Papers by Margarita Vinagre Laranjeira
Language Learning & Technology , 2026
Los compuestos ingleses y españoles: Una propuesta sintágtica para su interpretación
El desarrollo de la competencia intercultural en los intercambios telecolaborativos
DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals), 2014
En este artículo se presentan los resultados de un proyecto colaborativo en línea de tres meses d... more En este artículo se presentan los resultados de un proyecto colaborativo en línea de tres meses de duración entre estudiantes universitarios de español como lengua extranjera en el Reino Unido y estudiantes universitarios de inglés como lengua extranjera en España. Los estudiantes trabajaron en pequeños grupos en un wiki empleando la lengua extranjera para interactuar con el compañero con el objetivo de mejorar su competencia intercultural a través de la discusión de temas culturales y del diálogo activo. Los datos se recogieron mediante varios instrumentos que incluían las páginas wiki creadas por los estudiantes, los comentarios de discusión asociados a las mismas así como las respuestas a dos cuestionarios, uno pre-proyecto y otro post-proyecto. El análisis cualitativo de los datos muestra la presencia de evidencias o trazas de todos los objetivos mencionados en las directrices de Byram (2000) para la evaluación de la experiencia intercultural. Además, la percepción de los estudiantes con respecto al intercambio es que, aunque no contribuyó a cambiar las opiniones e ideas previas que ya tenían sobre la cultura extranjera, sí contribuyó a mejorar su conocimiento y destrezas culturales.
New perspectives on teaching and working with languages in the digital era, 2016
I n this paper we explore the data gathered from a group of nine in-service teachers who were tra... more I n this paper we explore the data gathered from a group of nine in-service teachers who were trained online to become future telecollaborative teachers. Participants from different countries worked in two small groups in a wiki designed specially to facilitate discussion and collaboration. Tasks included reading and reviewing articles on telecollaboration, critically analysing examples from authentic exchanges, organising a hypothetical exchange and designing a tool for its assessment. Analyses of the pattern, scope and nature of user contributions as reliable measures of collaborative behaviours by wiki-users were carried out on the data gathered from six wiki pages and corresponding discussion pages. Findings and discussion elaborate on the collaborative behaviour (or lack thereof) observed among participants.
Future-proof CALL: language learning as exploration and encounters – short papers from EUROCALL 2018, 2018
With the integration of new technologies in the foreign language classroom, the practice of colla... more With the integration of new technologies in the foreign language classroom, the practice of collaborative writing has gained renewed attention, although some questions still remain unanswered regarding the extent to which these tools help learners in their writing when compared to more traditional learning contexts (Elola & Oskoz, 2010). In order to explore these issues, we analysed the written production of 84 undergraduate students of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) using the LIWC2015 4 software. The analysis revealed significant differences in categories such as word count, clout, emotional tone, or analytical thinking when comparing the texts written by an experimental and a control group. Moreover, regarding discourse, some differences were observed in terms of the way information was presented and structured.
Understanding Attitude in Intercultural Virtual Communication
Virtual exchange has experienced a significant development over the last twenty years. Given its ... more Virtual exchange has experienced a significant development over the last twenty years. Given its multiple benefits, this innovative pedagogy has attracted instructors and researchers from all over the world who are interested in integrating this practice into their classrooms. However, implementing virtual exchange is not without its challenges, and attaining sustained collaborative interaction remains one of those challenges. To support such interaction, interpersonal factors such as identity, rapport, and trust are essential. The development of these factors relies heavily on the participants’ attitudes and how they choose to reflect them in their intercultural dialogue. Given the scarcity of studies that investigate the impact of students’ attitudes and emotions in telecollaborative encounters, this volume aims to analyze the use of attitudinal resources in virtual interaction. By examining a range of educational settings, applying different theoretical approaches, presenting a v...
