Investigating the Potential Benefits of Virtual Exchange as a Means of Developing Interculturality, Digital Literacy and English Language Acquisition

Research Project

Project/Area Number	23K00734
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Review Section	Basic Section 02100:Foreign language education-related
Research Institution	Hannan University
Principal Investigator	Martin Parsons 阪南大学, 流通学部, 教授 (40411681)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	ラリーウオーカー京都府立大学, 文学部, 教授 (70381928)
Project Period (FY)	2023-04-01 – 2027-03-31
Project Status	Granted (Fiscal Year 2023)
Budget Amount *help	¥2,210,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥510,000) Fiscal Year 2026: ¥130,000 (Direct Cost: ¥100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥30,000) Fiscal Year 2025: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000) Fiscal Year 2024: ¥520,000 (Direct Cost: ¥400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥120,000) Fiscal Year 2023: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000)
Keywords	Virtual Exchange / Digital Literacy / Interculturality / Language Acquisition / SLA / Multimodality
Outline of Research at the Start	Broadly speaking, in the 1st year of the project it is intended that a review of the most recent relevant research will be undertaken. A research group will be formed, and an internet presence created. In the 2nd year, it is intended that the exchanges with EFL countries will be broadened and a greater focus on specific outcomes will be investigated. In the 3rd year, it is planned to continue to develop the exchanges with all countries, and if feasible create and publish templates and guides which can be used by other educators and researchers.
Outline of Annual Research Achievements	We have engaged in two exchanges with professors and students in other countries: Parsons with professors and students in China and Spain, Walker with professors and students in Japan and the USA. It is hoped that these collaborations will continue and that others will be developed in 2024.
Current Status of Research Progress	Current Status of Research Progress 2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned. Reason An initial presentation has been given at a seminar in Zhuhai in China (see below). Research papers are currently being written on data gathered from the projects conducted in 2023. It is anticipated that they will be published in 2024 and 2025.
Strategy for Future Research Activity	It is planned that multiple virtual exchanges will be conducted between Japanese students and students in countries such as China, Spain, the USA and Azerbaijan, and that future collaborations with other countries can be planned. Presentations will be made at conferences and symposia in both Japan and abroad. It is planned that research papers based upon the collaborations will published in academic journals and books. It is planned that a website supporting the project will be established to serve as a hub for researchers and students. We also plan to investigate the potential benefits of AI (e.g. ChatGPT) in English language acquisition and in conducting virtual exchanges.