Intercultural Collaborative Project-Based Learning in Online Environments

Intercultural Online Learning Contexts

Intercultural communication is described as the “study of distinct cultural or other groups in interaction with each other” (Scollon & Scollon, 2001, p. 539). The requirement for learners in culturally and linguistically diverse environments to communicate effectively with the instructor and with each other involves intercultural communication. Wilson (2001) charges that contact between persons who describe themselves differently can lead to cultural discontinuities.

Cultural discontinuities are obstacles in cross-cultural educational interfaces, brought about by “a lack of contextual match between the conditions of learning and a learner’s sociocultural experiences” (Wilson, 2001, p. 52). We have classified the following intercultural factors that impact online learning: (a) worldviews as reflected by cultural dimensions (Hofstede, 1997); (b) communication practices reflected in high and low context communication (Hall, 1976) and in cognition patterns (Tharp, 1989); and (c) technological issues.