Mapping connections among activism interactional practices and presence in videoconferencing language learning

Abstract

The pandemic-induced global shift to remote learning revealed that key elements of face-to-face learning fail to translate satisfactorily to the online environment. Among them, group interactions in videoconferencing language learning imply two parallel challenges for learners that must be acknowledged and supported by teachers: a shift from the usual unmediated communication to a mediated one, and a shift from using their first language to using a foreign language. The present study draws on a dynamic and multidimensional notion of presence to address challenges identified in videoconferencing and language learning. From this perspective, a selection of interactional practices observed in activism is proposed, mapping connections between each of the practices and the social, teaching, and cognitive dimensions of presence. The proposal offered in this study contributes to a call from the literature in remote learning for research on practical strategies to facilitate presence within the community of inquiry framework.