching and Learner Engagement: Japanese Perspective

Abstract

Globalization has brought the world closer together through economic, culture and language at a speed unprecedented in history. It is now possible to connect our students across continents through the Internet in the classroom. This paper will propose the use of Skype as a synchronous interaction tool. It will investigate how Skype’s communicative content affects the process of acquiring a second language and how to it changes the dynamics of classroom management. A collection of recorded video chat data between Japanese English learners and English learners from another country or background is the basis for a micro analytic process-oriented investigation conducted from a mixed methods perspective. Engagement will be operationalized quantitatively and qualitatively. The discourse collected from the learners will be measured and conversational analysis applied. Reflective journals and colleague’s feedback analyzed for perspective and further research.