Speaker
Description
This study investigates the experiences of Japanese university students during an eight-week Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project with a US university. It explores the emotions students experienced, strategies they used to regulate them, and methods they employed to compensate for limited face-to-face cues in online communication. Using qualitative analysis of reflective journals and Zoom interactions, the study offers insights into improving COIL design and fostering emotional engagement in second language learning.
Abstract section 4: Outcomes/results
The analysis is expected to reveal a range of emotional experiences that emerge during participation in COIL, including both positive emotions and negative emotions. The study will also explore how learners regulate these emotions during online intercultural collaboration and how they compensate for the lack of face-to-face cues through digital communication strategies. The findings aim to provide pedagogical insights for designing COIL programs that better support learners' emotional engagement and language development.
Abstract section 2: Contribution/research questions
This study investigates the emotional experiences of Japanese university students participating in a COIL program with international peers. It addresses the following research questions:
1. What emotional experiences do students encounter during participation in COIL?
2. How do students perceive and manage emotions in L2 learning within a COIL environment?
3. How do students compensate for the lack of face-to-face cues when expressing or regulating emotions during online collaboration?
Abstract section 1: Relevance
The rapid transition to online education during the pandemic led many universities to adopt Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) to support intercultural exchange in higher education (Rubin, 2022). Since COIL connects students with international peers through online collaboration, participants may experience diverse emotional responses that influence their engagement and learning processes (Watzek et al., 2024). In second language (L2) learning, emotions are recognized as important factors affecting motivation, participation, and learning outcomes (Alrabai, 2022). Therefore, this study examines how learners experience and regulate emotions during COIL activities and how these emotional dynamics shape their interaction and L2 learning.
Abstract section 5: References
Alrabai, F. (2022). The role of mixed emotions in language learning and teaching: A positive psychology teacher intervention. System, 107, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2022.102821
Kawakita, J. (2017). Hassoho kaiban-Sozosei kaihatsu no tame ni [The KJ Method, revised edition: For the development of creativity]. Tokyo: Chuokoron-Shinsha.
Richards, K. (2009). Interview. In J. Heigham & R. A. Croker (Eds.), Qualitative research in applied linguistics (pp. 182–199). Palgrave Macmillan.
Rubin, J. (2022). Preface to an evolving international educational landscape. In J. Rubin & S. Guth (Eds.), The guide to COIL virtual exchange: Implementing, growing, and sustaining collaborative online international learning (pp. 3–18). Stylus.
Sampson, R. J. (2020). The feeling classroom: Diversity of feelings in instructed L2 learning. Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching, 14(3), 203–217. https://doi.org/10.1080/17501229.2018.1553178
Sampson, R. J. (2022). Complexity in second language study emotions: Emergent sensemaking in social context (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003306955
Watzek, V., Rehm, M., & Mulder, R. H. (2024). Exploring dynamics of emotional reactions in online collaboration of communities of learners and their relations with learning outcomes. Interactive Learning Environments, 32(1), 90–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/10494820.2022.2078985
Abstract section 3: Content/method
This qualitative case study examines approximately 20 English-major students at a Japanese university participating in an eight-week COIL project with a US partner institution. Data will be collected through weekly reflective learning journals (Sampson, 2020, 2022), Zoom communication records, and semi-structured interviews with selected participants. Data will be analyzed through qualitative coding (Richards, 2009) and affinity diagram techniques (Kawakita, 2017).
| Title | Exploring Japanese EFL Learners' Emotions in COIL |
|---|---|
| Teaching Context | College and university education |