Computers & Education, 2008
Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has been the subject of a wide range of studies ... more Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) has been the subject of a wide range of studies over the last twenty years. Previous research suggests that CSCL exchanges can facilitate group-based learning and knowledge construction among learners who are in different geographical locations (Littleton, K. & Whitelock, D. (2004). Guiding the creation of knowledge and understanding in a virtual learning environment. Cyberpsychology & Behaviour, 7(2), 173). A less known fact, however, is that successful CSCL exchanges depend on the social interaction that takes place among participants. This social interaction is crucial, since it affects both cognitive and socio-emotional processes that take place during learning (Kreijns, K., Kirschner, P., Jochems, W. & Van Buuren, H. (2004). Determining sociability, social space, and social presence in (a) synchronous collaborative groups. Cyberpsychology & Behaviour, 7 (2), 156). Nevertheless, its presence in these exchanges should not be taken for granted, since there are certain barriers which may impede interaction; for example, students may not know each other previously (high social distance) and requests and offers which appear recurrently in collaborative learning messages can threaten the participants' negative face (Brown and Levinson 1978, 1987). In order to explore how participants overcome these barriers, we have analysed the linguistic features of politeness strategies used in the introductory e-mails exchanged between eleven students and their partners, who are students of English and Spanish, respectively. Our findings show that partners in collaborative e-mail exchanges do not use negative politeness strategies as often as we might expect in encounters where the social distance between participants is high, but they rely heavily on positive politeness strategies, especially those relating to 'claiming common ground', 'assuming or asserting reciprocity' and 'conveying cooperation'. The presence of these strategies would indicate that fostering closeness, solidarity and cohesion becomes the priority to be achieved between the partners, instead of the expected negative politeness mechanisms whose aim is to demonstrate high social distance and, therefore, formality and impersonality.
Spatializing Language Studies: Pedagogical Approaches in the Linguistic Landscape, 2023
Educational Linguistics is dedicated to innovative studies of language use and language learning.... more Educational Linguistics is dedicated to innovative studies of language use and language learning. The series is based on the idea that there is a need for studies that break barriers. Accordingly, it provides a space for research that crosses traditional disciplinary, theoretical, and/or methodological boundaries in ways that advance knowledge about language (in) education. The series focuses on critical and contextualized work that offers alternatives to current approaches as well as practical, substantive ways forward. Contributions explore the dynamic and multilayered nature of theory-practice relationships, creative applications of linguistic and symbolic resources, individual and societal considerations, and diverse social spaces related to language learning. The series publishes in-depth studies of educational innovation in contexts throughout the world: issues of linguistic equity and diversity; educational language policy; revalorization of indigenous languages; socially responsible (additional) language teaching; language assessment; first-and additional language literacy; language teacher education; language development and socialization in nontraditional settings; the integration of language across academic subjects; language and technology; and other relevant topics.
What is it? The Linguistic Landscape (LL) is a relatively new field which draws from several disc... more What is it? The Linguistic Landscape (LL) is a relatively new field which draws from several disciplines such as applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, anthropology, sociology, psychology, and cultural geography. According to Landry and Bourhis (1997), “the language of public road signs, advertising billboards, street names, place names, commercial shop signs, and public signs on government buildings combines to form the linguistic landscape of a given territory, region, or urban agglomeration” (p. 25). More recently, the type of signs that can be found in the public space has broadened to include the language on T-shirts, stamp machines, football banners, postcards, menus, products, tattoos, and graffiti. Despite this wider variety of signs, Landry and Bourhis’s (1997) definition still captures the essence of the LL, which is multimodal (signs combine visual, written, and sometimes audible data) and can also incorporate the use of multiple languages (multilingual).
Amherst (UMass) in the United States during the first semester of the academic year 2004-05. We f... more Amherst (UMass) in the United States during the first semester of the academic year 2004-05. We found that, despite certain teething problems regarding the implementation of the project and the students' initial ignorance of the pedagogical principles of reciprocity and autonomy needed to guarantee the success of the project, the students' involvement and participation reflected a considerable improvement in their communicative competence in the target language, especially with regard to their vocabulary acquisition, writing skills and foreign culture awareness.
