What is it about?
This study looks at how students from Poland and Spain use English as a global language to connect and communicate online. It shows how virtual ‘third spaces’ created through computer-mediated communication help students become more aware of different cultures and challenge national stereotypes. After completing tasks, students realised how discourses around national identity can create ‘othering’, but they also found common ground through shared language and digital signals, fostering cross-cultural understanding and critical thinking about their place in the world.
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Why is it important?
This research is important because it demonstrates how virtual communication can promote critical awareness of cultural identities and foster meaningful intercultural dialogue among young people. It highlights the potential of digital spaces to break down national barriers and develop a shared understanding in a globalised world. The findings have significant implications for designing intercultural and language curricula that prepare students for effective participation in an interconnected society.
Perspectives
As someone committed to innovative language education, I believe this study offers valuable insights into how virtual spaces can powerfully support transcultural understanding. It presents practical ways to incorporate digital communication into the classroom, helping students develop critical awareness and cross-cultural skills essential for today’s interconnected world. This research inspires educators to harness technology for meaningful, inclusive intercultural learning. A "follow-up" to this article can be found in "A Transcultural Approach to EIL teaching and its impact on learners’ national identities" (Atlantis 41 (2): 11-34), published in 2019.
Dr José Igor Prieto-Arranz
University of the Balearic Islands
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Re-imagining cultural identity: transcultural and translingual communication in virtual third-space environments, Language Culture and Curriculum, March 2013, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/07908318.2012.759585.
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