Abstract
This chapter addresses the question whether telecollaboration/virtual exchange between student teachers of foreign languages is perceived as a valuable tool that enhances their interculturality. To that end, we present self-reported quantitative assessment of the potential that (student) teachers from Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic associate with telecollaborative exchanges in terms of intercultural gains and professional development. We supplement those data with an analysis of open-ended statements in which the participants reflect on their professional identity. The results indicate that the future teachers fail to fully embrace the intercultural dimension of telecollaboration. Moreover, interculturality is not perceived as an important marker of teacher professional identity. Based on these findings, we offer recommendations for increasing the potential of telecollaboration to underscore the role of interculturality in foreign language teacher education.
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Pfingsthorn, J., Czura, A., Kramer, C., Štefl, M. (2021). Interculturality and Professional Identity: Exploring the Potential of Telecollaboration in Foreign Language Teacher Education. In: Victoria, M., Sangiamchit, C. (eds) Interculturality and the English Language Classroom. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76757-0_4
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