Enhancing Students' Intercultural Competence Development Using Virtual Field Experiences and Digital Storytelling
Dissertation Proposal Title: Enhancing Students' Intercultural Competence Development Using Virtual Field Experiences and Digital Storytelling
Dissertation Committee Members: Dr. Borbala Gaspar (Chair), Dr. Jill Castek, Dr. Yousra Abourehab
Please note that this will be a private proposal presentation.
Abstract: This dissertation aims to investigate the impact of the use of Digital Storytelling (DST) and Virtual Field Experiences (VFEs) on the development of students' intercultural competence in a Russian language classroom.
In the most commonly used Russian educational materials and instructional practices there are is a significant lack of representation of cultural diversity and exposure to cultures of Russian-speaking countries and regions outside of the central part of Russia. Therefore, there is a strong need to create and develop new learning resources that will support learners in broadening their cultural horizons and exploring the Russian-speaking world beyond Central Russia. VFEs are diverse immersive digital multimodal experiences that bring authenticity in the classroom, enhance the development of digital literacies, and help students gain cultural experiences by exploring, comparing, analyzing, reflecting and therefore, building their intercultural competence (Oguilve et al., 2022). While VFEs immerse the students in the authentic context, Digital Storytelling facilitates students’ reflection and interpretation of what they observed. By creating a digital story, learners activate higher-level thinking skills, explore and engage in critical analysis as well as level-up their creative potential through self-expression, research and active inquiry. They design messages that merge linguistic, visual, and auditory elements, negotiating cultural and linguistic identities in the process (Ohler, 2013).
To examine the pedagogical potential of these approaches and tools in practice, a classroom project was designed for the fourth semester (Intermediate Russian II) undergraduate course. The project implementation and data collection process are planned for the Spring 2026 semester. As a part of their final cultural project, the students will write regular reflective journal entries and discussion posts, provide video feedback, engage in the creation of a VFE and the final digital story that will serve as data collection points throughout the semester. The data will be then analyzed and systematized qualitatively to explore the effects of the use of DST and VFEs on students’ development of intercultural competence and their perceptions of Russian-speaking cultures.
