Authors: David Dalsky, Albertus Harimurti, Cahya Widiyanto, Jueyun Su
Published in: Journal of Intercultural Communication No. 25, 2022, pp. 1-14
Abstract
In this paper, the authors, as “intercultural trainers-researchers,” aim to demonstrate how virtual intercultural contact can contribute to the development of intercultural competence. In this virtual training program, the teachers assume the role of trainer-researchers, working in collaboration with participants (i.e., students/trainees). The participants researched and exchanged emic analogous cultural concepts in the Javanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese languages using a folk psychology approach mediated by English as a lingua franca. The participants (14 students) mainly discussed Javanese emic concepts, wrote research papers, and reflected upon their experiences in the online intercultural interviews. Results suggest that most of the research team members gained valuable insights into the subtle nuances of various Asian emic cultural concepts, which were evaluated based on what the students/trainees learned from the project. Implications for interculturality, cosmopolitanism, and global citizenship are suggested. The limitations of this unique virtual training paradigm are also considered.
Keywords
virtual intercultural training, emic concepts, online intercultural exchange
Citation
Dalsky, D., Harimurti, A., Widiyanto, C., & Su, J. Y. (2022). A Virtual Intercultural Training Method: Exchanges of Javanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Japanese Emic Concepts. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 25, 121-134.