Intercultural Communication in Action: A Project in Tandem Learning Via E-Mail
Social Interaction in Asynchronous Learning Environments
The effectiveness of using e-mail as a tool to promote foreign language learning has been mention... more The effectiveness of using e-mail as a tool to promote foreign language learning has been mentioned in a wide range of studies. Previous research suggests that computermediated communication (CMC) can facilitate communication (Cooper and Selfe 1990), reduce anxiety (Sullivan 1993; Kern 1995), increase oral discussion (Pratt and Sullivan 1994), enhance student motivation (Warschauer 1996a), facilitate social learning (Barker and Kemp 1990) and improve writing skills (Warschauer 1996b) among others. There is a growing body of research that investigates the integration of e-mail into language learning environments and its effectiveness as a tool to promote foreign language learning (Van Handle and Corl 1998; Muller-Hartmann 2000; Vinagre 2005). Other perceived benefits refer to extending language learning beyond what can be achieved in the classroom (Woodin 1997), providing authentic contexts for real communication (Little et al. 1999) and encouraging equal opportunity participation (Warschauer 1995; Gonzalez-Bueno 1998). E-mail exchanges are text-based and computer-mediated, both of which define the nature of the communicative interaction. First, the permanence of written texts, as opposed to oral speech, means that the messages can be analysed again and again, thus facilitating reflection and learning awareness. As Schwienhorst (1998: 125) suggests, "The major advantage of written communication is (...) the possibility for each learner to preserve the entire communication" and to have "an enormous sample of his or her own efforts in the target language" for future use. Second, e-mail asynchronicity allows participants time to compose their messages and consider their answers, which also encourages critical reflection. Finally, its impersonality removes the pressure of face-to-face encounters and participants tend to be more uninhibited. As Gonglewsky et al. (2001: 3) point out,
Engaging with difference: Integrating the linguistic landscape in virtual exchange
System, 2022
Language Teaching, 2021
In this article, the authors reflect on the ways research on Virtual Exchange (VE) has had an imp... more In this article, the authors reflect on the ways research on Virtual Exchange (VE) has had an impact on language education practices and, conversely, areas in which research has been underexplored, misapplied or perhaps even over applied by VE practitioners in formal education settings. Starting from a brief historical overview of VE, the text first outlines the features widely accepted as key aspects of this pedagogical approach before considering to what extent research results can be identified in VE implementation. Principal topics covered are the main aims regarding language development when VE is applied, assessment of language development through VE and VE and intercultural competence. While the article is not intended as a comprehensive review, it provides insight into the main foci of VE research and how these findings are reaching the language classroom (primary, secondary and university).
Journal of Language and Intercultural Communication
The main objective of this study is to explore how students who participate in virtual intercultu... more The main objective of this study is to explore how students who participate in virtual intercultural exchanges use evaluative language to build rapport and encourage collaboration. Data were gathered from 211 email messages sent by 40 Spanish and American university students and were tagged following Martin and White's Appraisal model. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the lexico-grammatical tokens revealed that the participants used mostly Affect tokens in their interaction. This suggests that the students preferred expressing their own feelings and emotions rather than judging their partners' behaviour or evaluating phenomena as a strategy to construct a positive and appealing personal identity.
Interculturality and Identity in Computer- Mediated Communication: Findings from L2 Teaching Contexts
Computer Assisted Language Learning, May 2017
Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada/Spanish Journal of Applied Linguistics , 2018
El uso de la cortesía lingüística en la petición en español y alemán en un intercambio de colabor... more El uso de la cortesía lingüística en la petición en español y alemán en un intercambio de colaboración virtual
Developing teachers' telecollaborative competences in online experiential learning
In this paper we aim to investigate the development of the collaborative competences that teacher... more In this paper we aim to investigate the development of the collaborative competences that teachers require when engaging in telecollaborative projects. In order to do so, we explore the data gathered from a group of teachers who were trained online to become future telecollaborative teachers. Participants carried out a series of tasks that included reading and reviewing articles on telecollaboration and implementing a virtual exchange. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed on the data gathered from a forum, wiki and answers to an end-of-course questionnaire. Results suggest that teacher training through modeling and exploratory practice may help teachers acquire the conceptual and procedural knowledge and skills (competences) required by the telecollaborative teacher. However, in order to develop procedural competences, teachers need to engage in experiential learning following a linear process that not only facilitates an understanding of what online collaboration entails, but also provides them with hands-on-experience and encourages them to reflect on the complexity of the collaborative process.
New perspectives on teaching and working with languages in the digital era, May 1, 2016
In this paper we explore the data gathered from a group of nine in-service teachers who were trai... more In this paper we explore the data gathered from a group of nine in-service teachers who were trained online to become future telecollaborative teachers. Participants from different countries worked in two small groups in a wiki designed specially to facilitate discussion and collaboration. Tasks included reading and reviewing articles on telecollaboration, critically analysing examples from authentic exchanges, organising a hypothetical exchange and designing a tool for its assessment. Analyses of the pattern, scope and nature of user contributions as reliable measures of collaborative behaviours by wiki-users were carried out on the data gathered from six wiki pages and corresponding discussion pages. Findings and discussion elaborate on the collaborative behaviour (or lack thereof) observed among participants.
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Papers by Margarita Vinagre Laranjeira