Description
Virtual Exchanges (VE) repeatedly show that they promote language acquisition through the employment of various negotiation of meaning strategies, with both synchronous and asynchronous exchanges showing similar acquisition results as face-to-face exchanges. This presentation details a short VE between approximately 400 students in Japan and Korea. Students created two Flip videos, commented on the videos of other students, and had a synchronous video conversation in groups of four to seven students. Students completed surveys pre- and post-VE. The pre-VE survey had three Likert-like scales measuring self-efficacy, self-perceived communication competence (SPCC), and communication anxiety. The post-VE survey contained the same three scales, an additional enjoyment scale and open-ended questions. Students significantly reported higher self-efficacy post-VE and had slight positive changes in SPCC but almost no difference in their communication anxiety. Most students enjoyed the activities, especially creating videos, and recommend the VE be offered to students next year.
